Yorkiepoo Grooming

About the Yorkiepoo

A small Poodle cross in the same mold as the Maltipoo and the Shih-Poo, and the same honest answer applies.

A Yorkshire Terrier gives a fine, straight, silky single coat that grows continuously. A Poodle gives a dense curled wool coat that also grows continuously. A Yorkiepoo can be silky, wavy or curly, and littermates differ.

What does not vary is the consequence. All three versions shed almost nothing, which means the hair the dog does not drop stays in the coat and tangles into new growth. It mats, it needs combing to the skin daily, and it needs a professional groom every four to six weeks.

There is no version of this cross that is a low maintenance dog, and that is worth being direct about, because it is frequently sold as one.

What the Yorkiepoo is crossed from

• Yorkshire Terrier
• Poodle

Three coats, one routine

A silky Yorkiepoo has fine straight hair with no undercoat. It tangles readily from ordinary movement and the tangles come out if you catch them, but a slicker glides over the top while felt forms underneath.

A curly one has dense wool that holds every shed hair, mats tightly and close to the skin, and is harder to open once formed.

A wavy one, which is the commonest, does some of both.

The routine is the same for all three: comb to the skin every day with a metal comb. The test is whether the comb passes freely from skin to tip. If it will not, that section is not brushed, however good the surface looks.

The failure points are the same six as on any low shedding toy: behind and under the ears, the armpits, the inside of the back legs, under a collar or harness, the chest and around the rear.

A harness is worse than a collar for matting, because it covers more coat and moves against it.

The coat changes at around eight to twelve months, and that transition is when most Yorkiepoos mat badly for the first time.

Bathe every four weeks, comb out first, and brush while drying rather than after.

The trim, and choosing a length honestly

A Yorkiepoo has to be cut, because all three coat versions grow indefinitely.

Almost every one wears a puppy trim: an even short length over the body, a rounded face, scissored legs and tidy feet.

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 owners end up disappointed.

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

The honest guidance, as on every low shedding small dog here: choose the length that matches the combing you will actually do. A shorter trim on a shorter cycle is a comfortable dog and a manageable routine. 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.

Clipping does not harm either parent coat texture, so there is no textural argument against a short trim.

Ears, eyes and staining

The ears are the part where the Poodle side causes trouble. Poodles grow hair inside the ear canal, and a Yorkiepoo that inherits it has hair in a canal that a Yorkie ear would have left clear.

Ask a groomer to keep the hair around and just inside the opening trimmed short at every visit, lift and smell the ears weekly, and dry them after every bath.

Head shaking, scratching, redness, dark discharge or a smell means a veterinarian rather than an ear cleaner.

Keep the hair around the eyes trimmed short or tied up. On a small face it grows into the eyes, and hair resting on the eye surface irritates and eventually scars.

Tear staining is very visible on a pale dog. It is porphyrin, an iron compound in tears that oxidizes on contact with air and permanently marks the hair it dries in. It does not wash out; it grows out.

So prevention is everything: wipe under each eye daily with a damp cloth and dry it, keep the hair short so tears reach air, and keep the muzzle dry.

Avoid tear stain products containing antibiotics.

A very small dog

At four to fourteen pounds this is one of the smallest crosses here, and the health items matter more than the coat.

Teeth first. Toy breeds carry full sized teeth in small crowded jaws, and Yorkshire Terriers are among the worst affected breeds for dental disease. Brush daily from puppyhood and budget for professional cleanings. Retained baby teeth are common and need a veterinarian if an adult tooth erupts beside one.

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

Tracheal collapse affects Yorkshire Terriers and can carry across. A dog with a honking cough, particularly when excited or pulling, needs a veterinary opinion, and a harness rather than a collar is sensible in any case.

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 coat is silky, wavy or curly, since they mat differently.

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

Ask for the ears kept clear inside and out and checked, since the Poodle side grows hair in the canal.

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

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

Say the dog is not to be left unattended on the table, and mention any coughing or skipping.

Keeping the coat between grooms

Common Questions About the Yorkiepoo