How to bathe a Yorkie: organizing the right conditions for washing a dog

Yorkshire terriers are decorative small dogs that are bred to decorate life, admire and have touching communication. Therefore, the requirements for their cleanliness and grooming are very high, and they have to be washed quite often. How to bathe a Yorkshire terrier so that this procedure does not cause much trouble for the owner and is well tolerated by the pet? Let's look at the basic rules for caring for the coat of puppies and adult Yorkies, how often they should be bathed, and how to do it correctly.

At what age can you bathe a puppy?

Not all Yorkshire terrier owners know when to bathe a Yorkie puppy for the first time. A Yorkie puppy usually comes into the owner's home after two months of age. But if this happened earlier, then you cannot bathe the baby in the first 2 months of his life.

If the puppy gets dirty, you need to wash the contaminated areas with warm water. To remove unpleasant odors, you can use a minimal amount of shampoo diluted in warm water to wash puppies of this breed. You can give your Yorkie puppy a full bath only after he is 2 months old.

How to wash a small poodle

This dog breed belongs to the hypoallergenic group. Poodles' coat practically does not shed and does not smell. However, in any case, it should be cared for with the utmost care. Up to six months, poodle puppies are usually bathed once every two months. An older dog is washed more often. Poodles older than six months are usually bathed once a month.

Many owners of such pets are also interested in whether it is possible to bathe puppies of this breed using shampoos. It is not only possible, but also necessary, to use such products to clean the fur of poodles. Such household chemicals do not cause any harm to the skin and fur of representatives of this breed, including small ones.

At what age can a poodle puppy be bathed? Of course, the answer to this question is also of interest to the owners of such decorative dogs. Poodles are washed for the first time at 2.5-3 months.

Before starting water procedures on such a pet, it is necessary to remove tangles, if any. Wash poodles with warm water, trying to wet the fur right down to the skin. In this case, shampoo is usually applied to the pet’s body at least 2 times. At the final stage, the pet's fur is lubricated with balm.

Preparing for a swim

Before washing your Yorkshire Terrier for the first time, you need to purchase and prepare:

• Shallow plastic basin;
• Rubber mat;
• Long-toothed comb;
• Slicker brush;
• Shampoo for Yorkie puppies;
• Container for diluting shampoo;
• Conditioner for dogs (you can use regular hair conditioner);
• Two terry towels;
• Hair dryer.

To determine a comfortable temperature when bathing your puppy, it is also advisable to have a water thermometer.

Before bathing your Yorkie, you need to comb it and comb out the tangles; if this is not done, then during washing the fur will become matted even more, and combing it will be problematic. To prevent your puppy from catching a cold, make sure the room is warm and free of drafts.

Bathing a puppy

How to bathe a Yorkie for the first time will largely determine his attitude towards this procedure. Therefore, try to ensure that bathing does not cause negative emotions and discomfort in the baby. Talk to the animal calmly and affectionately, do not make sudden movements and avoid anything that might frighten the baby.

Let's describe the procedure for bathing a puppy step by step:

1. Place a rubber mat on the bottom of the bathtub and place the basin on it. This is necessary to ensure that the container does not slide along the bottom of the bath.
2. Fill a bowl with some warm water. The water temperature should be approximately equal to the puppy’s body temperature – 38°C.
3. Place the puppy in the water and wet it by pouring it from a ladle or shower head - choose what the baby will take more calmly.
4. Dilute shampoo with warm water in a previously prepared container in a ratio of 1:3. Applying undiluted shampoo directly to the coat is not recommended, because... its high concentration can cause skin problems.
5. Lather the puppy's body with the shampoo solution, starting from the back, massage and rinse immediately. You don't need to keep the shampoo on for a long time.
6. Lastly, wash your hair. Use your fingers to press the ears against the skull to prevent water from getting into them. When soaping the face, try not to get it in the baby's eyes, nose and mouth.
7. Try to bathe your puppy quickly and water him with warm water often to keep him from freezing.
8. Lightly wring out the washed wool and apply conditioner to it, avoiding contact with the skin. After waiting the time recommended in the instructions for the product, rinse the puppy thoroughly. Make sure that the groin and armpit areas are thoroughly washed; if the products are not completely washed off, irritation may appear on the skin.
9. After thoroughly rinsing the puppy, lightly wring out the fur with your hands and wrap it in a heated towel.

Bathing process

Puppies should be bathed under running water in a special bath with a rubberized mat. You can bathe your Yorkie puppy in a regular bath, but you should not forget about the mat, because without it the baby may slip and get injured. The puppy should be washed with water at an acceptable temperature; you can easily determine the desired temperature - bring your hand up and try it yourself, the main thing is that the water is not too hot. When bathing a Yorkie for the first time, some people do not know that dog shampoo is sold in concentrated form, so be sure to dilute it with water.

Those who first got a Yorkshire Terrier do not know how to bathe a Yorkshire Terrier, for some it may seem normal to apply shampoo and then vigorously rub the dog’s fur. Such manipulations are unacceptable, because they can tangle strands that cannot be combed. It should be noted right away that shampoo for Yorkies must be applied several times, the optimal amount is 3 times.

After each application, the shampoo is thoroughly rinsed off; do not forget about the foam stains that may remain after poor rinsing. Such residues may cause irritation to your pet's skin.

While rinsing off the shampoo, gently and lightly massage your pet's body along the hairline until the hair care product is completely rinsed off.

We have figured out how to properly wash your pet, now let's look at which part of the body the Yorkshire terrier is bathed from. Experts recommend starting bath procedures from the muzzle, as in the case of other breeds, do not allow the product to get into the eyes and ears. Wash your Yorkie until you hear a slight creaking sound when stroking it. The final stage of bathing will be the application of conditioner balm. You should take into account the fact that a long-haired pet will require twice as much money. Pay special attention to the conditioner balm - it should be thoroughly rubbed into each strand. The conditioner can not be completely washed off; a small amount should remain on the coat to improve the effect. When the water treatments are over, wrap your pet in a towel, wait until it absorbs the moisture, and do this manipulation again, only with a new, dry towel.

If we talk about the age at which a Yorkshire terrier begins to be washed, then it should be recalled that for a baby, every bath will be a real stress; over time, he will, of course, get used to such procedures, but it is better to start no earlier than at the age of two months. It is not recommended to wash a puppy like an adult; its first bath should be more like a wash. There are, of course, force majeure circumstances - when the baby Yorkie is dirty from head to ear, in which case his small age will not save him from bathing.

Drying

After you've finished bathing your Yorkshire Terrier, the first thing to do is take care of his ears. Use rolled paper napkins or absorbent cotton swabs to thoroughly wipe the inside of the ears. This should be done as soon as possible so that moisture does not have time to penetrate into the ear canals.

When the towel absorbs moisture, replace it with a dry one. There is no need to rub the puppy, this will lead to tangling of the fur. You can dry your puppy with a hair dryer only if this buzzing device does not cause panic in the baby. The air stream should be of medium temperature - not cold, but not too hot.

If a puppy is afraid of a hairdryer, then it is better to dry it naturally and gradually accustom it to a hairdryer, because for Yorkshire terriers drying with this device is a routine procedure.

Combing

The Yorkie's coat is identical to human hair. The coat of this breed has no undercoat, grows constantly and therefore needs regular trimming. Also, its peculiarity is that it does not shed, but falls out from mechanical stress, for example, when combing. But this only applies to adults.

Yorkie puppies have a downy coat that easily mats and mats. Therefore, you need to comb your baby as often as possible. Do this carefully so as not to damage the fine hairs, and most importantly, so as not to cause the baby to dislike this procedure, because brushing is an integral part of the life of Yorkshire terriers.

After bathing and drying, the puppy must be combed. Using a long-toothed comb or brush, carefully comb the coat from the middle of the back down on both sides, not forgetting the paws, chest, belly, neck, tail, muzzle.

If the fur has become matted, carefully comb it out with a slicker brush. Anything that cannot be untangled will have to be cut off with scissors. If necessary, you also need to shorten the disturbing hairs around the eyes, on the “soles”, around the anus and genitals.

Features of washing before and after vaccination

Vaccination of Yorkies requires adherence to a specific schedule, which allows you to calculate bathing periods.

It is recommended to take water procedures four days before the planned trip to the veterinary clinic. This will avoid unwanted consequences, given that freshly washed dogs are more susceptible to infections.

Expert opinion Anna Abramenko An avid dog lover. Experience in veterinary medicine since 2009. After vaccination, you must wait at least a week until the next bath. This is especially important for puppies who need time to recover due to stress.

After vaccination, the body of dogs of any age begins to produce antibodies that serve as prophylaxis against a certain disease. During this period, Yorkies are weakened, so there is a danger of developing colds.

The long-haired Yorkshire Terrier will always look good if bathing according to all the rules is carried out regularly, starting from the first days of the pet's appearance in the house.

How often should you wash your Yorkie?

The optimal bathing regimen for Yorkshire Terrier puppies aged from two to five months is once every 2 weeks. Even if the animal looks clean, you should not bathe it too rarely. Regular bathing allows you to accustom the dog to routine care, and thereby make future life easier for both the animal and the owner.

You should not bathe Yorkie puppies more than once every 14 days until they reach the age of five months. If you bathe your dog frequently, this leads to degreasing of the skin, the coat becomes dry and dull, and easily becomes tangled. If there is a need for unscheduled washing, wash only the contaminated areas with warm water.

When the puppy turns 5 months old, you can switch to the bathing regime recommended for adult Yorkies - once every 10 days. Usually this is enough to keep the animal clean and well-groomed. If necessary, you can bathe your Yorkie more often, but no more than once a week. More frequent washing can negatively affect the condition of the dog's coat and skin.

For clarity, let’s present the Yorkie’s bathing regimes in the form of a table:

Age of Yorkshire Terrier	Number of baths per unit of time
Up to 2 months	—
2-5 months	1 time every 2 weeks
Over 5 months	Once every 7-10 days

Water treatments – are they really necessary?

When you can bathe a puppy for the first time is therefore clear. But how often should this procedure be performed in the future? Unfortunately, there is no clear answer to this question. The frequency of water procedures for a puppy depends on many factors.

If a dog, for example, was purchased to guard a private home and is kept outside in a kennel, then, of course, you may never have to bathe it at all. If the dog was bought to live in an apartment, he will most likely have to take water treatments quite often.

The frequency of bathing a puppy depends primarily on how quickly its fur becomes dirty. In autumn and spring, in damp weather, you will most likely have to wash your dog more often. In summer and winter, dogs' fur becomes dirty more slowly. Accordingly, the animal will have to take water treatments less often.

Usually, owners of puppies when keeping them in an apartment bathe them once every 1-1.5 months. In any case, it is not recommended to wash your pet too often before 6 months.

Have you often noticed mongrels occupying bodies of water? It’s true, you won’t see a sight like this. In their natural environment, dogs never “take a bath.” At the same time, outright dirty people are also rarely encountered. The coat of smooth- and wire-haired dogs is adapted for self-cleaning.

Another thing is purebred pets, which are distinguished by fur that is far from natural. Long-haired dogs, especially those whose hair is most similar to human hair, need water treatments relatively often. Regular wiping of paws after a walk is not necessary in this case.

In the context of washing, dogs are divided, among other things, into adults and puppies. We will discuss the frequency of bathing in the next section. But even basic logic suggests that puppies need washing much less than mature animals. About puppies and adult pets - video at the end of the article.

Bathing an adult Yorkie

Usually, by the age of five months, Yorkies get used to hygiene procedures and tolerate them calmly. And their owners already know thoroughly how to wash a Yorkie, and, out of habit, spend a minimum of time and effort on this activity. But still, it wouldn’t hurt to remind you of the basic rules on how to properly wash a Yorkshire Terrier.

• To ensure your pet's safety and reduce stress, place an anti-slip rubber mat on the bottom of the bath.
• Before bathing, comb your Yorkie and remove tangles, this will make it easier to comb after bathing.
• Make sure the water temperature is comfortable for your Yorkie. Its normal body temperature is 38°C; the water temperature should not differ from it by more than 1-2 degrees.
• Wet the coat completely before applying shampoo.
• Always dilute shampoo with water before applying it to your pet's coat.
• If foam does not form after the first wash, rinse off the shampoo and reapply.
• Wash long hair gently, do not rub it, as this can cause it to become tangled and matted.
• The ears are the most vulnerable place for dogs when bathing. Make sure that no water gets into them, and after completing the procedure, immediately blot the moisture inside the ears so that it does not get into the ear canals.
• To make combing easier, you should bathe your Yorkie (except those with short hair) using conditioner. You can purchase a special conditioner for dogs. But since this product is applied to long hair and practically does not come into contact with the dog’s skin, balms and conditioners for human hair can be used.
• Rinse the wool thoroughly until any residue is completely removed. Pay special attention to the groin and armpit areas, where the skin is especially delicate and prone to irritation.
• After bathing, do not dry your pet, but lightly wring it out and wrap it in a terry towel. Then change the towel to a dry one. This will remove excess moisture without rubbing or tangling the fur.
• When drying with a hairdryer, avoid hot air, set the temperature to medium.

When can you bathe a puppy for the first time?

The time of the first water procedures is determined based on the age and characteristics of the initial stage of the pet’s life. Experts recommend not bathing puppies until they are 2-3 months old.

• If you adopted a puppy at the age of 3 months, which has had all its vaccinations, then the pet is ready for a bath. However, breeders often bathe the puppy themselves immediately before handing it over to the owner to reduce stress for the pet in its new home. In the future, he needs to wash his paws with clean water after a walk, and in dirty and rainy weather use a special shampoo for paws.
• If you adopted a puppy from the street, you should immediately bathe it, regardless of age, in order to get rid of possible severe contamination of the fur. You will also need remedies for fleas and other ectoparasites. Of course, when bathing, you need to follow all the rules so that the puppy does not catch a cold, get water in his ears and get scared.

Remember that after vaccination the puppy is weakened and can be fully bathed after about 14 days. If there is an urgent need for washing, it is better to wipe the contaminated area with a wet sponge. You can wash the face, paws and anal area after vaccination. The time period after bathing and before vaccination should be 2-3 days.

Please note that for different breeds the process and frequency of washing and the use of special products can vary greatly. For example, dogs with pronounced folds on the skin (pugs, sharpeis) are recommended to be regularly wiped with a damp and then dry towel. It is advisable to bathe Huskies and other northern dogs that do not participate in exhibitions only during the molting period, and miniature Yorkies and some other decorative dogs after six months can be washed as needed using shampoo and conditioner. Dogs kept outside are washed in winter only if they are very dirty and kept in a heated room for a day after bathing.

To make the bathing procedure easy and stress-free, use the following tips.

1. It is better to wash in the evening after a walk.
2. A towel or rubberized mat should be placed on the bottom of the bathtub or basin so that the puppy’s paws do not slip and he is not afraid.
3. You need to clarify in advance what bathing features are specific to your pet’s breed (for example, the use of balm).

Before the procedure, prepare everything you need:

• a basin if you are not bathing the puppy in the bathtub;
• rubberized mat or towel-bedding;
• shampoo intended for puppies;
• two clean towels;
• delicacy.

You should be especially careful when purchasing shampoo. For sensitive and delicate skin of puppies, you need to choose products with a delicate composition. For example, “Gentle” pet shampoo with aloe vera, lanolin and chitosan (natural conditioner). It foams well, helps prevent excessive degreasing of the skin and dandruff, and makes the coat shiny.

For animals with long, thick hair, you will also need a conditioner or balm, preferably from the same series as the shampoo. Read the instructions carefully and choose products that suit your pet's coat type.

Remember that shampoo should not be used unless absolutely necessary. The puppy's skin and coat are protected by natural lubrication produced by the skin glands. Excessively frequent washing can provoke increased secretion of lubricant, accompanied by a sharper and more unpleasant odor from the dog. When bathing with water without detergents, the skin's natural protection is not impaired.

Sometimes breeders sell puppies from the age of 1.5 months. It is at this time that babies receive the first vaccination in their lives. But more often than not, breeders sell purebred puppies to pet lovers from the age of 3 months. It is at this time that new owners usually bathe the acquired dog.

Some pet lovers are interested in whether it is possible to bathe a puppy once a month. Most veterinarians do not advise doing this. The same breeders usually do not bathe their puppies before selling them at all. Most often, the dog takes a real bath for the first time in the owner’s house. The fact is that until the age of three months, babies’ immunity is not yet very well developed. Consequently, when bathing a very small dog can simply catch a cold.

It is also not recommended to bathe older puppies too often. The fact is that until the age of about 6 months, dogs’ fur still has virtually no guard hair. However, it is much less common than in adult dogs. The danger of private bathing for small puppies lies in the fact that the protective fatty film on their skin is still thin and is easily washed off.