Attaching a Bow to a Yorkie

Yorkshire Terriers are commonly seen with bows pulling the bang hair up off the dog's face. However, bows do more than just add to the personality of your dog. Keeping hair off your dog's eyes reduces eye irritation and increases your Yorkies range of visibility. Keeping your Yorkie̵7;s hair pulled back in a bow takes only a few minutes and can easily be incorporated into your Yorkie̵7;s grooming schedule.

  1. Bow Placement

    • Deciding where to place the bow can be a bit deceiving since the topknot is technically made from two separate bundles of hair. Ideally, the bow should be placed on the top of the skull between the ears about one inch up from bottom of the hair shaft. The bow faces the muzzle of the dog and the band of the bow faces the tail of the dog.

    Securing the Bow

    • Two hair bands and one bow are needed to make a full topknot on a Yorkie. The first hair band holds the front topknot in place. The bow is then placed on the front topknot on top of the first hair band. The hair bow helps to secure the first bundle together, but the bow itself is not wrapped around the second bundle of hair. Rather, the second hair band is used to secure the back bundle of hair to the first bundle and hold the bow in place.

    Types of Bows

    • There are several types of bows available to Yorkie owners. Some bows have only enough elastic to slip over hair that has already been secured by a plain rubber hair band. Others bows have enough elastic to functionally secure the hair in place. Interestingly, because so many people are allergic to latex, some pet grooming supply stores offer both latex and non-latex style hair bands.

    Considerations

    • Some Yorkie owners decide to make their hair bows to give them more selection in displaying the personality of their pet. Not all hair bands are made the same. Quality hair bands and bows will not break or damage your Yorkie's hair. If you̵7;re hesitant about styling your dog̵7;s hair, ask your Yorkie groomer to help you practice a few topknots on your Yorkie̵7;s next grooming visit.