About Giving Yorkie Puppies Baths

Yorkie Bath

• Most dog experts agree that Yorkies can begin receiving baths around the age of 12 weeks. According to the Official Yorkie Guide website, your Yorkie can be bathed every two weeks or every 10 days in the summer. If your Yorkie gets exceptionally dirty in between baths, an extra time in the tub won't hurt, but bathing too often will cause an unhealthy depletion of the oils that protect your dog's skin. Wiping your dog's eyes, ears, genital and rear end area with a baby wipe in between baths is a common grooming technique.

Bathing Preparation

• Preparing for your Yorkie's bath is essential, because once it is in the tub, you don't want to leave the room or become distracted. Your dog's bathing room should be a calm, quiet place where your dog feels relaxed. Brush your Yorkie out completely and check it for any mats or snarls prior to bathing. Imperfections in your dog's coat will become intensified with water. Many Yorkie owners make nail trimming a part of their Yorkies' bath routine. Regular trimming keeps your dog's nails from becoming cumbersome, and starting the practice when your Yorkie is a puppy will make this grooming procedure an easy routine for you and your dog.

What You'll Need

• Most professional dog groomers use commercial canine shampoos, but Yorkie owners often use baby shampoo for bathing at home. Baby shampoos are gentler on your dog's skin and won't sting its eyes. It is important to wash your Yorkie's face thoroughly to eliminate eye secretion stains and ward off infection, so the gentler baby shampoo works well when bathing this breed. (Any generic baby shampoo will work, because the ingredients are the same as brand-name baby shampoos.) Use a conditioner with Yorkies, because their silky coat is susceptible to tangling. Choose a commercially sold canine conditioner, because the formulas have the correct pH levels. Open a towel on a flat surface nearby. This will make it convenient for you to take your dog from the bath and begin drying right away. You will also need an ear cleaning solution and cotton swabs. Have a paper towel handy for anal gland expression and a plastic cup for rinsing.

Bathing Your Yorkie

• Prior to wetting your dog, you' should express its anal gland. A dog's anal gland secretion can be uncomfortable and cause infection if left unchecked. Using your paper towel to collect expressed oils, place your thumb and forefinger in a squeezing position on each side of your dog's anus. Gently apply a squeezing pressure, and any built up anal gland material will come out on the paper towel. Check the bath water on your wrist; it should be lukewarm. The best water level for bathing your dog should come up to the tops of his legs. Wet your dog completely and squeeze shampoo over its back. A line of shampoo down the center of the back should be sufficient to bathe the entire dog. Work the lather down the dog's body and onto its legs and head with full coverage. Shampoo in between its toes and tail stub. Rinse completely. Repeat this process with the conditioner. While the conditioner is on your dog, use the ear cleaning solution to swab out its ears. Only go as deep into the ear canal as you can visibly see. Using fresh water and a plastic cup, rinse the conditioner out completely.

After the Bath

• Set your dog onto the drying towel right away. If it is left to run around while wet, the dog's coat may become tangled. Towel-dry your Yorkie with patting motions, rather than rubbing. Yorkie owners often use hair dryers on their dogs; if you want to do this, be sure to start the practice when the dog is a puppy to get it used to the feel and noise of the appliance. While you are drying your Yorkie, brush consistently.