Yorkshire Terrier Coat and Grooming: Long Coat, Puppy Cut, Mats, Tear Stains and the Topknot

A Yorkshire Terrier's coat is hair rather than fur: a single layer with no undercoat, growing continuously, shedding very little. That is why the breed suits some allergy sufferers, why the sofa stays clean, and why the coat mats if you look away for two days. Puppies are born black and tan and turn steel-blue and gold over the first two years, and the final colour tells you very little about the puppy you bought. There are two ways to keep a Yorkie's coat and both are work.

The long coat

The show coat, floor-length and parted down the back, is beautiful and a part-time job. Every day: a light mist of conditioning spray, a pin brush, and then a comb to the skin in sections, because a brush that glides over the top leaves a felt layer underneath. A bath every one to two weeks with a moisturising shampoo and conditioner, rinsed until the water runs clear, then blow-dried on low while brushing. Hair wrapped or tied up to keep it out of food and off the ground. Most people who start with the long coat end up with the puppy cut by the dog's second birthday, and there is no shame in it.

The puppy cut

Hair an inch or two long all over, a shorter face, tidy feet. A comb to the skin three times a week, a bath every three to four weeks, and a groomer every six to eight weeks. It is what most pet Yorkies wear and it is the sensible choice for a dog who walks in the rain, plays with other dogs, or lives with children. Find a groomer who is gentle and patient with tiny dogs, and take the puppy for a 'happy visit', a wash and a fuss and no clippers, before the first real groom.

Where the mats form

Behind the ears, in the armpits, under the harness straps, at the base of the tail, between the back legs and around the collar line. Check those spots daily by running a comb through them. A small mat is teased apart with fingers and a comb, with conditioner, from the outside in. A big one is clipped out by a groomer. What a mat is never is cut out with scissors: a Yorkie's skin is paper-thin and moves with the hair, and a snip at what looks like hair is often skin. Vets stitch Yorkies up after scissors every week.

Eyes, tear staining and the topknot

Hair in the eyes irritates them, the eyes water, and the tears stain the hair under them rust-brown. The stain is cosmetic; the irritation isn't. Keep the hair out of the eyes from puppyhood with a topknot, a soft band or a small clip, redone daily and never tight enough to pull the skin, or with a short trim around the eyes done by a groomer. Wipe under the eyes daily with a damp cotton pad, one per eye, and keep the face dry after drinking. Skip the tear-stain products that contain antibiotics.

A Yorkie who suddenly weeps more, squints, holds an eye closed or has a thick yellow discharge has an eye problem, not a stain problem. Dry eye, where the tear glands fail, is common in the breed and needs drops for life; a scratch from a hair or a bramble is a corneal ulcer until proven otherwise and needs a same-day vet. Cloudy eyes in an older dog are usually cataracts, and are worth asking about.

Ears, nails and teeth

The ears stand because the tips are kept shaved; the groomer does it. The hair inside the ear canal is plucked or trimmed so wax and moisture don't build up. Look and sniff weekly; redness, smell, dark wax or head-shaking is a vet visit. Nails every two to three weeks, because they don't wear down on a dog this light, and long nails change how the kneecaps load. A grinder is easier than clippers on tiny dark nails. Teeth get their own article, the dental guide, because they are the number one Yorkie health problem and a grooming routine that skips them is only half a routine.

Cold, coats and the jumper question

A single coat and two to three kilos means a Yorkie loses heat fast. Below about ten degrees they need a jumper; in rain, a waterproof, and a towel-dry afterwards; in a cold house, a bed off the floor and a blanket. Shivering is cold, not drama, and in a very small or very old Yorkie cold can trigger a blood-sugar dip. In summer, the puppy cut helps, walks are early and late, and a Yorkie never waits in a car.

Making grooming easy

Every bit of this is easier on a dog who was taught from ten weeks that a brush means a treat, a comb behind the ear means a treat, and a hand at the mouth means a treat. Thirty seconds a day, every day, as a game. A Yorkie who fights the brush at three was never shown it was safe at three months, and it can still be fixed, slowly, the same way. The first 30 days guide builds it in.