Shorkie Grooming

About the Shorkie

Like the Morkie, this is an unusually predictable cross. A Shih Tzu gives a long, dense, silky double coat that grows continuously. A Yorkshire Terrier gives a fine, straight, silky single coat that grows continuously. Whichever way the puppy falls, the answer is silk, it keeps growing, it sheds very little, and it mats.

What does vary is density and how flat the face is, and the second one matters more than owners expect.

A Shih Tzu is brachycephalic with a very short muzzle and prominent eyes; a Yorkie is not. A Shorkie can land anywhere between, and a puppy that inherits the flatter face inherits the breathing, eye and dryer cautions along with it.

What the Shorkie is crossed from

• Shih Tzu
• Yorkshire Terrier

One coat answer, and daily combing

Both parents contribute a continuously growing coat that sheds almost nothing, so the trade is the standard low shedding one: the hair a dog does not drop stays in the coat and tangles into new growth.

The Shih Tzu side can bring a denser coat with some undercoat, which mats harder; the Yorkie side brings a finer single coat that tangles more easily but combs out more readily. Most Shorkies land in between.

Comb to the skin every day with a metal comb, not a slicker alone. A slicker moves the surface of a fine coat while felt forms underneath, which is exactly how an owner who brushes daily still arrives at a salon with a matted dog.

The test is whether the comb passes freely from skin to tip. If it will not, that section is not brushed.

The six places that fail: behind and under the ears, the armpits, the inside of the back legs, under a collar or harness, the chest and around the rear.

Bathe every four weeks, use a light conditioner, rinse thoroughly, and brush while drying rather than after, since a silk coat sets into whatever shape it dries in.

The face, and which parent it came from

This is the part of the coat lottery that actually matters, and it is not about hair.

If a Shorkie inherits the Shih Tzu head, it has a shortened muzzle, a flat face, prominent eyes and the breathing limitations that go with them. If it inherits more Yorkie, it has a normal muzzle and none of that.

For a flatter faced dog, the rules from the Shih Tzu and Pekingese pages apply in full: no cage dryer ever, short cool sessions with breaks, and stop if the breathing becomes noisy or effortful. A hot enclosed dryer box is how flat faced dogs die at groomers.

Prominent eyes on a short muzzle have very little bone protecting them, so nothing is sprayed toward the face, the eyes are wiped outward with a damp cloth, and the dog is never restrained by the scruff or gripped around the neck and head, because pressure there can displace an eye.

Keep the hair around the eyes trimmed short or tied up. Hair resting on the eye surface irritates and scars it, and on a face this short it grows straight into them.

Tear staining is very visible on a pale dog and is porphyrin, which oxidizes and permanently marks the hair it dries in. Wipe under the eyes daily and dry.

Trims, and choosing a length honestly

A Shorkie has to be cut, because the coat never stops growing. Nobody with a pet wants a floor length coat on a seven pound dog.

Almost every Shorkie wears a puppy trim: an even short length over the body, a rounded face, scissored legs and tidy feet. It is comfortable and practical.

Give a length in numbers and bring a photograph. Puppy trim and teddy bear mean different things in different salons, and the phrase alone is how people end up unhappy.

The interval is four to six weeks, which is where daily combing stops keeping pace with growth.

The honest guidance is the same as on every silk coated toy here: pick the length that matches the combing you will actually do. A shorter trim on a shorter cycle is a comfortable dog; a long trim on a stretched cycle ends in a pelted coat and a shave down that nobody wanted, and at that point the shave is the kind option rather than a shortcut.

Keep the sanitary area, the paw pads and the hair around the eyes short whatever else you choose.

A topknot is optional and looks charming; it must not pull tight enough to stress the skin.

Teeth, knees and a very small dog

Both parent breeds have serious dental problems and the cross inherits them squarely.

Toy breeds carry full sized teeth in small crowded jaws, food packs between them, and disease starts early and progresses fast. On a flatter faced Shorkie the crowding is worse again, because the same number of teeth are fitted into a shorter jaw and some are rotated or overlapping.

Brush daily from puppyhood and budget for professional cleanings. This is the thing most likely to cause this dog real pain.

Retained baby teeth are common in toys and need a veterinarian if an adult tooth erupts alongside one.

Luxating patellas are common too. A dog that skips a step, holds a back leg up briefly and carries on is showing a slipping kneecap and needs assessing.

Keep the hair between the pads cleared, since a tiny dog skidding on hard floors is a real factor in joint injuries.

Never leave a dog this size unattended on a grooming table, and lift rather than letting it jump.

What to tell your groomer

Say whether the dog has the flatter Shih Tzu face, because that decides the dryer and handling rules.

If it does: no cage dryer, no spray near the face, and never restrained by the neck and head.

Give a length in numbers with a photograph rather than saying puppy trim.

Ask for the hair around the eyes kept short, the pads cleared and the sanitary area trimmed.

Say honestly when the dog was last combed to the skin and where you found tangles.

Ask them to look at the mouth, and mention any retained baby teeth or bad breath.

Keeping the coat between grooms

Common Questions About the Shorkie