Taking care of a Yorkie coat
By Dr Heidi Rolfes
(Director of Wampum Grooming Products (Pty) Ltd)
Yorkshire Terriers are exceptionally popular pets. To behold them in their full glory, their long coats need daily care and attention. Life for their owners can also be made so much easier if they use the right products. Wampum has a range of products especially developed for Yorkie coats (long or short).
Let me explain, in order, how a Yorkie coat should be cared for.
Rule Number 1: Never hurt a dog when grooming
If you hurt a dog once, they will never lie still for you and it will make their grooming a taxing event for both you and the dog. Make the grooming like caressing so the dog starts to enjoy it and look forward to it.
Rule Number 2: A dog must be bathed at least once in 10 days
Clean coat grows. In addition, a Yorkie coat must be brushed through daily. Before a bath, all mats must be removed from the coat as they will contract on contact with water and it will become even more difficult to remove them. To do this, we suggest saturating the knots with Wampum Silk Spray or Wampum Miracle Spray (Double strength), leaving this in for a minute, and then teasing the knots apart with a face comb. Always hold the knot firmly next to the skin when you work at it so as not to hurt the dog when you pull hairs. Once the knot has been teased sideways, use a pin brush or soft slicker brush, work AWAY from the skin of the dog, and in straight lines perpendicular to the skin, try to brush the knot out. Then repeat the process. Pull the knot apart parallel to the skin of the dog with the face comb, then take the pin brush or soft slicker and work in straight lines away from the skin of the dog.
Rule Number 3: A slicker brush may never touch the skin of the dog.
Work away from the skin, hold the hair on your fingers, work against your own hand and fingers. If you cannot do this, do not use a slicker brush.
THE BATH
Before you start:
Take a Wampum Dilution Bottle and dilute 100ml of Wampum Conditioning Shampoo Concentrate with 400ml of luke-warm water.
Take another Wampum Dilution bottle and prepare a rinse of 25ml Wampum Conditioning Rinse Concentrate into 500ml of warm water.
Set these down next to the bath.
Place the dog on a secure rubber mat in the bath. Rinse through the coat with luke-warm water. Apply the diluted shampoo and work through the coat. Rinse very well until all shampoo residue has been rinsed from the coat. Apply the conditioning rinse by squirting it through the coat with the dilution bottle. DO NOT RINSE THIS OUT! Wrap the dog in a dry towel and dry it out. Take a second dry towel, remove the wet towel, wrap the dog in the new dry towel and move to the blow dryer.
Blow drying:
Lie the dog down on your lap (or on the table in front of you, whatever you prefer). Open the towel to the first section you want to dry. Keep the rest of the dog wrapped in the dry towel to keep it warm. Take a section of coat, mist it well with Wampum Miracle Spray. Using a pin brush, blow dry the coat in sections, brushing in the direction you want the hair to lie. Once a section is completely dry, feel through it carefully with a large comb. Continue until the dog is completely dry. Stand the dog up on the table, on a secure rubber mat, make the parting and brush through to check the coat is dry everywhere. Now lie the dog facing you, down on the table with its head on a small pillow. Use the face comb to do the top knot and secure it with a soft elastic band.
Now we check teeth and apply Wampum Antibacterial mouth spray. Then check ears, nails and do a little trimming if required.
If your Yorkie has a particularly difficult coat, you can apply Wampum Silk Spray to the coat when drying (at the same time as applying the Miracle Spray (Double Strength). It will make the coat slightly oily but will prevent matting on woolly coats.
If you do this properly, you will not have any knots before the next bath.
You will thus need the following:
1 x Wampum Conditioning Shampoo Concentrate
1 x Wampum Conditioning Rinse Concentrate
2 x Wampum Dilution Bottles
1 x Wampum Miracle Spray (Double Stength)
1 x Wampum Silk Spray (OPTIONAL)
1 x Wampum small or medium pin brush
1 x Wampum Face comb
1 x Wampum Greyhound comb
1 x Wampum Large soft slicker brush (OPTIONAL)
These products (and many others) can all be seen and ordered at www.wampum.co.za
Happy grooming!
PS! For daily face cleaning we use Wampum Self Rinse Shampoo. Wet the whiskers under the eyes carefully with a cotton wool ball soaked in Wampum Self Rinse Shampoo. Wait a minute for any hard bits to soften. Then use the face comb to remove them. Now comb and dry the whiskers, or let them dry naturally.
For this you will need:
1 x Wampum Self Rinse Shampoo
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