Grooming the Yorkshire Terrier

By Cindra Grooming Products — USA-Made Professional Grooming Essentials

The Yorkshire Terrier coat is, quite literally, more like human hair than typical dog fur: a single layer of glossy, fine, silky hair that grows continuously rather than cycling through a coat. That's exactly why Yorkies are popular with allergy-sensitive owners, and also exactly why the coat demands real upkeep — hair that just keeps growing will tangle, mat, and break unless it's brushed, conditioned, and in some cases wrapped on a real schedule. Whether you keep your Yorkie in a floor-length show coat or a easy-care puppy cut, the coat's needs are the same; only the time commitment changes.

COAT

Per the AKC breed standard, quality, texture, and quantity of coat are of prime importance for this breed. Hair is glossy, fine, and silky in texture, moderately long on the body and perfectly straight — never wavy. It may be trimmed to floor length for ease of movement and a neater appearance, if desired. The fall on the head is long, traditionally tied with one bow at the center or parted and tied with two bows, and the hair on the muzzle is very long. Hair is trimmed short on the tips of the ears and may be trimmed on the feet for a neat appearance.

This is a true single coat with no undercoat at all — functionally closer to human hair than to typical dog fur, which is why it keeps growing rather than shedding out on a cycle, and why fine, silky hair this thin offers very little natural protection to the skin underneath.

CHARACTER

The Yorkie is a spirited dog that clearly shows its terrier strain, glad to engage in all the rowdier activities of the larger terrier breeds despite its small size. That same spirited, confident personality can make a young or untrained Yorkie a bit of a handful at the grooming table, so early, consistent handling sessions matter, especially if you're aiming for a coat long and well-maintained enough to need wrapping.

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Common Coat Problems & Solutions

Problem Solution
Detangling / dematting Apply Moisture Plus full strength liberally to the mat. Wait 15 minutes, then pull the mat gently apart with fingers or a comb.
Greasy coat Use Cleansing Shampoo in place of Moisturizing Shampoo for that bath.
Coat lacks body Use Texturizing Shampoo in place of Moisturizing Shampoo.
Setting parts (for show coats) Put a small amount of Moisture Plus in your palms and rub them together once. Apply to the part, spreading gently down the sides, going from the part to the floor in one stroke.
Flyaway hair Make an anti-static spray with 2 tablespoons of Moisture Plus diluted into 1 pint of water.
Putting coat in oil (pre-wrap conditioning) Make a spray with 2 tablespoons of Moisture Plus diluted into 1 pint of water. Spray on hair sections as you wrap them. Do not add any additional oils or silicone products on top of this.
Thin leg furnishings or feathering Spray diluted Texturizing Mist into a damp coat and fluff dry with a blow dryer.
Damaged coat Wet the coat with warm water and apply Moisture Plus liberally as a hot-oil-style treatment. Wrap in a hot towel for 15–20 minutes, then shampoo with Moisturizing Shampoo and rinse.

Source: adapted from Cindra's internal grooming reference archive.

Hands On Grooming Guide

Brush several times a week at minimum, daily if the coat is kept long, using a pin brush and metal comb for longer coats or a soft bristle brush for short, puppy-cut coats. Always brush from the ends of the coat first, working gradually toward the skin, rather than dragging a brush straight through a tangle from the root — that approach pulls and breaks the fine hair rather than freeing it.

Bathe weekly to every few weeks depending on coat length and lifestyle, using a gentle shampoo formulated for fine, silky coats, followed by a conditioning rinse — a Yorkie's coat benefits from conditioner far more consistently than most breeds, since there's no natural oil-rich undercoat doing any of that work for it. Rinse thoroughly, then dry with the airflow running down the length of the coat rather than up into it, which causes tangling and frizz rather than a smooth finish.

Check skin and coat for parasites or irritation during every grooming session — fine, thin hair offers very little protection, so skin issues tend to show up and become noticeable faster on a Yorkie than on a thicker-coated breed.

Long Coat, Puppy Cut, or Wrapping: Choosing a Style

Most pet Yorkies are kept in a puppy cut or another short, layered style — trimmed every 4 to 6 weeks, brushed every day or two, and bathed roughly weekly. This is dramatically less time-intensive than a full-length coat and is the practical choice for most households.

A full, floor-length show coat is a different commitment entirely. Because the hair keeps growing like human hair, an untouched long coat will simply break off once it reaches the ground unless it's protected. That's where wrapping comes in: sections of the coat are wound around folded paper and secured with a band, which protects the hair from breakage, friction, and ground contact while it continues to grow. Show coats are typically kept in wraps essentially full-time, with wraps removed only for the show ring itself.

Wrapping is a real time investment, not a one-time task — wraps need to be redone regularly as the coat grows and the wraps loosen or slip. If you're not planning to show your Yorkie, there's no requirement to keep the coat long at all; a shorter cut is just as correct a choice for a companion dog.

Do Yorkies Shed?

Very little. Because the coat is a true single layer that behaves like human hair, hair does fall out, but at a noticeably lower rate than breeds with a typical fur coat or undercoat. This is part of why Yorkies are often described as hypoallergenic, though no breed is truly allergen-free — much of dog allergy response comes from dander and saliva proteins, not hair itself. Minimal shedding doesn't mean minimal maintenance, though: hair that doesn't fall out stays in the coat, which is exactly why regular brushing matters so much for preventing mats.

Puppy vs Adult Coat Care

Life Stage Coat Characteristics Grooming Focus
Puppy Softer, fluffier puppy coat, more prone to matting than the adult coat Daily brushing through the puppy-to-adult coat transition (roughly 6–18 months); build tolerance for handling and tools early
Adult Mature glossy, fine, silky single coat, capable of reaching floor length by 18–24 months if grown out Brushing several times weekly to daily depending on length, weekly to biweekly bathing, wrapping if maintaining a full show coat

Quick Grooming Schedule

Task Frequency
Brushing (puppy cut) Every 1–2 days
Brushing (long/show coat) Daily
Bathing Weekly to every few weeks, depending on coat length
Trimming (puppy cut) Every 4–6 weeks
Re-wrapping (show coats) As needed, typically every few days to weekly
Nails Every 2 weeks
Ears Weekly
Teeth Daily

Yorkshire Terrier Grooming Resources

The Cindra Touch

A Yorkie's coat is forgiving in length and style, but never in consistency — hair this fine needs real conditioning support whether it's an inch long or trailing the floor. Cindra's formulas are built to keep that silky texture intact at any length you choose to keep it.