Hi all
I have a lovely little yorkie bitch almost ready to whelp.  The breeder I bought her from has since moved to ireland and I am unable to contact him for advise.  I own the stud dog myself so no advise from that coner either.
I have been told that I should shave or cut my bitches coat to enable the pups to feed properly.  Is there any truth in this as she has a wonderful BLACK coat which is becoming rare and if I do will it come back as good as it was.
Also any other advice or tips on whelping this breed would be welcomed.
Thankyou.

Hi - your best bet is to contact someone from one of the breed clubs listed at the bottom of the Breed Standard. It should go without saying that the welfare of the bitch and puppies is more important than her coat. If her coat is correct it can be tied up out of the way. A black coat however is incorrect for the breed (as you will see from the standard) so with luck, if it is cut (only her belly hair would need cutting anyway) it will grow back the correct steel blue.

Good luck.

As JG has said who cares about hair, you will need to trim the hair away from the bitches vulva and anus and if she is dribbling urine the inside of her rear legs too and although the hair will fall out around the nipples you may need to trim there also. Yorkies are or can be very difficult to whelp so I would contact the bitches breeder ASAP, they do have phones in Ireland and you will need help. Have you contacted your vet to let them know the birth is imminent, if not I would do it now as the chance of the need for the vets help is high.