CARING FOR THE YORKSHIRE TERRIER

*We are happy you are reading this, it means you are a loving owner and wish to give the best care possible to your Yorkie puppy or dog. Properly caring for a Yorkie actually begins before you even bring your pup home (getting the environment ready for him or her)...And continues non-stop into the senior years.*

FEEDING: Dpending on the size of your dog as an adult you are going to want to feed them a formula that will cater to their unique digestive needs through the various phases of their life. Many dog food companies have breed-specific formulas for small, medium, large and giant breeds.  In our case, the recommended amount on the dog food label is simply a starting point; your dog may require more or less. In general, a Yorkshire Terrier eats 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 cup daily. Puppies require 3 to 4 meals daily, and an adult dog should eat twice daily. Fresh clean water should be available at all times. To ensure the best possible care for our puppies, we only allow distilled water for them until they are either re-homed or reach four months of age. Over feeding or grazing throughout the day beyond 4 months of  age is not recommended. This will allow your dog to gain an unhealthy weight size and potentially cause other health issues. A set feeding amount and a set feeding time has proven for us to be the best practice.

ORAL CARE:  Yorkies are magnificent, but this breed is very prone to dental diseases because of the anatomy of their teeth and jaw. Their teeth tend to be compressed and overcrowded in a narrow jaw, making them more susceptible to plaque build up, tooth decay, and gum disease.
Taking care of the teeth should begin the moment you bring your Yorkie home. If you have a Yorkie puppy, you will want to begin taking care of their teeth at a young age. It is best to handle the pup a lot, touch their paws, open their mouth, and run your finger across the teeth....This will all help them be used to things that will happen during grooming and being used to having the mouth and teeth touched will help them stay still when you are serious about scrubbing them. We highly recommend brushing each day. it only takes a few minutes, and with practice your dog will stay still and you will become an expert! At the very least, you should brush your Yorkie's teeth one time per week.
Professional Oral Care: This should be done 1 time ever 2 years by an experience and trusted veterinarian. Some dog breeds receive professional cleanings every year. You would at first think that the Yorkie, being prone to dental disease, should have the same.
However, the Yorkshire Terrier is VERY sensitive to anesthesia. Most professional cleaning are done by using anesthesia on the dog, so that the dog does not move while this careful cleaning is being performed.
You will be removing plaque and the veterinarian will be removing tartar via scraping...You may choose to do that yourself at home, but many owners find it best to allow the vet to take over this element...As it is tedious and very important that no spots be missed. The tartar is a yellow color. When you notice any buildup of this, it will a sign that your Yorkshire Terrier needs to go to the vet for a professional cleaning. Every other year for most is fine, as long as you keep up with cleaning at home. For those with previous issues and/or soft teeth, twice a year may be needed and the pros and cons of anesthesia will need to be weighed and discussed with the vet.
NEVER use human toothpaste. A dog can swallow a lot of paste during the cleanings and the fluoride which is found in human tooth paste can wreak havoc in a dog's system. Some of them can be toxic, others may cause digestive issues or at the very least an upset stomach to varying degrees. The actual fluoride levels and polishing elements are not made with canines in mind and will not work as well on them as with you.

GROOMING:
Choose your grooming products carefully. Never use human shampoo, no matter how well it happens to work for you. It will dry the skin and coat of this dog breed., as it is not formulated with the correct ph balance. Invest in a quality shampoo, conditioner and leave-in product.  A bottle lasts quite a while for a little Yorkie, so you won't need to restock often.
Brush and comb the coat directly before and after a bath. You'll want to do this before baths to catch any tangles before they become wet in the tub at which time they will become more difficult to remove. Combing also separates the hairs for better cleansing.  Be sure to rinse out all shampoo and conditioner. Any leftover shampoo residue will cake up into tiny particles similar to the texture of waxy, wet clay substance. These little chunks will clog skin pores, prevent body oils from being properly distributed on the silky hair and can cause skin irritation. When you think that you have rinsed enough, rinse for a minute longer.  Use a quality canine bath brush which stimulates the skin and is the right texture for a silky haired breed. Any cloth that is even slightly abrasive can irritate the skin, which in turn, affect the coat.  Male Yorkies should be wiped with a canine cleansing wipe, to clean off urine that usually collects onto the coat when they urinate. Doing so right before bedtime and after their last "bathroom" trip of the day generally works best. In this way, your Yorkie will be able to retreat to his sleeping area perfectly clean and fresh.  Take note of any feces that may have clung to hairs near the anus.  For females, bacteria from feces can travel to the urethral orifice and cause a urinary tract infection. If you do need to wipe the rear end to tidy up your Yorkie after a bowel movement, be sure to wipe outward and not toward the urethral opening. Each day, use a quality canine facial wipe to wipe around the eyes. If you choose to do this with only a damp washcloth, once the eye area is cleaned, use a 2nd dry cloth to pat this area dry. You will not want to allow the hairs around the eyes to remain wet or even damp, as a yeast infection can quickly grow in that sort of environment. If your Yorkie tends to dive into his or her water dish, try to wipe the face as often as you can so the area does not stay damp for a long time.  Proper brushing and combing techniques will keep the coat healthy, keep it tangle free and allow it to grow. Trying to remove matted hair can take hours and can be very stressful for both owner and dog. Therefore, it is highly recommended to brush and comb your Yorkie 1 time per day if the dog has a long "show coat" and every 2 days if the dog has a shorter "puppy dog cut".  Remember that tangles are a normal part of having a long coat...And even puppy coats can tangle if not combed through often enough.
Brushing dry hair will cause breakage. You should always spritz your the coat with a quality leave-in conditioner spray to dampen the coat before brushing. Keep an eye on this, you may need to spritz in sections as you move along. The goal will be to add some moisture, but not to soak the hairs.  A leave-in spray also protects the coat from damaging summer sun, drying arid winter air, static and contract friction damage.  Tangles should be worked out with your fingers. First, wet the tangle with conditioner. Lather your hands with the solution as well. Get into a comfortable position and begin to gently work out the hairs. Only as a last resort would you want to clip off a mat; this is reserved for a serious tangle that you simply cannot unwind.
Part of learning grooming a Yorkie will be to use the proper tools for this breed.  We recommend a quality rubber tipped pin brush with moderate spread. A boar bristle brush can be great for finishing touches.The right tool will properly distribute body oils as you groom and correctly rake through the coat without breaking hairs or causing split ends. Combs are used for prepping the coat for the brushing, touch-ups, to catch any tangles the brush may have missed and to groom small areas such as the face. The comb that you use should be made of metal.  A double sided small metal comb with wider teeth on one side and finer teeth on the other is perfect. For long coats, a medium toothed metal comb works well. 

PROPER GUIDANCE:  When a Yorkie is 2 and 3 months old, this is a very impressionable time. Your pup will look to you to show them the way around the world, how to react to things and what behavior is expected. A pup should be exposed to normal household noises; however a very noisy home is not best for the Yorkshire Terrier until they are accustomed to all that is going on. Do not blast a stereo or have lots of foot traffic coming in and out of your home. Allow your pup to slowly become used to other people, best done one at a time.  Until all puppy shots are given, do not bring your Yorkie out to public places where there are any dogs or even where any dogs may have been. There are windows of vulnerability in which the antibodies passed down from the dam are weak but the full protection from the inoculations are not at full strength.  Time spent touching the puppy is very important. While many puppies will want to romp around and it may be difficult to get him or her to stay still, you can try to do so right after a good spell of exercise when pent up energy has been released and he or she is more calm. Touch the entire body to help a pup become accustomed to what will soon be full grooming and brushing and touch the mouth and milk teeth to prepare him for what will soon be at-home dental cleanings with a canine toothbrush sized for toy breeds and a quality toothpaste.

As always, we are here to help answer any other questions you have about the Yorkie. Please take the liberty to contact us at anytime. Mahalo

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