Yorkies Puppies - Behavior Training

Below are things to guide you in rearing your Yorkie Puppies. There are many places that offer Yorkie Puppies For Sale, but finding a quality, well bred puppy is crucial for not only appearance and good health, but in ease of training.

Once you have found one and get your puppy home, let the puppy have adequate time to settle into their new home. This is at a minimum of two weeks. Always remember not to expect too much from a young puppy. They need time to develop and learn.

• Reinforce your pup's good behaviors with praise and treats (when he pees outside, sits for a toy or treat, chews on his toys, or even just lies quietly on the floor). Don't be afraid to use food as a motivator, when he's gotten into the habit of always doing whatever you want (because you always had food for him), you can phase out the treats and only use praise. Puppies learn much more easily if you use part of his daily food ration as a motivation for good behavior. If you scold or punish your puppy for bad behavior, yet ignore him when he is good, you are reinforcing bad behavior. Instead, withdraw attention from him when he's jumping up or barking, and enthusiastically praise when he's doing what you want, even if he's only sitting and looking at you, or quietly chewing one of his toys. Remember, a lack of your attention = enough punishment for a puppy.

• Never hit or physically punish your puppy. Make sure your children aren't either. Hitting or hurting your pup signals the end of your relationship with him. If your pup doesn't like or trust you or your kids (and he won't if you hurt him), he won't trust you and won't want to obey you. Even worse, he is much more likely to bite you or your children if he's been hit or hurt. There are much better ways to get your pup to obey you.

• Start house-training as soon as possible. Be consistent and patient, and remember that any accidents are your fault, not his.

• Start Socializing now. Socializing your Yorkies Puppies is the most important thing you can do during the first few weeks of his life. Your pup's most impressionable "imprint' period is from birth to 16 weeks of age. Many puppy owners don't realize how easily they can have a well-behaved, calm and happy dog in the future just by daily proactive socialization of their new pup.

• Practice Handling Exercises daily. Baths, brushing, clipping nails, cleaning ears, examining and brushing teeth should become a regular and pleasant part of your pup's life. Your goal is to have him look forward to being handled by you and the kids (supervise handling exercises with children and pre-teens). Use a gradual technique to get your pup used to having his nails trimmed and teeth brushed. With nails/feet, start by simply touching one toe, or gently holding a paw for 1 second, then release. Gradually introduce the nail clipper; clip one nail (only the very tip), praise and treat. Finish that paw and take a break. Ear checking & cleaning, brushing, and bathing should also be practiced frequently, with treats & praise. You can also gradually get him used to your finger rubbing his outer gums and teeth. Once he's OK with that, incorporate some canine enzymatic toothpaste (not human toothpaste) into daily 2 minute teeth-brushing sessions.

More.... Training

Start Bite Inhibition exercises right away, and make sure your children really understand and are involved in these exercises. Ifs natural for all dogs to bite, yet many dog owners don't take the simple steps necessary to teach their pup to have a "soft mouth" and that contact with human skin is inappropriate. The way you deal with your pup's play biting now can really influence the way he uses his mouth later. He may seem cute and harmless right now, but when he's older his bite can cause serious injury, not to mention an expensive lawsuit and even euthanasia.

Start Chew Training now. Teaching your pup what’s OK to chew and what’s not is at least as important as house-training him properly - otherwise, you'll end up leaving him in a crate or the basement all day to stop his destructive behavior. It’s easy - as long as you do it now and don't let him start bad habits. Chewing problems can start long after your pup is house trained (and out of the crate) when your dog has reached adolescence or even adulthood. Prevent this problem now and you'll be glad you did.

Correct bad behavior such as chewing or house soiling only if you catch "in the act' (within 2 seconds of the act). Otherwise, your pup will not understand why he is being corrected. A sudden, loud noise ("OUTSIDE if pup is caught house soiling; "OFF" or "STOP IT" or clapping rapidly if chewing) followed by praise when good behavior begins (you rush pup outside to finish peeing & praise/treat; you give stuffed chew toy and praise/treat). Bringing him to the "scene of the crime" does not improve his understanding; if you discover a mess; chalk the experience up to either not being there in time, or not having prevented the situation.

Start some basic obedience training shortly after you get your Yorkies Puppies. Find a good positive reinforcement puppy kindergarten class which has the added benefit of socialization. Always get several client references from all potential trainers. Early training will allow you control in a wide variety of problematic situations and better yet, it will offer you a lifetime of clear communication with your dog.

Walk your pup around the block every day, and play with him every day. Play is an important and fun daily interaction, even if you only have 10 minutes to spare. Great games are Fetch (train by praise/treat when he returns the ball; stop playing when he won't return or drop the ball), Hide & Seek (call his name from a room in the house and praise/treat when he finds you), and Tug-o-War. And even if you have a fenced yard, take him around the block for a daily on-leash walk, (harnesses only, no collars!) he needs the stimulation!

Puppy-Proof Your Home! Keep your baby safe in your home. You can find more information on how to do this on our other Yorkies Puppies information Pages on this website.