Product Summary
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780764568800
Buy.com Sku: 36377572
Publish Date: 8/1/2004
Item#: BL3X76
Buy.com Sales Rank: 56479
Dimensions:
(in Inches) 9H x 6L x 0.75T
Pages:
288
Packed with step-by-step grooming tips from head to tail See how to meet your Yorkie's special needs Yorkshire Terriers are energetic, playful, and loving companions. This fun, friendly guide helps you decide if a Yorkie suits your lifestyle and gives you expert advice on keeping your dog healthy and content. You'll get helpful information on the breed standard, feeding, training, visits to the vet, and much more. The Dummies Way Explanations in plain English "Get in, get out" information Icons and other navigational aids Tear-out cheat sheet Top ten lists A dash of humor and fun Discover how to: Find the right Yorkie for you Prepare your home for the new arrival Manage nutrition and health Exercise and entertain your Yorkie Handle behavioral problems From the Publisher:So you want to adopt or are thinking about adopting a Yorkshire Terrier. The 6 th most popular dog in the U.S., Yorkies are energetic, playful, and loving companions-and they're cute as a button! But it's wise to know enough about the breed to determine whether or not a Yorkie is the right dog for you. This fun, friendly guide helps you decide if a Yorkie suits your lifestyle and gives you expert advice on keeping your dog healthy and content.| |Yorkshire Terriers For Dummies is for you if you're thinking about getting a puppy or adult Yorkie and want to know the best way to take care of this perky little pet. This guide gives you the straight facts on everything you need to know about the health and well being of your Yorkie, featuring expert guidance in:|| ||- Finding the right Yorkie for you||
- Preparing your home for the new arrival||
- Managing nutrition and health||
- Exercising and entertaining your Yorkie||
- Handling behavioral problems||
| |From feeding and training to socializing, you'll see how to meet a Yorkshire Terrier's special needs and develop a long and positive relationship with your dog. You'll discover the most important questions to ask a breeder and how to select the perfect Yorkie, as well as choose the right supplies. Then, you'll see how to acclimate a Yorkie to your home and your family, housetrain him, and set up a daily routine that works for both of you. You'll also find savvy tips on:|| ||- Making it through the first night with your Yorkie||
- Finding a veterinarian||
- Teaching the most important commands||
- Grooming your Yorkie's gorgeous long coat||
- Spotting symptoms of common health problems in Yorkies||
- Breeding or showing your Yorkie||
| |Complete with an immunization schedule, a guide to puppy-proofing your home, a list of online resources, and an 8-page full-color insert, Yorkshire Terriers For Dummies is the fun and easy way® to keep your little Yorkie happy and healthy!So you want to adopt or are thinking about adopting a Yorkshire Terrier. The 6th most popular dog in the U.S., Yorkies are energetic, playful, and loving companions—and they’re cute as a button! But it’s wise to know enough about the breed to determine whether or not a Yorkie is the right dog for you. This fun, friendly guide helps you decide if a Yorkie suits your lifestyle and gives you expert advice on keeping your dog healthy and content. | |Yorkshire Terriers For Dummies is for you if you’re thinking about getting a puppy or adult Yorkie and want to know the best way to take care of this perky little pet. This guide gives you the straight facts on everything you need to know about the health and well being of your Yorkie, featuring expert guidance in:| | | |- Finding the right Yorkie for you| |
- Preparing your home for the new arrival| |
- Managing nutrition and health| |
- Exercising and entertaining your Yorkie| |
- Handling behavioral problems| |
| |From feeding and training to socializing, you’ll see how to meet a Yorkshire Terrier’s special needs and develop a long and positive relationship with your dog. You’ll discover the most important questions to ask a breeder and how to select the perfect Yorkie, as well as choose the right supplies. Then, you’ll see how to acclimate a Yorkie to your home and your family, housetrain him, and set up a daily routine that works for both of you. You’ll also find savvy tips on:| | | |- Making it through the first night with your Yorkie| |
- Finding a veterinarian| |
- Teaching the most important commands| |
- Grooming your Yorkie’s gorgeous long coat| |
- Spotting symptoms of common health problems in Yorkies| |
- Breeding or showing your Yorkie| |
| |Complete with an immunization schedule, a guide to puppy-proofing your home, a list of online resources, and an 8-page full-color insert, Yorkshire Terriers For Dummies is the fun and easy way® to keep your little Yorkie happy and healthy!So you want to adopt or are thinking about adopting a Yorkshire Terrier. The 6th most popular dog in the U.S., Yorkies are energetic, playful, and loving companions—and they’re cute as a button! But it’s wise to know enough about the breed to determine whether or not a Yorkie is the right dog for you. This fun, friendly guide helps you decide if a Yorkie suits your lifestyle and gives you expert advice on keeping your dog healthy and content. Yorkshire Terriers For Dummies is for you if you’re thinking about getting a puppy or adult Yorkie and want to know the best way to take care of this perky little pet. This guide gives you the straight facts on everything you need to know about the health and well being of your Yorkie, featuring expert guidance in: - Finding the right Yorkie for you
- Preparing your home for the new arrival
- Managing nutrition and health
- Exercising and entertaining your Yorkie
- Handling behavioral problems
From feeding and training to socializing, you’ll see how to meet a Yorkshire Terrier’s special needs and develop a long and positive relationship with your dog. You’ll discover the most important questions to ask a breeder and how to select the perfect Yorkie, as well as choose the right supplies. Then, you’ll see how to acclimate a Yorkie to your home and your family, housetrain him, and set up a daily routine that works for both of you. You’ll also find savvy tips on: - Making it through the first night with your Yorkie
- Finding a veterinarian
- Teaching the most important commands
- Grooming your Yorkie’s gorgeous long coat
- Spotting symptoms of common health problems in Yorkies
- Breeding or showing your Yorkie
Complete with an immunization schedule, a guide to puppy-proofing your home, a list of online resources, and an 8-page full-color insert, Yorkshire Terriers For Dummies is the fun and easy way® to keep your little Yorkie happy and healthy!
Chapter One Doing the 'Do: Grooming In This Chapter * Weighing the pros and cons of long and short coat styles * Planning your grooming routine * Keeping your Yorkie's coat clean and neat * Taking care of your Yorkie's teeth, nails, and ears Grooming your Yorkie is important for two reasons: The first reason is a vanity thing. A well-kept coat just looks and feels good, no matter what the style. Go beyond well-kept, and you can have a real beauty or cutie on your hands. The second reason, though, is the one that really matters: health. Regular grooming makes for a healthier dog. Not because a doggy-'do is intrinsically healthful, but because of the simple act of grooming itself: When you take the time to care for your dog's coat, ears, teeth, and nails - yes, these parts need grooming, too - you're more likely to prevent problems (infected gums, for example) before they start Click to read more...
Chapter One Doing the 'Do: Grooming In This Chapter * Weighing the pros and cons of long and short coat styles * Planning your grooming routine * Keeping your Yorkie's coat clean and neat * Taking care of your Yorkie's teeth, nails, and ears Grooming your Yorkie is important for two reasons: The first reason is a vanity thing. A well-kept coat just looks and feels good, no matter what the style. Go beyond well-kept, and you can have a real beauty or cutie on your hands. The second reason, though, is the one that really matters: health. Regular grooming makes for a healthier dog. Not because a doggy-'do is intrinsically healthful, but because of the simple act of grooming itself: When you take the time to care for your dog's coat, ears, teeth, and nails - yes, these parts need grooming, too - you're more likely to prevent problems (infected gums, for example) before they start and discover problems (like skin conditions or lumps) before they get out of hand. And don't forget that the time you spend grooming is quality time you spend bonding with your dog. And a happier dog is often a healthier dog. If you haven't groomed a dog before or if you have some experience grooming but want specific tips on how to groom a Yorkie, keep reading. The Long and the Short of It: Grooming Options Just because many standard photos of Yorkies show the long hair and top knot doesn't mean that that's the only acceptable coat style. It's not. In fact, any clean, brushed Yorkie is a cutie. But the long coat and the puppy cut are the two most popular coat styles. The long coat The long coat is the style you typically see in breed books and on many Yorkie Web sites. It's also the standard style at dog shows. The reason the long coat is so ubiquitous is because the Yorkshire Terrier coat is one of the defining characteristics of the breed. Its color, texture, and length are outlined in the breed standard - as is the preferred coiffure (the single or double top knot). As cute as a shorter cut is (see the next section), it doesn't show off the coat to best advantage. If you want to keep your Yorkie's coat long, keep these points in mind: Achieving the long, silky coat takes dedication and care. Your Yorkie supplies the coat, which, like human hair, continues to grow. Everything else - the daily brushing, the weekly shampooing and conditioning, the wrapping it up to keep it off the ground, and more - is up to you. If you fail to do these tasks religiously, then that beautiful coat ends up a tangled mess. Wrapping your Yorkie's coat (that is, winding the ends around folded papers and securing them with a band) is a task you don't really need to do unless you're trying to grow a coat suitable for the show ring. But if you are trying to grow a show coat, then keep your dog in wraps 24/7 and only take the wraps out for the show ring. Wrapping protects the coat, allows it to grow, and also helps keep it clean, especially important for the boys, who get urine on themselves. You can start wrapping your dog as soon as the hair is long enough - usually when your Yorkie's around 9 to 10 months. See the section "Wrapping it up" in this chapter for instructions on how to wrap a Yorkie's coat. The top knot and bow are musts. You can choose between a single bow right in the middle or two bows on either side of a straight part, but a bow you will have - and you have to know how to put it in. See the section "The piece de resistance: Adding the bow" in this chapter for instructions. If your Yorkie's coat is soft instead of silky, you may not be able to achieve the look you want. Soft hair mats more, is more difficult to keep clean, and breaks more easily. The sheer work of grooming a soft coat to the breed standard probably isn't worth the trouble. You may have to resign yourself to a shorter cut. REMEMBER If you plan to show your Yorkie, keep him in the traditional long coat. It's part of the breed standard (refer to Chapter 2). The short coat The alternative to a long coat is obviously a short coat. One of the more popular short coat styles is the puppy cut. Look at a Yorkie puppy, and you get a pretty good idea what that style is. Essentially for a puppy cut, you (or a professional groomer) trim the coat into short layers all over the body and around the face. Other short-style options include the modified Schnauzer cut, where the coat is trimmed short on the torso and left longer on the legs, and the face is trimmed in the traditional Schnauzer mustache, or the modified Westie cut, which is similar to the modified Schnauzer cut except that the hair on the head and face is trimmed to frame the face. You can see examples of these styles in the color insert. If you opt for a shorter style, keep these points in mind: Shorter cuts mean less time grooming. If you love everything about Yorkies except for the grooming chores, go with a shorter cut. You'll probably need a professional groomer to achieve the look you want. Although you can certainly do the work yourself, trimming a dog takes quite a bit of skill, the right equipment (clippers with blades of various sizes), and a practiced technique. Unless you want to learn how to do it yourself and can stand your Yorkie looking a little (or a lot) rough around the edges until your skill improves, hire a professional. A short cut doesn't get you entirely off the grooming hook. You still need to groom your Yorkie regularly. Of course, everything's relative: Regularly with a short cut is a lot less frequent and time intensive than regularly with a long cut. Giving her a quick brush every day or every other day, a bath about every week, and a trip to the groomer once every month or two is fine. What you gain in ease of care, you lose in the traditional Yorkie appearance. These short cuts cut the blue part of the coat right off. If you plan to show your Yorkie, go with the long coat; see the preceding section. Save the short cut for when her showing days are over. Setting Up a Grooming Schedule To keep your Yorkie in the pink, grooming is going to be part of your regular routine. How regular? Depends on the task. Certain tasks, like brushing, teeth cleaning, and cleaning the area where urine collects on males (simply use a damp cloth and warm water), you do daily. Other tasks, such as ear trimming and nail clipping, you do on an as-needed basis. Table 10-1 outlines how frequently you need to perform the various grooming tasks. Caring for the Coat Yorkies are single-coated dogs, which means that, unlike many dogs, they don't have an undercoat. In this way, your Yorkie's coat is a lot like human hair, and like human hair, it continues to grow. The texture of the coat combined with its length and the Yorkie's tendency to be active make mats and snarls inevitable. And that's where you come in: You get to tame the tresses. Whether your Yorkie has a long or a short cut, you have to attend to it regularly, if you want to keep it in good condition. The only mandatory tasks you need to perform when grooming the coat are bathing, brushing, and periodically trimming. Of course, many Yorkie owners don't stop there: They wrap and band, too. Bathing beauties Bathing your dog doesn't have to be the disaster that's often portrayed in the funny pages or on TV commercials. With a little planning and know-how, bath time can actually proceed quite uneventfully. First, get your supplies together. A wet dog shivering in the sink and plotting his escape - which invariably involves leaping the distance from the sink or counter to the floor - isn't a good time to go hunting for the shampoo. Here's what you need on hand before you start washing your dog: A sink or tub Dog shampoo and conditioner REMEMBER Don't use human shampoo or conditioner on your Yorkie. His pH levels are different, and shampoo made for your hair is too harsh for his coat and skin. Mineral oil to protect his eyes Cotton balls to keep water out of his ears and to clean the eye mucous A big, fluffy towel (for drying) and a smaller towel (for the dog to sit on while he's in the sink to keep him from slipping) You also need to prepare your Yorkie's coat for bathing. And that means gently removing tangles with your fingers while the hair is still dry. If you get the hair wet before you remove the mat, you end up with a knot that's almost impossible to remove and a very unhappy Yorkie. By pre-grooming for mats and tangles before bathing your dog, your Yorkie will enjoy a bath and may love the attention, making the experience more pleasant for both of you. After pre-grooming, you're ready to bathe your Yorkie. Let the water run until it's the right temperature (warm), and then follow these steps: 1. Put the cotton balls in your Yorkie's ears, one drop of mineral oil in each of your Yorkie's eyes, and your Yorkie on the small towel in the sink. If you lined the sink with a towel, be sure that the towel doesn't cover the drain. Yorkies - and every other animal I can think of - don't like water rising toward their heads. 2. Thoroughly wet down your Yorkie's coat with warm water. 3. Apply the shampoo to the back of your dog's head and, with gentle strokes, work the shampoo down his back to his tail (see Figure 10-1). 4. Let the shampoo soak for a few minutes and then rinse thoroughly. To rinse your dog, spray the water in the direction that the coat naturally lays. Don't forget to rinse under his tail and on his tummy. TIP If you're working in a tub or a sink without a spray nozzle, use a large plastic cup to rinse rather than force your dog to sit under the tap of running water. 5. To clean your Yorkie's face, put a small amount of tearless shampoo in your hands, rub them together to form a slight lather, and then use your fingers to carefully clean the hair around the ears and muzzle; rinse. When rinsing the face, being careful is particularly important. I recommend using a cup filled with fresh water (not the bathwater) rather than your sink's spray nozzle. You have more control over the flow and the pressure. 6. Remove the eye mucous. Being careful, use your fingers, a damp cloth or cotton ball, or your fine-toothed flea comb. 7. Apply the conditioner according to the directions, and rinse thoroughly using a spray nozzle or a cup. Be sure to get all the conditioner out. If you don't, your Yorkie's coat becomes a magnet for dirt and grime. 8. When you're done, squeeze out the excess water from the coat and then wrap your dog in the big fluffy towel. Hold your towel-wrapped dog for a bit so that the towel absorbs most of the water. Then let him go and watch in amazement as he simultaneously shakes himself and literally runs circles around the house. When he calms down and you stop laughing, it's time to brush his coat. Brushing basics Whether you're brushing a dog you just bathed or simply doing the daily 100 strokes, make sure that the hair is at least a little damp. Brushing a completely dry coat can cause breakage. If your dog hasn't just come out of the tub, spray her lightly with a mixture of conditioner and water (3 parts water to 1 part conditioner). To brush your Yorkie's coat, gather your pin brush and your comb (see Chapter 5 for a list and description of the necessary supplies) and then follow these directions: 1. Using the pin brush, brush through the entire coat thoroughly. Just as you would brush long human hair, begin at the ends and work your way to the skin to avoid turning a little snarl into a painful tangle. 2. As you come across mats, pick as much apart with your fingers as you can and, using your comb, carefully comb through them. TIP If your Yorkie tends to get a lot of mats, consider buying a mat rake, which is essentially what it sounds like: a wide-toothed comb designed to rake through most snarls. Also keep in mind that if, despite your regular grooming, your Yorkie still has problems with matting, it may be because your Yorkie doesn't have the proper silky single coat, but a much softer double coat. If this is the case, consider buying a soft slicker brush to work out the mats before you bathe him. If you come across a particularly stubborn mat that won't let go, cut it out with a pair of scissors. And then promise yourself that you'll brush more regularly to avoid that problem in the future. 3. End by using your fine-toothed comb to comb through the hair one last time. Don't forget this last step. You'll be surprised at the little snags and knots that remain in the coat, and this final comb-through gets them out (see Figure 10-2). REMEMBER If you're gentle and brush your Yorkshire Terrier regularly enough so that mats don't form, your dog will love having her coat brushed and combed - which makes your job easier and more enjoyable. Blow drying You don't have to blow dry your Yorkie's coat (you can let her air dry, if you want), but here are reasons why you may want to: If you're trying to create the sleek, smooth look of the traditional Yorkie coat, blow drying helps straighten any wayward waves. When the weather's cold or if your house is drafty, blow drying reduces the chance that your Yorkie will become chilled. If you don't have time to wait for her to air dry - for example, you're leaving and don't want a wet dog on the furniture or you're planning to take her outside - you'll need to blow dry her. If you get your dog professionally groomed, you can bet the groomer will use a blow dryer. By blow drying at home, you help her get accustomed to the noise and sensation of air blowing over her (see Chapter 8 for tips on helping your Yorkie make friends with your blow dryer).
Continues...
Excerpted from Yorkshire Terriers For Dummies by Tracy Barr Peter F. Veling Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
| | |
