How To Crate Train A Yorkie (To Ensure A Pleasant Experience)

Crate training is controversial, but it doesn’t need to be.

The problem is that many owners do it wrong. And that can verge on abuse.

This is the reason crating a dog sometimes gets a bad reputation.

But if you learn how to crate train a Yorkie properly, you ensure it is a positive experience for you and your pup.

When done right, putting your Yorkshire Terrier in a crate is a great tool to protect it, not a form of torture.

Doing things right makes a world of difference.

Keep reading to learn the proper way to crate train your Yorkie. We’ll also cover the benefits and the common misconceptions that make it a controversial issue.

 

How To Crate Train A Yorkie

First and foremost, let’s start with the common misconceptions that exist around the practice. Because it is definitely a controversial way to train your pup.

 

Misconceptions About Crate Training Your Yorkshire Terrier

Without fully understanding what crate training is and why it’s so important, there is a chance that you could lose the patience to continue the practice. And that can be harmful.

You may also find yourself being criticized by family and friends who don’t understand the true purpose and value of crate training.

For this reason, consider the following points carefully so that you can practice your crate training with no regrets.

 

Crate Training Is Not Abuse

The first thing that we’d like to note is that crate training is not abuse. Though it can be easy to think of crate training as a way to limit your dog’s freedom, it couldn’t be further from the truth.

The reality is that crate training is a way to make your dog feel more comfortable, not less. What’s more, it can have several health and safety benefits for your dog—and others—in the long run.

It is important to understand that there is a difference between crate training your dog and locking it in a crate all day.

The latter activity cannot truly be called crate training, as the practice’s goal is not to keep your dog eternally pinned up.

Instead, you’re looking to create a convenient space where your dog feels safe—and one that will have benefits for you, too.

 

Dogs Don’t Like Crates

While this may be true for some dogs, the reality is that if you have your dog properly crate trained, it will start to see its crate as somewhere it feels safe.

But for this to happen, you’ll need to make sure that you’re doing everything right.

What’s more, you’ll need to ensure that you have a crate that allows your dog to feel comfortable. Not one that’s going to make it feel trapped. You need to buy the right Yorkie crate size.

It’s important to keep in mind that crate training isn’t inherently bad. That’s why it’s so important that you teach your dog how to be comfortable in a crate from an early age.

As we’ll see, this has several benefits for your Yorkie in the long run.

 

Benefits Of Crate Training

Before we get into how to crate train your Yorkshire Terrier, we want to go over a few of the most important benefits first.

If you’re still not convinced that crate training is for you, consider the following information.

 

Great For Travel

If you haven’t crate trained your Yorkie, traveling may become unnecessarily difficult. From accidents to car sickness, your dog may make your travels much harder than they have to be.

You can avoid these problems with the right crate training. Here, you’ll have your Yorkie confined not to make a mess in your car.

And if you’ve properly crate trained it, you won’t have to worry about it feeling uncomfortable.

Instead, your pup will likely feel more comfortable. And also not as scared, since it is in a place with which it is familiar.

By bringing your Yorkie’s crate, you can help reassure it that everything is going to be okay, despite the fact that it is in a rapidly-changing environment.

 

Preparation For Being Crated At The Vet

If your dog ever has to stay overnight with the vet, it’s going to get crated. And if it’s not used to that, it can cause much more anxiety than it has to.

For this reason, you’re going to want to make sure that your Yorkie is crate trained, so that it doesn’t have to go through emotional turmoil later.

By having your Yorkshire Terrier crate trained from an early age, you can make sure that it will be okay when it has to be crated later.

Because here’s the thing: if your pup is sick at the vet, the last thing you want to do is make it feel even worse by being crated for the first time.

 

Helps Calm Your Yorkie Down

Yorkies are naturally hyper dogs, and many new owners find it difficult to keep them under control. This proves especially true when guests come around. Yorkies love to greet new people.

This can put a damper on your guests’ visit. If you need a way to keep your dog calm, crate training is your friend.

If you know that you will have company over, you’ll be able to crate your dog until it gets used to the new company. This will allow it to calm down in a space where it feels safe and get acclimated to your guests.

In this way, your pup won’t be too hyper when you bring someone over, especially if you have not yet taught your dog the 7 basic dog commands.

This can make visits much more enjoyable for you and your guest—as well as your dog. Because it will remain calm throughout the experience, its overall emotional state will be healthier.

 

Safety

In the unfortunate event that your Yorkie suffers an injury, you’re going to want to make sure that it gets enough rest. This means keeping it from engaging in activities that can ultimately hurt it again.

This is especially important because Yorkies have weaker joints than other dogs.

For this reason, you’re going to want to make sure that it is not in a position to get hurt when you’re not around.

If you’re not at home for portions of the day, this is another consideration that you’re going to want to make. It’s possible that your dog can roam around and get injured during the day.

For example, it may eat something that they’re not supposed to. And you won’t know until you get home hours later. Sometimes, that can be too late.

For this reason, you must have safety measures in place—such as crate training—to keep your Yorkie safe while you’re gone.

 

Crate Training Your Yorkshire Terrier

Now let’s look at how you can effectively crate train your Yorkshire Terrier. Below, we’ll go over what you need to know to get started with this potentially life-saving practice.

Keep this information in mind as you begin to crate train your Yorkie. And remember that no matter how long it takes, this is a process that you’re going to want to see through to the end, for your pup’s safety.

 

Introduce Your Yorkie To The Crate

The first step in getting your Yorkie crate trained is introducing it to the crate. You want to let it walk around and get familiar with the crate.

At this point, you’re not going to want to lock it up. Give it time to get used to it and formulate its own understanding of it.

This first step is crucial, because you don’t want to thrust your Yorkie into a new environment. By giving it time to understand better what is going on, you make sure that it will have less anxiety about the process moving forward.

Still, you’ll want to take other steps to make sure that your pup gets familiar with the crate. As you’ll see, you won’t just thrust it in there overnight and force it to get used to it.

Instead, you want to make sure that it’s a pleasant experience so that your Yorkie feels comfortable and safe in its crate.

 

Start Feeding It In The Crate

One of the best ways to get your Yorkie comfortable in the crate is to start feeding it while it is in there.

This ensures that your pup starts to associate the crate with positive experiences. In the long run, this will familiarize it with the crate, and make it feel safer.

Your dog may actually prefer eating in the crate. The confined space makes it easier to protect and guard its food.

You’ll want to keep doing this until your dog seems comfortable in the crate. Then move on to the next step.

 

Start Crating Your Yorkie For Short Periods

Next, you’ll want to start crating your dog for short periods of time. The amount of time that you put it in the crate should vary with age, with older dogs being crated longer.

You may choose to keep the crate near you so that your dog doesn’t feel too anxious. It will also give you the ability to calm it down if it is suffering any emotional distress.

In this way, you can start building your dog’s tolerance to crate training. Over time, it will begin to grow less and less anxious and start to see the crate as somewhere it feels safe.

 

Increase Crating Times

Now, you’ll want to start gradually increasing the amount of time that you have your dog crated. Eventually, this will mean that you want to practice crating your dog overnight.

This is a long time at first, so you may want to keep your Yorkie close to you.

Remember that Yorkies are very people-friendly and they crave your attention. If they feel as though you’re isolating them, they may suffer from emotional distress.

For this reason, make sure that you keep your dog nearby, the first few nights that you crate it.

This will allow you to monitor it to make sure that it’s okay. And you can let it out immediately, if the crating doesn’t go well.

You’ll need to be patient during this step, because it might take some time before your dog is fully adjusted. Once it is, however, you’ll be able to start crating it for increased safety and convenience.

 

Crate Training A Yorkie: Final Thoughts

Crate training is a valuable tool in your arsenal as a Yorkie owner. Teaching your dog yo get used to a crate is not difficult, but it will take some time and patience.

Just remember that the goal of crating your Yorkie isn’t to limit its freedom. The primary purpose its to protect your dog. And also to make your life a bit easier.

Whether you’re looking to keep it from eating something it shouldn’t or from wandering off during the day, crating can be a great way to protect your pup.

By increasing the amount of time that your pup is in its crate, you can increase its comfort. But remember, you don’t want to make your dog live in a crate.

Doing that verges on abuse and that is exactly why many people oppose crating. And rightfully so.

Always crate your dog responsibly. Give it plenty of time outside of the crate and make sure it gets the proper exercise.

You also need to keep your dog’s crate clean. It could have accidents inside, so check on it regularly and clean up any messes immediately.

You want to make sure that your dog is as comfortable as possible in its crate. And that it doesn’t have to be in there for the majority of the day.

By making sure that you limit your crating to only times when it is necessary, you can keep your dog happy and healthy.

If you find that you are gone too much and keep your dog crated for too long, you might want to reconsider your decision to raise a Yorkie.

Keep this guide in mind as you start to crate train your Yorkie for the best results!