How to Groom a Yorkie's Ears

Yorkies are adorable animals with great dispositions and temperaments. They are famous for their long, silky hair and their silvery top knots. All this hair requires a fair amount of grooming, even if you keep it short, so you will need to either take your Yorkie to the groomer once a week or learn to do it yourself. One of the most important parts of the grooming process is cleaning and trimming the ears. It will keep your Yorkie's ears clean, perky and infection free.

Things You'll Need

  • Brush
  • Small scissors
  • Cotton swab
  • Tweezers
  • Clippers
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Instructions

    • 1

      Inspect the inside of the ears. Look for any signs of infection such as strange odors, redness or a brown or reddish discharge. Any of these issues generally indicate an ear infection. You should stop grooming the ear and contact your veterinarian immediately.

    • 2

      Remove any hair inside the ears. Some of this hair is likely loose hair or hair that has gotten long and maybe matted inside the ear. You can smooth it out of the way with your fingers if you want. Most groomers pluck this hair with tweezers if they are grooming show dogs.

    • 3

      Swab out the inside of the ear leather. Do not enter or even go near the ear canal. With many Yorkies this will not be necessary because they remain inside and will not have particularly dirty ears. However, if your Yorkie spends time out in the yard you may need to clean off the inside of the ear flap with a slightly damp cotton swab.

    • 4

      Clip the hair inside the ear. This hair should be clipped fairly short. Some people like it to be the same length as the hair on the outside of the ear to give the ear a perkier V shape. You can do this or you can clip it shorter to keep it from irritating your dog.

    • 5

      Trim the hair outside the ear in a V shape immediately outside the edge of the ear. This will give the ear a defined, perky appearance and help keep strands of hair out of your Yorkie's inner ear. Since the ears are fairly tender, this will also make grooming easier because the ear hair will not get knotted.

    • 6

      Trim the hair on the back of the ears in a V shape that is close to the ear. Using a close setting, trim the backs of the ears using a downward facing V shape. This will make them stand out against the rest of the coat. Be very careful when you are trimming your dog's ears so that if she jumps suddenly you do not accidentally cut her. Many groomers use a guard to prevent this.