Yorkie Good Hair Day vs Bad Hair Day

Yorkshire Terriers are a breed of dog that need regular grooming, as do all dogs who have hair that grows like human hair.  I used to take Aspen to the groomer when she was younger, but later started to groom her myself to save money.

I do a pretty good job, but it's never quite as clean as the groomer.  Here's an example...morning hair needs combing in this picture:

If you look at Aspen's picture up at the top of this blog in the header, you will see what she looked like when first home from the groomer where she got her summer puppy cut.  This picture was taken quite a few years ago, when she still had more of a rusty color to her hair...with age that faded a bit, but she still looked beautiful.

If you want to learn how to groom at home, there are tutorials at popular video sites like YouTube.

Related Posts and Pages:

Cleaning a Dogs Teeth
Clipping a Dogs Nails
How My Owner Groomed Me

Updated 2/27/17
 

The Health and History of the Yorkie Breed

Occasionally we do posts about dog breeds.  This is one of those posts, and about the breed of dog that Aspen is most fond of for obvious reasons, the Yorkshire Terrier.  

Following is an article about the breed, and at the end of the article, other articles that Aspen and I have written about Yorkies.  Aspen isn't like the vicious little beast that the writer describes at the beginning of the article, but this is the history of the breed. 

Enjoy this article about the Yorkshire Terrier by David Beart:

"In another land and time the Yorkshire Terrier was not a small long haired show dog and pet. Rather, he was a larger rat killing dynamo. Tracing back to the 1600's the breed was valued in textile mills, mines and farms where pest control was important. In the 1860s era the breed was quite popular in rat killing contests with the dog credited with being the foundation of the breed showing as well as winning many contests. Huddersfield Ben helped establish the Yorkshire Terrier.

It was 1872 before the breed was brought to the United States, and was recognized by the AKC just six years later. As late as the 1930's the Yorkshire terrier was said to look as they do today but were closer to 30 pounds, not the 3-7 pounds of today. They were for some time in their history a 12-14 pound wire haired dog known as the broken haired Scotch terrier.

Today the Yorkshire terrier is in the toy, not the terrier, group. Their longer show coat is not a practical point on many farms. With their jobs reduced, they were bred down as pets, a role that they have taken on with overwhelming success.

With their small size few would see them as hero potential. Yet in World War II a Yorkie named Smoky became a war dog, outwardly entertaining soldiers with tricks they taught her. Her small size meant she could do something valuable the big dogs couldn't she helped run communication lines through a culvert under a runway. This meant the runway did not need to be shut down for several critical days. After her service she returned to her home in Ohio with her handler. One report was that she was awarded eight battle stars for her service, and her story is remembered many years later.

They have a spirited temperament and are normally an intelligent small dog with a little fire. It is worth noting that some can be quite territorial and must be closely watched. Their attacking a much larger dog can prove a fatal flaw if the large dog retaliates. Like other terriers, they can be bold and bossy.

Their independence can be viewed as hard to train by some. They take patience and a willingness to think ahead of the dog. They can be successfully trained for many activities including obedience, agility, earth dog, fly-ball, canine freestyle, entertainment and pet therapy. Agility courses involve running through a series of obstacles. One of the newer competitions is called rally, evolving from road rally competitions. This also has a series of obstacles, but unlike agility where there is a course to be followed, this involves moving from one sign to another, and you don t know where you re going in advance.

Basic obedience training is good for all dogs to learn. The above competition events are an outlet for a Yorkie s energy even if you just do it at home for fun. Keep the sessions fun and play filled.

From a health standpoint Yorkies tend to be rather long lived but they can develop cataracts as they age. An issue with tracheal collapse can result when an improperly trained Yorkie pulls excessively on the leash, although some believe this is partly genetic. Liver issues are not unheard of also, and require veterinary treatment to live a comfortable life. Failure to diagnose and treat this can result in, among other symptoms, seizures and behavioral problems.

Patellar luxation and retinal dysplasia are two other serious disorders that can affect Yorkies. The latter is an eye disorder which can be passed on by genetics. Buying from a reliable breeder is important.

A condition called hemorrhagic gastric enteritis is particularly dangerous to small dogs, with less body reserve than large dogs. Health issues should be discussed with the breeder when you purchase your puppy many offer health guarantees.

Hypoglycemia is another problem that can occur more often with toy breeds. Because of their small size, they have little reserve. Hypoglycemia, also known as low blood sugar, can result from temperature, stress or too long between meals. Feed regular meals of good quality food. Keep Karo syrup or honey on hand just in case there is a problem. If your puppy looks sluggish or wobbly rub his gums with the honey or Karo. If you catch it early placing a little on the tongue so he swallows it is good. Do not ignore this it can be fatal.

With their smaller size extra attention is needed to insure the dog does not become overweight and that they get sufficient exercise. While many people simply carry them, they need to walk, run and play like other dogs also.

For those interested in the show standard it can be found at American Kennel Club, and is worth noting by the standard there is specific markings allowed and a maximum weight of seven pounds.

This leaves an opening for pets of those that are slightly larger or don't have the perfect marking and color allowed. Being a small dog, 2-3 puppies per litter is normal.

There are people who advertise teacup or teeny Yorkies many breeders recommend against these extra small dogs due to health issues and other problems that breeding for the extra small size can bring. The breed is already small. There are some that have solid or partly color dogs, these do not meet the standard and may not be registered.

The long flowing coat of today takes maintenance and regular grooming. This is a breed that is said to not shed regular brushing takes care of dead and damaged hair. Show dogs are kept up quite intensely, like long haired dogs of all breeds. That coat that catches the eye also needs much attention. For the pet home, regular brushing to keep the coat from being tangled and matted is important. Be sure to get all the way down into the coat.

For those not wanting to keep up the long coat, get a pair of good electric clippers and clip the belly, under arm area, between the hind legs and up to the anal area. While this is basic, it keeps the hair shorter and easier to groom. There are several good grooming guides online and in print that can help guide you to a cut and routine that works best for you and your dog.

Like other long haired breeds use caution bathing so as to not tangle the coat, and rinse all traces out of the coat thoroughly. If desired, and depending on the situation, use a good quality conditioner rinse and rinse thoroughly. Use a hair dryer and comb to comb through and completely dry the coat. Extra caution should be used to not use the high heat that can burn puppies as well as bigger dogs.

A good metal comb with long teeth can be found for under $10 this gets all the way down into the coat. Comb through the coat to insure no tangles start that can become matts. This doesn't take a long time if done regularly, and brushes can miss some tangles that can easily be removed when starting, before it gets to a tangled mess.

Teeth should be cleaned regularly, which can be helped with appropriate chew toys. Ears should be trimmed so as to allow them to stand erect.

Joan Rivers and Eva Gabor (of Green Acres fame) are but two celebrities who have a Yorkie as their dog. Others reported to have Yorkies include Bruce Willis, Richard Nixon, Justin Timberlake, Audrey Hepburn and Brett Favre.

A lifespan of 12-16 years, sometimes longer, underscores the importance of taking on the puppy for life. Good food, proper care and safe management can result in a dog that is with you for quite some time. Putting time and effort into a good dog is never wasted!

About the author: David Beart is the owner of the http://www.professorshouse.com at the time of the writing of the article above. The site covers family related issues from raising children to caring for a dog, relationships to cooking.

Other Dog Posts and Articles You Might Like:



What is a Morkie? Chow Chow Puppies and Dogs Dalmations Basset Hounds
Cute Yorkie Pictures and Yorkshire Terrier Art 
Cute Plush and Stuffed Yorkshire Terriers

Updated 2/28/17

Cute Yorkie with Rose for Valentines Day

This post was formerly a stop in a Red Flower Blog Hop, and I couldn't resist this cute Yorkie with a Red Rose - adorable, isn't it?

Even though it's Valentines Day today, and it has been a beautiful day, I am a bit heart sick because of the fact that so many posts on this blog are unreachable right now because of moving the blog.  I used an app to transfer from Wordpress to Blogger, and the transfer went fine, or so I thought.  I can see the problem posts in my list of posts for editing, etc., but when I click "view", I get an error page. This isn't true of every post, but enough that I know that I'm disappointing many visitors.

I have reverted all of the problem posts to drafts and will repair and republish each one over the coming weeks.  In the meantime, the posts that you CAN see are under the "Archives" in the right margin.  You have to open the month, etc., to see the post titles.

I am sincerely sorry about this, it has happened to every blog I've moved, but this one in particular gets many visits and has more posts than the rest that are not presently visible.

They'll all be back soon, and soon the search engines will catch on to the changes in the urls.

So you see, I'm not so very savvy when it comes to transferring blogs, and do appreciate your patience. 

Now, back to happiness, happy Valentines Day from Aspen and her family!

Christmas Shopping for Dogs and Yorkies

I'm a Yorkie and I open my own Christmas presents! My owners think it's pretty entertaining watching me shake and tear at my gifts, and they laugh. I love to hear them laugh, and love presents.

My owner and I put together some pages that we think you might like if you shop for dogs, especially small dogs.

Here are a few for dogs:

Small Gifts for Small Dogs

My Small Dog Mall

And here are some for people who love yorkies:

Yorkie Pictures, Art Prints and Photos

Yorkie Holiday Ornaments

Best Grooming Sets for Dogs

How to Groom a Yorkie

Gifts for People who Love Dogs and Dogs

Plush Yorkies for Children and Grownups Who Love Yorkies

Here is one of the pictures of me shaking one of my presents, so it's a little blurry...but it was fun!



We hope you are enjoying the Holiday season>:-b<

My Yorkie Pictures and Yorkie Art

I have been putting together a place for you to look at my pictures, and also look at some nice Yorkshire Terrier art.  We had fun putting together "Yorkie Pictures and Artwork" and hope you'll stop by for a visit.

There are pictures of me all through my life, and we had fun matching artwork with the pictures.  You'll find other Yorkie things there, too, so we hope you'll stop by for a visit and let us know what you think.

All My Yorkie Baby Pictures

A little birdie has told me that many of you that visit are looking for yorkie pictures, and since my pictures are scattered throughout the blog on different posts, and at other places on the web, I thought I would give you a link that will take you to a place where many of my pictures are.

Also, if you go to "Yorkie Pictures" in the "Categories" list on this page, you will find the posts on this blog that contain pictures.

Here is Yorkie Pictures and Art Prints for your viewing pleasure, most of my pictures are there, and much more.

Thank you for stopping by, hope you are having a great day!

Snack Time Yorkie Pictures

Hi people, it's me, Aspen the Yorkie, with pictures of myself waiting for my snack. I LOVE snack time, it's my favorite time of the day!

Here's a (blurry!) picture of me waiting while my snack is being broken into tiny pieces, I know, you're wondering why they have to break my snacks in tiny pieces. I guess I'm kind of strange, but I don't like chewing or gnawing on things. I've been given every kind of chew thing you can think of, and I don't like them. What things do you dogs out there like to chew on?



And finally, here's me eating, I'm so happy!! I love my snacks.



My owner may try making some snacks sometime, I hope I like them!

Yorkies in a Basket - 6 and 7 Weeks

Here is Aspen and her brother in the Spring of 1999.  Aspen is the one that has more brown in her face, the one on the left in this picture. They are 7 weeks old and we took them to the vet in this basket for their checkup and most likely a shot. They had to go to the vet a lot when they were puppies and always got LOTS of attention wherever they went.

We decided to update this page in August of 2013, written a little over 5 years ago, to say that my brother passed on earlier this year.  

And now I am updating this page in March of 2014 to say that Aspen passed on just weeks after we did the August update above.  We miss her terribly, but both she and her brlother lived good long lives with loving owners.

Yorkie Puppy Pictures - 10 Days/3 Weeks Old

In the Yorkie puppy pictures below, I am with my brother, Brutus.  In the bottom picture, we were 10 days old. In the top picture, we are about 3 weeks old.  We're sorry the pictures are blurry, they were taken with an old camera about 14 years ago at this update. 

My brother and I were always together. I am the one on the top in both of the pictures.

My owners lived right next door, so they came over almost every day to see us, and took pictures every week so we would have them to enjoy and share with you!