The most popular yorkie haircut is the teddy bear cut: a short, even trim through the body with the face taken round instead of the traditional long-and-parted look. Of the 131 style-tagged Yorkshire terrier photos on Groomably, the teddy bear cut accounts for 44 of them, or 34% — more than any other cut. The other yorkie styles worth knowing are the puppy cut, the summer cut, the traditional show coat with its topknot, and the topknot-and-bow finish that works as a styling touch on almost any of them.
There’s a second number in our photo data that tells you something about living with this breed. Bath-and-dry sessions make up 49 of those 131 tagged photos, 37% — the single biggest category. Yorkies spend a lot of time on the grooming table between haircuts, because their coat demands constant upkeep no matter which cut you choose. More on why below.
A quick note on names. Yorkie is what everyone actually calls them; Yorkshire terrier is the formal name on pedigree papers and breed standards. Same dog, same cuts, either name works with a groomer.
Why the yorkie coat is different
The Yorkshire terrier has a single coat — no undercoat at all. It’s silky and fine, closer to human hair than to typical dog fur, and it grows continuously rather than shedding out seasonally. That’s why the breed is often suggested to people with allergies, and it’s also why the coat never stops needing attention. Hair that doesn’t shed has to be cut, and hair this fine tangles rather than falls away.
Those tangles form fastest at the friction points: behind the ears, under the collar, in the armpits, and anywhere the harness rubs. Left alone, a fine silky coat matts close to the skin, and with no undercoat to cushion it, a matt pulls directly on the skin.
This is also why the topknot exists. It isn’t just decoration. Yorkie facial hair grows straight down over the eyes, and tying it up is the traditional way to keep the dog able to see between trims.
If you want to look at real examples before choosing, the Yorkshire terrier breed page shows what salons around Australia are actually doing with the breed, and the wider grooming gallery is good for comparing styles across breeds.
1. The teddy bear cut
The clear favourite in our data, and once you’ve seen it you understand why. The teddy bear cut takes the body down to a short, even, plush length, with the face scissored into a soft round shape and the ears tidied so they stand crisp. It swaps the flowing, silky drape for something fluffier and rounder — less show dog, more soft toy.
It also solves the breed’s biggest practical problem. A short even coat still tangles, but far slower than a long one, and the round face keeps hair out of the eyes without needing a topknot every day.
What to ask the groomer: “A teddy bear cut, short and even on the body, with a rounded face and tidy ears.” Bring a photo — the teddy bear cut page for Yorkshire terriers has real examples from Australian salons, and our teddy bear cut guide covers the style in more depth.
Maintenance: A brush and comb two or three times a week, paying attention to the friction points. Book a groom every six to eight weeks to keep the shape.
Suits which coat: All yorkies. Fine, cottony coats and silky coats both carry it well, which is a big part of why it’s the number one choice.
The yorkie teddy bear cut, in detail
Because it’s the cut most yorkie owners end up asking for, it’s worth going further than a paragraph. Here’s what our photo data and the salons behind it say about how the yorkie teddy bear cut is actually done.
How common it is, and who does it. The 44 yorkie teddy bear cuts in our library come from 40 different Australian salons, so this isn’t one groomer’s signature look. It’s the default across the country. It’s also notably less dominant on yorkies than on the fluffier toy breeds. Among the 22 dog breeds with at least 30 style-tagged photos on Groomably, the teddy bear cut’s share runs from 84% on the bichon frise and 73% on the poodle down to zero on labradors and German shepherds. The yorkie sits 10th at 34%, just behind the shih tzu (35%) and well behind the pomeranian (62%). The reason is the coat. A yorkie’s fine, silky hair doesn’t stand up and hold a fluffy outline the way a bichon or poodle coat does, so a yorkie teddy bear cut reads sleeker and flatter. That’s normal, not a bad groom.
Length. Most yorkie teddy bear cuts sit roughly between “short enough to brush through in a few minutes” and “long enough that the coat still moves”. In practice that means a short, even body that still feels soft to touch, with the legs left a little fuller than the body so the dog doesn’t look stick-thin. If your yorkie matts easily or you can’t brush often, ask for the shorter end. Tell the groomer how often you actually brush, not how often you mean to.
The face is what makes it a teddy bear. The body length matters less than the head. A teddy bear face is scissored into a full circle: the hair over the eyes taken back so the dog can see, the muzzle trimmed into a soft round, the ears tidied at the tips so they stand up crisp against the round head. Leave the ears long and feathered and you get something closer to a puppy cut with a styled face. Some owners like that more, so say which you want.
The finishing touch. A bow or bow tie shows up in 6 of our 44 yorkie teddy bear photos, and a bandana in 3. That’s a smaller share than on poms or shih tzus. The yorkie topknot tradition mostly goes away on this cut, because the round face already keeps hair out of the eyes.
A yorkie teddy bear cut: round face, crisp ears, even body. Photo: Couture Canine, West Perth WA — via Groomably
Teddy bear cut vs puppy cut on a yorkie. These are the two names owners mix up most. On this breed the body can be almost identical. The difference is the head. Puppy cut faces are trimmed neat and natural, while teddy bear faces are sculpted round. If you show your groomer a photo and say “this face”, you’ll get what you want whatever name you use.
How often. Every six to eight weeks holds the shape for most yorkies. Plenty of owners book a bath-and-dry in between, which helps explain why bath-and-dry is the single most common tag on yorkie photos in our data (49 of 131).
A bandana finish on a fresh teddy bear cut. Photo: Salon de Woof, Aubin Grove WA — via Groomably
2. The puppy cut
The puppy cut is a short, even trim all over — body, legs, head — with a natural rather than sculpted finish. It’s the lowest-fuss version of a yorkie, and on this breed the line between puppy cut and teddy bear cut mostly comes down to the face: puppy cut faces are trimmed neat and natural, teddy bear faces are rounded and styled.
What to ask the groomer: “A puppy cut, short and even all over, easy to manage.” If brushing tends to slip down your to-do list, say so — a good groomer will take it a touch shorter to buy you more time between matts.
Maintenance: The kindest option. A quick brush twice a week is usually enough, and grooms can stretch toward eight weeks.
Suits which coat: Every coat type, and especially good for older yorkies who don’t enjoy long grooming sessions anymore.
3. The summer cut
The summer cut clips the body shorter again, usually leaving a little more length on the head and ears so the dog still looks like a yorkie rather than a shaved one. Australian owners book it heading into the warmer months, and for a small dog that overheats easily it’s a sensible, practical choice.
One honest caveat: a yorkie’s single coat doesn’t provide much sun protection at the best of times, and a very short clip provides less. Keep a short-clipped yorkie out of the harsh midday sun.
What to ask the groomer: “A summer cut, short on the body, a bit of length on the head and ears.”
Maintenance: Minimal brushing — a once-a-week going-over does it. The coat dries fast after baths and beach trips too.
Suits which coat: Any coat, and particularly worthwhile for yorkies whose fine coats matt quickly in harnesses and jumpers over winter.
4. The show coat with topknot
This is the breed-book image: a floor-length, silky, steel-blue-and-tan coat parted down the spine, with the headfall tied up in a topknot. It’s genuinely beautiful. It’s also, honestly, mostly a show-ring thing.
Maintaining a full show coat means daily brushing without exception, regular oiling, and often wrapping sections of coat in tissue or paper wraps between shows to stop the ends breaking. The topknot has to be redone constantly so the dog can see. Show exhibitors treat it as a daily discipline, because it is one. For a pet yorkie who goes to the park, wears a harness and sleeps on the couch, a full show coat matts and breaks faster than most owners can maintain it.
In our own photo data, only 18 of the 131 style-tagged Yorkshire terrier photos show a full groom in the long, flowing style — a fraction of what the teddy bear cut gets.
What to ask the groomer: If you’re serious, ask for “a long coat maintained at full length, with a topknot,” and expect a conversation about your brushing routine before they agree. Many salons will suggest a compromise: a longer pet trim that keeps the silhouette without dragging on the floor.
Maintenance: Daily brushing, oil or conditioning treatments, wraps if you want show-quality ends, and frequent baths. This is the bath-and-dry statistic made flesh — long-coated yorkies practically live at the salon.
Suits which coat: Only genuinely silky coats. Softer, cottony pet coats tangle too fast to carry full length, and no amount of product changes that.
5. The topknot and bow
Not a haircut so much as a tradition. The topknot — facial hair gathered and tied above the eyes, classically finished with a small bow — has been part of the yorkie look for generations, and it works as a finishing touch on almost any of the cuts above, as long as the head hair is left long enough to gather.
Groomers lean into it. Yorkies leave Australian salons with bows, bandanas and the occasional set of rollers mid-style — creative grooming accounts for 17 of our 131 style-tagged yorkie photos, about 13%.
Photo: Yuppy Puppy, Flagstaff Hill SA — via Groomably
What to ask the groomer: “Leave the head hair long enough for a topknot” — say it at the start, because once the head is clipped short the option is gone until it grows back.
Maintenance: The topknot needs redoing every day or two, and the band must be removed and repositioned rather than left in, or it breaks the hair.
Suits which coat: Any yorkie with enough length on the head. On short teddy bear and puppy cuts, most owners skip it — the round face does the same job.
Quick comparison
| Style | Length | Brushing | Groom frequency | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teddy bear | Short, rounded face | 2–3x/week | 6–8 weeks | Most pet yorkies |
| Puppy cut | Short, natural finish | 2x/week | 8 weeks | Low-fuss owners, older dogs |
| Summer cut | Very short body | Weekly | 6–8 weeks | Hot months, matt-prone coats |
| Show coat | Floor length | Daily + wraps | Frequent baths/trims | Show homes, silky coats only |
| Topknot & bow | Styling touch | Redo every 1–2 days | — | Any cut with head length |
How to choose, honestly
Our photo data says it plainly: the yorkie owners of Australia have voted, and they voted for the teddy bear cut over the floor-length coat the breed books show. That’s not a failure of ambition. It’s owners being realistic about a fine, continuously growing, tangle-prone coat and choosing the version of the breed they can actually keep comfortable.
Whatever you pick, budget for regular salon visits — that 37% of yorkie photos showing bath-and-dry sessions is what upkeep on a non-shedding coat really looks like. Our dog grooming cost guide covers what to expect to pay, and the Yorkshire terrier breed page is worth a scroll before you book, so you can walk in with a photo and walk out with the yorkie you had in mind.
