Grooming Your Morkie for the Holidays

Some people take advantage of any occasion to dress up their little dogs. Are you one of those people? I have a Morkie (Maltese-Yorkie mix) puppy that looks adorable with little sweaters and bows in her hair. Since Morkies require a lot of grooming anyway, why not go a little further with some extra grooming during the holidays? I'm talking ribbons, bows, and all.

Groom Your Morkie for the Holidays: Clean up her coat

Give your doggy a fresh, fluffy coat by bathing her right before the holidays. Since Morkies have such fine hair, it gets flat really quickly. Brush her hair to remove tangles, give her a bath, and towel her dry. Then use a hair dryer on a low heat setting to warm her up. Comb her hair again, then brush with a slicker to really make it shine. Clean up tear stains if you need to, and trim around the eyes and under the tail.

Groom Your Morkie for the Holidays: Take care of her nails

The nails need attention, too. First, carefully trim your dog's nails with plier-type clippers. Just clip the tips a little at a time until you can see a round circle where the quick begins. Since my Mila has black nails, clipping them is very difficult. If you are struggling to trim your Morkie's nails, bring her to a professional. Finish up by applying a coat of dog-safe nail polish--get festive with red, green, silver, or gold polish.

Groom Your Morkie for the Holidays: Add the finishing touches

The finishing touches? Accessories add a cute holiday flair with festive sweaters, collars, leashes, and more. Mila doesn't exactly enjoy wearing ponytails--apparently, she prefers to have her hair hanging in her eyes--but she is slowly getting used to having her hair pulled up. If your dog has long hair on her head, pull it up and secure it with a cute ribbon or bow. And if it is really long, make a little pouf by looping the hair up and back down, then tying it at the base and adorning it with a festive bow.

Tip: Save sweaters just for trips outside--some will rub against your Morkie's freshly groomed hair and cause it to tangle and mat. I know this from personal experience, unfortunately.

Groom your Morkie to beautify her for the holidays--Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's Eve, or any time she needs a little freshening up. Make sure her hair is clean and brushed, her nails are trimmed, and then you can accessorize all you want. Just be sure to use products that will not harm your beloved pet.