Article Title: Yorkie Training: How Yorkie Training Has Evolved
Author: Michelle Arthur
When you look down at your Yorkie puppy peacefully sleeping in
its little bed, it's hard to think that in just two to three
months it may grow up. And although its behaviors may be cute at
the moment, stuff like jumping up and putting his front paws
you, this will be far less enjoyable when your dog is all grown
up. Don't think that just because a Yorkshire Terrier is so
little in size, it can't be annoying if untrained! Far from it!
Your best bet is to start training your Yorkie puppy from day
one so that he can learn proper manners as he grows into an
adult. Puppies that are not trained in this manner end up
learning all of the wrong stuff and their owners wonder why they
cannot seem to get their dogs to behave as they age.
Many years ago, when dog training methods used more punishment,
such as using harsh methods to train puppies, dog trainers
typically required all puppy trainees to be a minimum of six
months old. The reason was partly due to the fact that such
physical correction protocols used could not be done with dogs
that were too small or too young.
What is ironic about dog training in the old days is that by
the time most Yorkie puppies are six months old they are big
enough and mentally stubborn enough to ignore commands and are
altogether tough to train. In a nutshell, that meant you'd be
starting with a dog that already had its mind made up!
Evolution To Better Training Methods
Over the last 20 years or so, the dog training profession has
embraced more friendly and loving training tactics for their
puppy clients. Most trainers now start training Yorkie puppies
that are as young as 8 to 10 weeks old. They are typically
enrolled in socialization classes and puppy kindergarten, called
"Puppy One" at our local dog training facility.
Positive training is now the preferred method instead of the
old-school methods of negative reinforcement. Yorkshire Terrier
puppies are taught to walk politely on the leash. They learn the
basic commands of sit, stay, lie down, and come. In addition to
these simple instructions, other useful techniques are learned
by puppies such as how to relax, give and take their paw, and
polite greeting. All of this is reinforced with positive acts
(food, praise, etc) for desired behaviors.
Yorkie Owners Are More Involved With Training
Another interesting aspect of raising Yorkie over the last
couple of years is that more and more dog owners have taken it
upon themselves to train their puppies. Folks don't offload this
task to a stranger but instead participate in it themselves,
which is a very good trend.
This is partly due to the fact that so many dog training
publications and manuals have been written. Modern dog training
programs are based more and more on scientific principles and
psychological studies of animal behavior and temperament. For
example, Yorkie owners have learned highly effective, positive
reinforcement training programs such as clicker training and
luring. We at Ultimate-Yorkie.
course based on these positive methods.
Clicker training involves the use of a small mechanism that
makes a clicking sound when pressed. When a Yorkshire Terrier
hears the sound it will associate the click with whatever reward
you give him. This tells the animal that something good is
coming and he should repeat whatever behavior or action you have
been teaching him. You can make a click with your mouth, so no
equipment is required.
Luring training is simply using food such as a dog treat, or
even a toy, to induce the dog to display a specific behavior in
order to follow the lure in hopes of getting the reward. I call
it an "ethical bribe" and it is one of the single most effective
motivations for training your Yorkie!
About The Author: Michelle Arthur is a Yorkie lover and
trainer. For more expert Yorkshire Terrier training, advice,
tips and videos, visit http://Ultimate-
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