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Caring for a Yorkie’s coat is not as difficult as most people think. It requires 10-15 minutes each day. Think of this time as your special one-on-one time with your puppy. Make it an enjoyable experience for both of you.
You will need both a brush and a comb. Begin with the comb. Always start at the end of the hair. Comb through the outer third removing any tangles. You should hold the other two-thirds of the hair with your other hand to avoid pulling the hair and hurting your puppy. Continue moving toward the skin combing out small sections at a time until the comb moves smoothly through the hair from the roots to the ends.
Once finished combing, you will need to brush your puppy’s coat. This will massage your puppy, remove any loose hairs and stimulate circulation. Pay special attention to the hair on the belly, armpits, and under the tail. Once all the hair has been combed and brushed thoroughly, you will need to work on the topknot. I simply tiny latex bands to tie up the hair to keep it from falling in front of its eyes. Brushing and combing your Yorkie takes patience.
Many puppies do not enjoy grooming at first. Give it time. If you begin to feel stressed, stop. You can try again later. You may feel you will never be able to do the brushing and topknot, but with practice and patience it will become easier and easier. You will finally enjoy sitting quietly with your puppy, as you brush and comb it out. If you feel this is too much, you can keep your Yorkie in a “puppy cut.” This is a short haircut which is best done by a professional groomer.
Because the Yorkshire Terrier is a long-coated breed, bathing can be as frequent as once every 2 weeks. You can give additional baths as needed. With a young puppy this will not be necessary. You can bath your puppy once a month until the age of 6-8 months. If you bathe your pet too frequently, its hair and skin often become dry and chapped.
Prior to beginning the bath, I clean my Yorkie’s ears, under their eyes (where mucus has gathered), brush their teeth, clip nails (once a month) and comb out their hair (this makes for easier and quicker brushing and blow drying).
I bathe my Yorkies in the kitchen sink. It saves my back from having to bend over the bathtub. I place a plastic mat made for the sink on the bottom to prevent the puppy from slipping. I use the sprayer to wet the entire coat (I leave the face for last). I begin by placing the shampoo (make sure you use a dog shampoo, the PH of humans and dogs are not the same) along the entire length of the back. DO NOT scrub the shampoo in the shampoo down the length of the coat. Make sure to clean their bellies, legs, feet, and chest. Check under their tails for any feces that might have gotten caught on the hair. Rinse thoroughly.
Next use a conditioner. Allow this to stay on the hair a short while. Continue to spread it down the coat, keeping the Yorkie occupied. I also use this time to wash its face. Most puppies do not like water on their faces. Use a small washcloth containing a small amount of shampoo to wash the face or try to get them used to the sprayer (on a lower setting) to wet their head, then both sides of their face. Make sure you get all the shampoo off the face before getting back to the conditioner. Make sure you thoroughly rinse the conditioner out. You need to make sure both the shampoo and conditioner are completely out of the hair. Dirt is easily attracted to a coat with these products left in.
Then it is time to blow dry your Yorkie. Wrap the puppy in a towel. DO NOT scrub the puppy dry. Gently pat as much water as you can out of the hair. DO NOT use a high setting or place the dryer too close to the puppy (use your basic instinct). Hold the dryer with one hand, and comb the hair with the other (as you would your own).
Once dry it is now time to put up their hair in a topknot. Tying up the hair is a skill that takes time to master. The puppy has to understand that you are the boss and that this will be done.
At first the puppy will do everything in its power to remove the band, bow, etc. Given time, it will get used to the tie and leave it alone for the most part. You are now finished. Your puppy will probably run around crazily, rubbing itself all over the carpet or bedding. This is normal - they all seem to do it.
It is important to get your puppy used to regular dental care.
You can do this by rubbing a soft cloth with some doggie toothpaste over your pet’s teeth once a week. Once your puppy is accustomed to you working in its mouth, you should begin using a toothbrush. You can buy a child’s toothbrush at the grocery store. This is the perfect size for their small mouths. I know several Yorkie owners who recommend using a children’s battery operated toothbrush. They said that they have had better success with them then a regular toothbrush.
You should also give your puppy something to chew on. This will discourage chewing on things that should not be chewed on and help to keep that tartar from forming on the teeth. This is why it is important to feed your puppy and adult dog dry food. The chewing of the kibble reduces the amount of tartar build up on the teeth.
In addition, you will need to check your puppy’s mouth regularly for baby teeth that are not falling out on their own. Many vets will recommend that you wait until you spay/neuter your puppy before having these teeth taken out by the vet. Unfortunately not all Yorkie’s baby teeth will be ready to be removed at the time they are to be spayed/neutered.
The hair on and between the pads of your Yorkie’s feet must be trimmed regularly. This keeps them from slipping when walking on floors versus carpeting. You must also trim your Yorkie’s toenails regularly. Have your veterinarian show you how this is done so that you don’t cut into the part of the nail that contains the blood vessel.
You should check the corner of your Yorkie’s eyes daily for matter that may have collected there. You can remove this with a damp face cloth (a baby’s face cloth may be better depending on the size of your Yorkie).
I clean my Yorkie’s eyes weekly with an eye cleaner and a Q-tip to remove any mucous that may have dried on their hair under their eyes.
You will need to clean the inside of your Yorkie’s ears weekly. I use an ear cleaner and a Q- tip. Make sure that you do not stick the Q-tip too far into the ear. You should be cleaning its ears as you would your own.
Yorkie’s ears may also need to have the hair removed from the inside. Your groomer will do this for you. If you choose to groom them yourself, you will need to pluck the hair with your fingers that grows inside the ear canal. It can be done by simply pulling a small amount at a time after applying an ear powder. It is safest to have your groomer or veterinarian show you how to remove the hair properly or have them do it for you.
About once a month or so, you should shave the upper third of each ear with a small trimmer. Shave both the inside and outside of the ear creating a “v” shape.
You should regularly check under your Yorkie’s tail to make sure the hair in this area is trimmed to prevent fecal matter from becoming attached to the hair. You can use a small trimmer or a pair of scissor to do this.
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You should already have an exercise pen set up. It should be small enough to fit the kennel, toys, piddle pad, and a food and water bowl. By making the pen small enough to fit these items only, the puppy has no choice but to use the pad. If by chance, your puppy is one of the few that potties in its bed, food, or water, don’t worry. It will figure it out after a while. Once the pup is using the pad consistently, you can make the area larger. You need to do this gradually until you can open it up and allow the puppy to have access to one room while being supervised. Make sure you praise your puppy each time you actually see it use the piddle pad. Choose a word or phrase to use, and only use this word or phrase. This is important so that they learn your commands. Most puppies will need to potty within a few minutes of waking, playing, or drinking water.
Once you have seen your puppy potty on the pad, you should let it out to play for 10-15 minutes after which it should be returned to the pen. You do not want to allow the puppy to be outside the pen for a long period of time. It is still a puppy and needs lots of rest, and just like a child, it doesn’t know when to stop.
Piddle pad training has already begun prior to bringing your puppy home. You will need to begin training your Yorkie to go outside to potty.
It is a good idea to both piddle pad train and outside train your Yorkie. There will be times that you will be unable to be home in time to take your Yorkie out. Also, some Yorkies do not like to potty in the rain, snow, or extremely cold weather. For this training to be successful, you will need to be patient, understanding, and consistent.
Make sure you take your puppy outside once it wakes from a nap or a night’s sleep. You should also take it out after each meal, giving it some time between eating and going out.
Have a spot chosen outside where you would like your Yorkie to go potty. You will need to take it to this spot to reinforce that this is the right spot where it can relieve itself.
You should begin to recognize signs that your puppy needs to go out. Those signs may include the following:
1) Restlessness, whimpering, turning in circles, or repeatedly sitting down
2) sniffing the floor, hunching over, and looking for a quiet spot
3) after a time, your puppy may scratch at the door, stand in front of the door or bark to indicate it needs to go out
Each time your puppy goes potty either on the pad or outside in the appropriate spot, you need to verbally praise it and provide a small treat to reinforce the behaviour.
Your puppy will inevitably have accidents during this training period. If you catch it in the “act,” scold it by saying “NO” in such a way that the puppy understands what it was doing was wrong and immediately take it to the piddle pad or outside to the spot where it should be going. This is not the time to baby the pup. You will only regret it in the future when training is prolonged and accidents continue.
Never punish your puppy physically or by placing it in its crate. The crate is its “safe zone.” This will only confuse your puppy. If you do not catch it in the “act,” do not scold it.
Your puppy is incapable of connecting what it has done (even a few minutes earlier) with your current displeasure. Simply clean up the mess making sure you use a product that will eliminate the odour. Also make sure the product you use is safe. You can purchase this type of product at a pet store.
Your Yorkie should not wear a collar for training purposes. Yorkies are susceptible to collapsed tracheas and the constant pulling at the neck is not a good idea. A collar is good for placing the puppy’s license and rabies tag. I suggest using a harness for walking.
Your first attempt at walking your Yorkie can be frustrating. Puppies have no idea what is expected of them. They may continually turn to bite at the leash. You will need patience to get past this stage. Many Yorkies will simply sit down refusing to walk.
Keep coaxing him/her to come to you and praise the puppy if he/she does. It may take a few times before it will actually walk on the leash. Don’t get discouraged.
Most Yorkies love to walk. Remove the harness once you are inside your home. I do this for two reasons:
1) to help to keep its coat from getting tangled
2) so the puppy can associate the harness with the walk. Once the puppy understands what is expected, taking the harness out will become exciting for him/her. It will begin jumping, barking, and carrying on until the two of you are out the door.
Once you have gotten to this stage, you need to work on walking properly. The pup should not be pulling you, but instead following your lead by walking beside you or slightly in front. This is when a good trainer can come in handy. Training classes may require a collar, you can discuss your concerns and decide if you are comfortable with the training methods. You should use your best judgment whether or not to attend these classes or go it alone. As long as the collar is not used to pull at the puppy’s neck, it should be fine.
Use the “No” command when you need your puppy to understand that its behaviour is unacceptable. You need to give this command using a stern voice. I like to include a hand signal also. You should use either a hand held up with the palm facing the puppy or an index finger held up. You will be using this command a lot. Practice should be done often as you allow the puppy out of the pen for playtime. The puppy will probably learn this command rather quickly.
The sit command can begin in the house during feeding time. The easiest way I have found to get my puppies to sit is to hold a piece of kibble up high (chest level), and tell the pup to sit. As soon as it looks up it will automatically sit down. If this doesn’t happen, gently push its backside down.
Wait a moment, and then give lots of praise and the kibble. Do this a few times until the pup understands the command. Continue practicing this command. As it progresses, you should have the pup sit while you prepare its meal and until you allow it to eat.
The come command is a little more difficult to master. Yorkies are notorious for doing what they want. I start off with the harness and leash on. I ask my puppy to sit. I step away maybe two steps and give the command to come. I like to include a hand signal with the word. I use clapping.
Then I gently pull on the leash until the puppy has reached me. Give lots of praise. Repeat this over and over again until you are finally stepping away the length of the leash. Now it is time to take the pup off the leash and have the command work. At this point you will need to involve the “stay” command (see next section). Have the pup sit and stay. Walk away a distance further than the leash would allow. Give the signal and say the command. Your pup should immediately come to you. Having a small food treat as a reward is extremely helpful in accomplishing these commands. You will have to work at these commands whether inside or out. You want to get to the point where you trust that when you call, it will obey. It all takes time, work, and patience.
This command can be combined with the “come” and “sit” command. You need to be consistent with your wording at all times. Again, I like to combine a hand signal with my verbal commands. I use an index finger pointing to the puppy’s butt for sit, a palm held up to indicate stay and then clapping of my hands for come. You need to pick the hand signals, if you plan on using them, prior to starting training. You want to use one signal to indicate only one command.
The stay command is a difficult command for a Yorkie to master. It takes a lot of work and self- discipline on the part of the puppy. You can practice this command inside your home as well as outside. Have the puppy sit and stay a few feet from you as you sit on the sofa. Don’t pay attention to him, read a book, watch some TV, etc. Then have the puppy come. Of course as with all of these commands the time frame must start out small and continue to increase as the pup masters the command.
This command I am told is the hardest for any dog to learn. I did not find this to be true. To the dog it means total submission, which is very hard for them I again used both the verbal command “down” with a hand signal. I also use a food reward each time they perform this command correctly. At first you will need to put them in the down position from a sitting position. Praise them and give them a treat. Repeat this over and over, giving them a chance to go down on their own first before you do it for them. Do not continue to do it for them too many times because they will come to believe this is part of the command. I was able to train each of my Yorkies this command in less than10 minutes. You will need to repeat this command, just like all the others, frequently.
Soon enough you will have them trained, but they can easily forget if you do not use the commands for their lifetime. You will find that there will be additional commands you will want your puppy to learn. There are many good books, videos, and training schools where all these can be accomplished.
Remember, the whole idea is for you to learn how to train your puppy. For your puppy to be able to respond to your commands, you will first need to know how to be the “boss”. Both you and your puppy will be much happier if both of you learn these commands.
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