A Cute Video of a Yorkie Smiling

Teaching Your Yorkshire Terrier How to Lie Down on Command

A reward or positive reinforcement, such as nice praise or a favorite treat can be very helpful when teaching good behavior or new commands to your Yorkshire Terrier.

The Yorkshire Terrier is a very intelligent dog. Be consistent when training your Yorkshire Terrier. Remember to keep your Yorkshire Terrier's attention and have some fun during training. Reward your Yorkshire Terrier when he demonstrates the desired behavior that you are teaching him.

You may want to watch this Video Training Puppy to Lie Down | DailyPuppy.com, a puppy training video which shows how to teach a puppy to lie down on command. The dog expert works with a Corgi in the video and she demonstrates how to use positive reinforcement while teaching the Corgi how to lie down. She used a little piece of cheese, but appropriate dog treats may be used as a reward.

It may be helpful to try to maintain a regular daily routine or schedule so that it will be easier for your Yorkshire Terrier to understand what is expected of him. Hopefully, you will both enjoy your quality time together when you are teaching him new commands and having some fun together!

Crate Training Your New Yorkshire Terrier Puppy

You may have just brought your adorable, new puppy home. This is an exciting time for you and your family. As a new responsible dog owner you probably did some research to pick the perfect breed that will easily fit into your lifestyle. Maybe you chose a friendly, white, fluffy Bichon Frise lap dog. Or possibly you and your family decided on a beautiful Golden Retriever, or maybe a lively Papillon or even a Yorkshire Terrier. There are so many nice breeds to choose from when deciding to buy a dog. Whatever breed of dog you chose, you more than likely bought most of your puppy supplies already and did more research to decide on a specific veterinarian for your new puppy.

I bet you had some fun coming up with a cute name for your new puppy, such as Snoopy or Princess. You may now be in the process of reading informative books about puppy care and dog training. There are many excellent articles and even several videos about caring for your new puppy or adult dog, relating to nutrition, health, safety, grooming and training for your dog.

As a good dog owner, you probably already made the inside and outside of your home puppy proof. You have recently tried to make everything extremely safe for your new puppy and now you have realized that even if you are home the majority of the time, you may not be able to watch over your Yorkshire Terrier puppy every single minute of the day. If you happen to be able to work from home, or you are a stay-at-home mom, or maybe you are retired, you will probably still need to go out of the house routinely for some errands or appointments. After reading some of your books on puppy care, you may have gotten some ideas about using a safe dog crate or dog pen for your puppy while you temporarily need to leave the home for an hour or two while doing your errands, like grocery shopping, picking up the kids from school, or going to doctor's appointments.

But, if your circumstances are different and you routinely have to be out of the house for several hours at a time, you may have to change your schedule, hire a pet sitter, or take your dog to a doggie daycare facility. The idea behind using a dog crate is to be able to use it for a few hours at a time. For example, I recently read that puppies under six months of age shouldn't stay in a crate for more than three or four hours at a time.

Your new Yorkshire Terrier puppy is probably a lively, little puppy that you will want to keep safe, healthy and happy. Dog crates have some effective use in dog care and training. A safe and appropriate dog crate can be used when you are not available to watch over your puppy for a short time. A dog crate can be like an indoor dog den for your dog. It can be your dog's quiet, safe place for him to go if he wants to relax and curl up and take a nice nap.

Dog crates are often used for housetraining purposes. The idea behind using the crate method is based on the theory that dogs do not like to soil the area where they sleep or eat. Yorkshire Terriers are very intelligent dogs, but you may need to be patient and consistent when you are housetraining them. Crate training can sometimes take days or weeks, depending on your dog's age and temperament. The crate should always be associated with something pleasant and positive. A crate should never be used for punishment. If your puppy definitely does not like the dog crate at all after you have tried your best, you may wish to try a dog pen, which is somewhat bigger than a crate.

The dog crate used for your Yorkshire Terrier puppy should be big enough for your puppy to be able to easily stand up and lie down and get comfortable. Dog crates and dog pens come in different sizes and can be purchased at most pet supply stores or pet supply catalogs. You may decide to place a safe, comfortable, washable dog blanket in the crate. Your Yorkshire Terrier may appreciate the cozy warmth of the blanket. You may wish to take your puppy's collar off while he is in the crate for safety reasons. It is helpful for your puppy if you keep the crate in the room where you are going to be in so that your puppy will still have your company and not be lonely, if at all possible. Your puppy will hopefully learn to think of his crate as his very own special place, almost like his own doghouse or den to go where he can rest and enjoy some quiet time.

A nice feature is that the crate is very portable. You can help to make the time that your Yorkshire Terrier puppy spends in his crate enjoyable. You can easily take it from room to room with you. Puppies need love and attention from their owner, so it may be a good idea not to leave your puppy inside the crate for longer than one hour at a time during the day, if possible. It is very important that at night you can have the crate near your bed where your puppy can definitely see you and let you know when he may need to go outside to go to the bathroom.

Puppies may need to go to the bathroom every two to three hours or more during the day when they are young. The time span will increase as your Yorkshire Terrier puppy gets a little older. Puppies will usually be ready to go to the bathroom when they first wake up in the morning, after eating and drinking and also after playing.

You may feed your puppy inside the crate at times, or offer your puppy his favorite treats or safe toy inside the crate, so he gets the idea that it can be enjoyable to be in his crate. When he is done eating, carry your puppy outside close to the area where you want him to go to the bathroom. Try to use the same approximate area every time, so your Yorkshire Terrier puppy gets into a familiar routine. After your puppy goes to the bathroom outside you may want to praise him for doing good. Then, when you go back inside you may want to offer him a treat, while having him walk back into his crate.

It is important to establish a daily time schedule for your puppy to eat his meals and also his routine schedule to go outside. After your puppy is housetrained, he may voluntarily use his crate to sleep in at night or to take some naps in during the day.

If you plan on using the crate for when you leave the house for short periods of time to do errands, a good tip is to make your departures in a calm manner. You can praise your Yorkshire Terrier by giving him a treat for entering the crate, and then leave the house quietly. Crates can provide a sense of comfort and security. Your Yorkshire Terrier may think of his comfortable crate as his special cozy den.

You can also read Crate Training : The Humane Society of the United States for more information and a video on this subject.

Do You Want a New Yorkshire Terrier Puppy or an Adult Yorkshire Terrier?

You may be trying to decide if you want a new Yorkshire Terrier puppy or adult dog. Maybe you have been thinking about getting a dog for quite awhile, but you finally decided that you now have the necessary amount of time, patience and financial resources to get a Yorkshire Terrier.

When choosing a Yorkshire Terrier it is helpful to think of the life-long commitment to your canine companion.

Here are some example comparisons between choosing a Yorkshire Terrier puppy or a Yorkshire Terrier adult dog.

Yorkshire Terrier Puppies:

Usually look very adorable

For the first few months of their lives, Yorkshire Terrier puppies usually need to be supervised and trained, including house training (which can take some time).

Puppies can whine, bark, cry and chew.

Sometimes puppies don't sleep through the night very easily.

With a Yorkshire Terrier puppy you can try to train him into the dog that you would like him to be when he grows up. You may have more influence in helping to develop his personality.

Adult Yorkshire Terrier Dog:

May be more clam

May already having more training in place

An adult Yorkshire Terrier may have developed his own personality at this point.

It is your choice as to whether you decide to get a new Yorkshire Terrier puppy or an adult Yorkshire Terrier. Just remember that it is very possible for an adult Yorkshire Terrier to bond with his new family just as easily as a new Yorkshire Terrier puppy would!

Doggy Daycare

If you have been recently working long hours away from home or your Yorkshire Terrier just needs some additional companionship, you may want to learn more about doggy daycare. Doggy daycare should be a safe place, fully supervised by trained staff members. It is a place where your Yorkshire Terrier dog can play with other dogs that match his similar temperament.

There should be enough humans around to give your dog nice attention and positive reinforcement. There may be safe and appropriate dog toys and comfortable dog beds for napping. Most doggy daycares have an outdoor area for exercise. The staff should be trained to understand and appropriately respond to dog behavior and interactions.

Doggy daycare should be secure and safe. All dogs in doggy daycare usually need to meet minimum health requirements. Dogs must have their current vaccinations and be free of infectious diseases. The dogs may be evaluated to make sure their temperament is fine for the daycare environment. Hopefully, Yorkshire Terriers may enjoy the safe and appropriate dog play at doggy daycare.

Be a Good Leader of the Pack for Your Yorkshire Terrier

Dogs like to know what they are supposed to do and what is expected of them. Dogs like structure in their life. The puppy's mother is it's very first pack leader. Now that your puppy is home with you, he probably looks to you as the leader. You can decide to set reasonable house rules for your Yorkshire Terrier. If you don't provide your dog with some leadership and direction, he may begin to make his own rules.

For example, if your Yorkshire Terrier steals a portion of your sandwich and then eats a little bit of it and then tries to hide and bury the rest of it in your living room couch and you happen to laugh and say isn't that cute. Your Yorkshire Terrier will get the wrong idea and think this type of behavior is acceptable and OK to do. You may have reinforced the fact that he is in charge and you may have reinforced his bad manners. Actually, dogs can become stressed when they think they can do anything they want.

Often times, dogs feel secure and confident with knowing exactly what you expect from them and having some fair house rules. A Yorkshire Terrier usually looks for their owner's positive approval. Your Yorkshire Terrier's well-behaved manner may depend on your good teaching and leadership! You can teach your Yorkshire Terrier what you want them to do or not do and you can praise them when they obey and they will very likely be happy companions.

What is a Yorkshire Terrier Rescue Dog?

Rescue refers to dogs that have come to rescue groups because of a variety of possible reasons. The dogs may have come from dog pounds, dog shelters or puppy mills. They may have been a stray dog.

Possibly their original owners were not able or uninterested in caring for them anymore. There may be several reasons why dog owners may give up Yorkshire Terriers of various ages. The important fact is that the rescue dogs are in need of new homes with owners that want to care for them and bring them into their family. Some of the reasons Yorkshire Terriers become rescue dogs are the following:

The dog may have deteriorating or chronic health problems and the veterinary expenses required to maintain the dog are too expensive for the owner.

The owner could no longer afford the necessary maintenance expenses required to maintain a Yorkshire Terrier such as general veterinary check-ups, grooming costs, the cost of food or any medication that may be needed for the dog.

Change in household: children may not get along with the dog, or maybe there was just a new baby born in the family; or there was a new marriage, divorce, or a death or major illness in the family. Possibly the family needs to move and they are not allowed to have a dog in their new apartment complex or townhouse due to rules and regulations.

Change in lifestyle: employment and career changes may include more traveling away from home or a major shift change or lots of overtime hours in their work schedule. Or the family realized they just did not have the necessary time required for a dog.

Medical reasons: someone in the family developed allergies to the dog, or experienced a major, chronic health condition and was no longer able to properly care for their Yorkshire Terrier.

Possibly the dog had some behavioral problems.

The dog could have experienced some training problems, such as house training issues.

It is important to note that a rescue dog may or may not come from an environment where he was mistreated or in imminent danger. Any special needs of the rescue Yorkshire Terrier, such as health related issues need to be considered when selecting a new home.

Here is a little list to think about when considering adopting a rescue dog.

The age of the puppy or dog.

How much prior training did the dog have in their previous home?

Is the dog successfully house trained?

Has the dog been spayed or neutered?

Does the dog have any pre-existing or ongoing health problems?

Is the dog up-to-date with his vaccinations?

Does the dog get along well with children and other dogs?

Does the dog have any pre-existing behavior problems, such as aggressiveness?

Does the dog look properly nourished?

Is the dog accustomed to walking with a leash?

Does the dog have a nice temperament?

If you are thinking about adopting a Yorkshire Terrier from a rescue group, you may need to fill out an application and also be interviewed. The rescue group may need to assess your ability and time to take care of a dog and provide a safe home.

The wonderful reward of owning a Yorkshire Terrier rescue dog may be that the dog will hopefully provide lots of unconditional love and great companionship in return for the proper care and love that it will receive!