Yorkie Puppy Basic Commands and Yorkie Obedience
Basic Commands and Yorkie Obedience, Ways to show your Yorkie basic commands. Obedience training tips for your puppy.
It is
important to teach your Yorkie and young dog some basic commands that are
used in obedience training or just to have a well-behaved dog no matter where
you may choose to take your dog. These commands are simple and are not difficult
for most puppies and dogs to learn provided they are given lots of practice and
time to learn. Remember that each dog, regardless of breed characteristics, is
an individual. Each dog or Yorkie will learn some things more quickly than
others, and some dogs, regardless of what the breed is known for, may just not
have the characteristic or ability. Keeping this in mind will help owners from
being frustrated with their Yorkie or dog. Look for the things that your
dog is good at or excels at and don't expect them to learn every other trick
that you have seen a dog of their breed do.
Some of the basic commands are the easiest to teach as they tend to be naturally
occurring behaviors in puppies and dogs. The "come" command is one of the first
commands to teach and most puppies are naturals at learning this basic command.
As they get older they may choose not to respond to "come" when they are out
exploring, playing or busy doing something they like, but they still understand
the concept. If your Yorkie puppy or dog does not come on command, go back and
re-teach this using NILF training or any other method until the dog or Yorkie
puppy is responding 100% of the time. Once this is under control you are
prepared to move forward.
There are
several different ways to teach your Yorkie or dog to sit. The first and
most natural way is to simply watch for the Yorkie or dog to sit without
being commanded. If you are using a clicker give a click and a reward, if you
are not using the clicker method simply say "sit" and give the reward. The
Yorkie won't catch on as to why they are being rewarded for taking a
break, but they will figure it out with repetition. Once the Yorkie seems
to look at you for a reward when he or she sits, start giving the command and
looking for the desired response. Reward as soon as the bottom touches the
ground in the sitting posture.
If the Yorkie doesn't seem to understand the verbal cue you can use their
own natural instincts to help them remember. Have a very tiny treat in your
fingers, something that the Yorkie knows and loves like a healthy dog
treat cut into small pieces. Hold this time just above the tip of the puppies
nose and slide it back towards the top of their head, saying the word "sit". As
the Yorkie leans back with its nose to follow the treat, his or her hind
end will automatically go down, give the treat as soon as the Yorkie puppy's
rump is in the ground. If the Yorkie puppy jumps up you are moving the treat too
slowly or your hand is too high above their head.
Never, ever, ever, push down on a Yorkie puppy or dog's hips to make them sit.
This can cause serious problems with the hips on some breeds and can also cause
the Yorkie to snap if it is painful.
Once the
Yorkie puppy has mastered sit, stay is the next command. Start by having the
Yorkie sit, say "Stay" and take once step away. If the Yorkie puppy stays
in place for a few seconds, step back and provide a treat. If the Yorkie puppy
gets up, simply have them sit and repeat the process until they stay for just a
few seconds. Always step back to the Yorkie puppy rather than call them to you
at least until they understand what stay is all about.
Gradually increase the distance and time you spend away from the Yorkie puppy
before returning for the reward. Once the Yorkie understands stay and can
do so appropriately, you can then start having them come to you. Remember if you
have the Yorkie puppy sit, stay, then come and sit they will assume the reward
is for the last action, which is the sit. They may not understand that they are
being rewarded for the whole sequence, this is why it is broken down into two
different events for initial training purposes.
Teaching your
Yorkie puppy to lie down can be done very much the same as the sit command. You
can use the Yorkie puppy's natural behavior to cue it to lie down, plus use
their own natural movement to teach the command. First the Yorkie puppy must sit
on command. Get down on the floor with the Yorkie puppy and show them a treat in
your hand at their nose level. Move your hand, with the treat, down towards the
floor and slightly to the front of the Yorkie puppy, about 2 to 8 inches
depending on the size of the Yorkie puppy. The Yorkie puppy will naturally move
his or her head down and lower the front legs to a down position. As soon as the
Yorkie puppy is starting to move the front legs forward say down, then when they
are on the floor completely give them the treat. For some puppies you may have
to reward close approximations until they understand what you are requesting.
As with sitting never pull a puppies front legs forward or attempt to push down
on their shoulders. Remember to keep pairing the command with the start of the
action and the reward with the completion of the action.
To teach the Yorkie or dog to heel
they must be comfortable with the leash and collar and understand the sit
command. Start with the Yorkie or dog sitting beside your left leg. Give a
command such as "Fido, Heel" then step off with your left leg. The Yorkie puppy
or dog will usually stand and follow. Stop and praise immediately. Have them sit
and repeat this command until they get up and move on command with your verbal
cue and the movement of your left leg. Never pull or tug harshly on the leash or
try to drag the Yorkie puppy along. Remember for tiny puppies you will need to
start with tiny steps. Gradually increase the length of strides and time that
you are walking before providing praise. The leash should be loose but not
dragging, and the Yorkie should be following your left leg. If the Yorkie
puppy starts to go off the other direction or starts to pull, simple turn and
walk the other direction, stopping as soon as the leash pulls taunt. This is
usually enough correction and the Yorkie puppy will learn to watch your leg to
know where you are going. If the Yorkie runs ahead, simply stop and don't
move until they stop pulling and are focused.
Never use a choke collar or correction collar on a Yorkie . Heeling is
often a difficult concept for many puppies and the help of a trainer at a Yorkie obedience class is often beneficial for both Yorkie puppy and owner.
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