Yorkie haircuts: puppy cut, teddy bear cut, and show coat

The common Yorkie haircuts are the puppy cut, the teddy bear cut, a short summer cut, and the long show coat with a topknot. For most pet Yorkies, a puppy cut of about an inch all over is the easiest to keep free of tangles.

Puppy cut or teddy bear cut?

Owners weighing a Yorkie puppy cut vs teddy bear cut are mostly choosing a face, since the body can be close to the same length. A puppy cut trims the face short and round. A teddy bear cut leaves the muzzle and head full and scissors them into a circle, and that longer hair catches food and tears, so it needs combing every day or two. Puppy cut vs teddy bear cut compares them on any breed, and teddy bear cut for dogs covers how to ask.

Short Yorkie haircuts and the show coat

Owners who keep Yorkie haircuts short through summer usually ask for a summer cut, also called a kennel cut, which takes the body to half an inch or less and leaves the face a little longer. Avoid a close shave. With no undercoat, a closely clipped Yorkie is more exposed to heat and cold and may need a sweater on winter walks.

The traditional show coat grows to the floor, with the head hair tied into a topknot with one or two bows and the ear tips and feet trimmed neat. It needs brushing to the skin every day. A middle option pairs a puppy-cut body with head hair long enough for a topknot, which keeps hair out of the eyes without a full coat's work.

Why Yorkie hair tangles where it does

A Yorkie has hair, not fur. It's a single coat with no undercoat, fine and silky, and closer to human hair than most dog coats. It grows about half an inch a month and sheds very little, so loose hairs stay caught in the coat and knot with the fine hair around them. That starts wherever something rubs, such as behind the ears, under the front legs, along the collar or harness line, and around the hocks, tail and feet.

Some Yorkies grow a softer, cottony coat, which the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America says mats easily. Puppies tangle more while the puppy coat changes to the adult silky one, between about 6 and 18 months, so brush daily then. Brush from the ends toward the skin, then follow with a metal comb. If the comb catches where the brush slid over, a tangle is starting. Keeping a coat from matting between grooms walks through the routine.

How often to cut and brush a Yorkie

Plan on a haircut every 4 to 8 weeks. The AKC suggests 4 to 6 weeks and PetMD's vets 6 to 8, and the longer the cut, the sooner it grows out of shape. A short puppy cut can get by on a brush once a week.

What to trim at home, and what to leave to a groomer

You can learn how to give a Yorkie a haircut at home, but the AKC advises against clipping or shaving a dog without training. These smaller jobs are safe for most owners:

• Wiping the eye corners daily to keep tear staining down.
• Pulling long face hair up into a band, and redoing the band before it gets tight.
• Trimming paw-pad hair level with the pads, using small blunt-tip scissors, after a groomer or vet shows you how.
• Nails, once someone has shown you where the quick is. How often to trim dog nails covers when they're too long.

Leave the ear tips, the eye corners and any mats to a groomer. Groomers clip the top quarter to third of each ear short on both sides, holding the ear flat so the thin edge doesn't get nicked, and take the eye corners with a fine blade or thinning shears on a dog held still. The AKC says not to cut mats out at home.

At Barky Mountain in Lone Tree, a full groom for a small dog up to 20 pounds starts at $85, and you can request the same groomer every visit so the cut comes out the same. Book a groom.