How To Train A Yorkie Puppy (This Secret Makes It Easy)

Training a Yorkie puppy can be a frustrating experience.

But it doesn’t have to be.

These excitable dogs are known for a short attention span.

And that can make it a challenge to train them.

But one simple piece of advice makes everything so much easier.

Keep reading for the one tip that changes everything, plus a whole bunch of other tips on how to train a Yorkie puppy.

Follow this brief guide and you’ll have your puppy behaving and following commands in no time.

 

How To Train A Yorkie Puppy

Before we get into how to train your Yorkie puppy, we should take a look at the general characteristics of this breed. That will help us understand the best way to approach training them.

 

Characteristics Of The Yorkshire Terrier

Yorkshire Terriers are tiny dogs with huge personalities and attitudes. The Yorkshire Terrier, as its name explicitly indicates, is native to Yorkshire in England.

These dogs are very energetic and can be a handful, but they are also lovable and actually easy to train, once you know the secret to their attention.

It is also important to know that as a Terrier, the Yorkie was originally bred for pest hunting and that instinct still lives in today’s Yorkies.

It is a lively and smart pet dog, charming and affectionate, and also sensitive enough to warn you at every slightest suspicious sound.

It is in Yorkie’s nature to jump and and run in the garden, and to dig in search of a field mouse or other rodent. That is why it is important to teach your puppy the rules of property.

We know that it can often be difficult to train your Yorkie to do what you want it to do. But it doesn’t have to be.

We will share with you the secret of training Yorkshire terriers. They are very smart and can learn very easily when they want to, but sometimes they give you a tough time due to their stubbornness.

They are very demanding and require lots of patience and perseverance in order to effectively train them. Here is a summary of the commonly known characteristics of Yorkies.

• The Yorkshire Terrier is a long-haired dog, so it requires regular grooming
• They are small-sized dogs that rarely weight more than 7 pounds (slightly over 3 kg)
• They are energetic and playful
• They love playing with children
• They love going out for a walk
• Their natural instinct is to hunt rodents

 

How To Train Yorkie Puppies With Ease

Training your Yorkie can be extremely difficult and frustrating, but it doesn’t have to be. Follow these guidelines and the training process becomes much easier and pain-free.

 

Remove Distractions

This makes a huge difference. Before training your Yorkie puppy you want to make sure the area is quiet and free of distractions.

Yorkies have a short attention span and find it hard to learn and retain information when people or animals are around. You want to make sure that your Yorkie is focused on you, and that you are focused on it as well.

When you train your Yorkie puppy, make certain that you have its full attention. That makes it so much easier to train your pup.

Once you have its full attention, it will have a much easier time learning whatever trick or obedience training you are trying to teach.

 

Be Authoritative

Authority is important when giving a command. Speak loudly and clearly. Repeat any command until your pup understands what you are trying to communicate and follows your instruction without hesitation.

 

Reward Good Behavior

Many owners scold their Yorkies when they do something bad, but do not pay them any attention when they do something good. This sends the wrong message.

Yorkies need attention all the time. They crave it. If you scold them when they are bad, that is a form of attention. If that is the only attention they get, they will act out just to get more of it.

In other words, the scolding will backfire. Your puppy will actually see it as a positive result of its bad behavior.

The solution is to pay plenty of attention to your puppy all of the time. When it does something good, make a big deal over it, so that it connects this reward with the good behavior.

And when it does something bad, you can give it a quick scolding, but limit the attention you give it, so that it understands how much better then results of good behavior are.

A great way to reward good behavior is with a little treat. There are some great dog treats for Yorkies that can be a big help during the training process.

You should never hesitate to give your pup positive reinforcement, like giving it a little treat. Most importantly, make sure you show excitement while giving it the treat. And if you don’t want to give it a treat, you still need to show excitement. Remember, it’s the positive attention that matters most.

However you reward your Yorkshire Terrier active, it will make your dog happier and more responsive. It gives it something to look forward to when performing a trick or following whatever command you give.

Basically, vocalizing your approval or disapproval of your Yorkie’s behavior is similar to how you teach a child. It helps a lot if you see your Yorkie as another child in your family.

 

Provide Plenty Of Breaks For Exercise

As mentioned, Yorkies have short attention spans and are easily distracted. They also have a seemingly endless supply of energy.

This all adds up to a restless pup that is prone to get distracted and run off to explore during a training session.

To combat this, you want to limit the training time and break it up with plenty of time to exercise. Give your puppy time to run around to its heart’s content.

But keep it contained in a yard or other enclosed area, so that it doesn’t run off in pursuit of a rabbit or whatever else catches its interest.

Yorkies are always eager to experience fun and adventure. So let them enjoy activities they like to do for fun, but make sure you always keep an eye on them.

They can also be a little aggressive towards strange dogs (in addition to other small animals). This is something else you need to train them on.

Let your Yorkie have its free time to break up training, but you can still use some of that free time to sneak in some lessons about behaving around other animals or not running off on its own.

 

Be Consistent

Being consistent is extremely important. Always use the same commands for a desired action and say them in the same way every time.

Using different commands, or even the same command said differently, for the same desired behavior is confusing to your pet. It will not know what you want.

If you want your puppy to sit, use the word “sit.” Or whatever word in whatever language you want. But always use the same word and only that word. That way your Yorkie knows exactly what you want it to do.

Be consistent when training your Yorkie and you will be surprised at how fast your dog is able to learn what you are teaching it.

 

Be Patient

I know that training a Yorkie can seem difficult. But if you follow these guidelines, it can actually be fun. Of course there will be times when you become frustrated.

When that happens, take a deep breath (or do whatever else you need to to relax) and make sure you do not become frustrated with your Yorkie.

It can sometimes take a while for them to understand what you want from them. You need to be patient. Never get frustrated or angry with your dog during the training process. That will only make things worse.

Your Yorkie always wants to see you happy. If you get upset with your pup, you will it difficult for it to concentrate on what you are trying to teach it, because it will be scared and feel bad about upsetting you.

I promise you, if you stay patient and keep at it, your puppy will eventually pick up what you are teaching. Training your Yorkie can be a time-consuming task, but when it is finally performing on command, the reward is priceless.

And if you find that your Yorkie does is not learning positive behavioral habits, you might need to evaluate yourself and your training methods, especially how you react and respond to the actions of your Yorkie. If a dog is not learning, the fault is usually ours, not theirs.

 

Potty Training A Yorkie Puppy

We won’t go too much into potty training here, since we have an entire article on how to train a yorkie puppy to potty. But we’ll cover the basics for completeness sake.

Housebreaking your Yorkie can hard. One of the most challenging aspects of training, in fact. Since this breed can be quite stubborn, you need to patiently take time to teach your puppy the difference between being inside and outside.

It is best to start this immediately after bringing your Yorkie home. If you have newborns, you can start training them to go on a newspaper or puppy pad from the time the Yorkie puppies open their eyes and their eyesight develops.

Reinforce this aspect of training off and on throughout the day. If you keep at it, your Yorkie will soon understand what you expect of it and respond in a positive way.

Some owners like to train their dogs to go in a specific location in the home, rather than outside (kind of like a cat with kitty litter). They do this using puppy pads. The article we linked to above on potty training has more on these.

If you want your Yorkshire terrier to do its business on a pad in your house, put some of its urine and/or feces on the pad. This is because dogs usually sniff and smell for the areas where they have already pooped and urinated.

To stop your Yorkie from peeing and pooping in the wrong places in your house, it is always better to reward good behavior than to punish bad. Potty training your Yorkie will take longer if you use punishment instead of reward.

If you are trying to teach your Yorkie to go outside, it is important to put it on a schedule. This helps a lot if you are having trouble with your Yorkie pooping in the house.

Take your Yorkie outside to do its business at the same times every day. If you do this consistently, your pup will know when it can expect to have a chance to go outside and will learn to hold it until then.

Some Yorkies poop more often than others, so make sure you know how often your yorkie poops and take it outside that many times per day.

 

Yorkie Puppy Training Tips Summarized

• Yorkies generally have a short memory and attention span, so break up training sessions
• If you skip any training days, your pup will forget the lessons it has learned
• Treats and effusive praise are a great motivation for your Yorkie
• Reprimand your pup with a firm tone when it does something that is not acceptable, but do not continue to pay it attention
• Your Yorkie will learn faster if it is allowed to play in between training sessions.
• It is better to train your Yorkie alone; a third party can be a distraction
• Make sure your puppy focuses on you and your voice
• Ensure your dog has mastered a command before moving on to a new one
• Use only one command for each thing that you teach and stay consistent in how you say it

 

Training A Yorkie Puppy: Final Thoughts

Training a Yorkie puppy can be frustrating, but you can make your life much easier if you remove all distractions and break up training sessions with plenty of play time.

Follow the tips in our guide and the process will be as painless as possible. Training will go from a chore you need to do for your new Yorkie puppy, to something you can’t wait to do. And the end result is a well-behaved pup who listens to your commands!