The Yorkshire Terrier is one of the most popular dogs today. Cute and funny dogs with a doll-like appearance attract people with their appearance, cheerful, good-natured disposition, and quick wit. Having decided to get a Yorkshire Terrier breed, future owners should remember that even such a small dog has its own personality, temperament, and disposition.
The main character traits of dogs are determined based on the parental genotype, environmental factors and, of course, proper upbringing. Despite the fact that Yorkies belong to the decorative breeds of dogs and many owners mistakenly believe that these cute creatures can simply be loved and cared for, representatives of this breed, like others, in addition to care and attention, need education. Correct training will help you avoid many problems. After adaptation, it is very important to instill in your pet the correct manners and norms of behavior. You shouldn’t allow a cute little naughty girl to do something that he won’t be allowed to do in the future. Don't forget that a cute little puppy should grow into an obedient, manageable dog.
Owners should approach the process of raising a puppy with special responsibility, try not to commit, or turn a blind eye to the small, even insignificant tricks of their pet. It is also necessary to remember that Yorkies are a very emotional breed with a subtle mental organization. Dogs of this breed very sensitively sense the emotional mood of the owner, they are very smart and quick-witted, so you should not show weakness or follow the dog’s lead, allowing it to do unacceptable things. Let us consider the main psychological problems that breeders of this breed have repeatedly encountered.
Dominance principle
Any dog living side by side with a person perceives its family as a pack. In nature, relationships in a pack are based on hierarchy. That is, there is always a leader to whom the flock obeys, and there are weak individuals. Even a small puppy must see authority in its owner, otherwise in the future, as the dog grows up, problems may arise in raising the pet. Often, owners allow the Yorkie to sleep on the bed, growl when the puppy, playing with a toy, does not want to give it to the owner, bite or bark when one of the family members tries to punish the pet. Every small victory of the puppy over the owner leads to the loss of his authority. Dogs very quickly learn bad habits, which are then very difficult to eradicate. even in games, by biting the owner’s hands, the puppy acquires dominance skills that need to be eradicated, but not by violent methods - beating or screaming.
Yorkie started biting
Owners of this breed often complain that the quiet and calm baby begins to bite or growl at the owner if the pet doesn’t like something. For example, when a dog’s paws are washed or any other hygiene procedures are performed. Firstly, it is necessary to accustom the dog to such hygienic measures from the first days of the baby’s stay in the house. Secondly, as described above, do not allow the dog such behavior, which will lead to dominance and strengthening the dog’s status in the family.
The dog began to crap in the house or mark the corners of the apartment
Yorkshire terriers do not really need long walks, and many breeders teach the puppy to do his “business” in disposable diapers or a litter tray. it is necessary gradually, but persistently. Most often, Yorkies, especially males, with the advent of puberty begin to crap in the house, mark corners or furniture in the apartment. This behavior must be eradicated immediately, and it’s not just about the unpleasant smell that will spread throughout the apartment, as in the pet becoming accustomed to such a habit. If you do not plan to breed a male dog, you can of course castrate him. But as practice shows, even sterilization and castration may not give the expected result. We need to find the reason that led to this behavior of the dog. Perhaps a Yorkie who loves to be the center of attention is often left alone and in this way wants to attract attention. Don't forget that the Yorkie is first and foremost a dog that needs daily walks. Even if the weather is bad outside, you should definitely take the dog out at least for a short time. Well, to keep your pet from freezing, be sure to purchase one that will keep your dog comfortable and warm.
Yorkie barks at passers-by and other dogs on walks
A dog barking is primarily a sign of “Attention.” This pattern of behavior can occur if the dog is naturally cowardly, or the socialization period has not gone through correctly due to the fault of the owner. For this reason, you must always be very careful; therefore, from an early age you need to instill the correct manners of behavior not only at home, but also on the street. As soon as the baby gets comfortable and gets used to the new environment, introduce your pet to his relatives. The dog must react adequately to others. Perhaps this behavior was the reason that the small Yorkie was frightened by the large dog. Therefore, you should always watch your puppy very carefully on the street, without letting him out of sight. Barking can also be a call for other dogs to get to know each other or play together. Still, a dog, regardless of breed, should not bark in vain, for any reason. Having noticed this tendency of your pet, teach the dog to the command “Fu” or “Quiet”. If your pet is overexcited, distract his attention and calm him down.
Yorkie does not like to walk outside, he constantly wants to go home or beg to be held
The owners themselves are to blame for this behavior because they missed the right moment to socialize the puppy. or, even worse, they constantly carried him in their arms, protecting him from the dangers of the outside world. In this situation, it is necessary to interest the dog in walks. First, short walks in a calm, quiet place where no one will scare the dog. Try to make walks fun and interesting for your dog. Remember, the age of fear in Yorkies begins at the age of 4 months, so special attention during this period should be paid to the socialization of the baby. In addition, the dog may simply not understand why go outside when there is a warm bed, food, toys, litter tray and other amenities at home. Again, this approach is one of the common mistakes of breeders of this breed. Your Yorkie should go for walks every day and get to know the world around him.
The dog does not want to be left alone, constantly whines, barks, spoils things
Yorkies always want to be the center of attention and such neurosis manifests itself either with insufficient attention to the dog on the part of the owner or, conversely, with excessive attention. From an early age it is necessary to teach your Yorkie to remain alone, gradually increasing the time the dog spends alone.
Yorkie refuses to eat on his own. Takes food only from a spoon
If, after a veterinary examination, no pathologies in the gastrointestinal tract were found, reconsider the dog’s diet, select the optimal diet and portion size. Even if the dog is capricious and refuses to eat on its own, you should not make the common mistake of starting to feed your pet from a spoon. Increase your physical activity and remember to eat varied, balanced and nutritious meals.
Often the owners of a small Yorkshire Terrier puppy are faced with the fact that their pet tries to chew something in the house. Shoes, wires, furniture legs, upholstery of sofas and armchairs - all this can become the prey of a cheerful Yorkie.
- For a small dog at 2-4 months of age, this behavior is normal. The main thing is to scold your pet in time and let him understand that he cannot behave this way. Use the "fu" command more often. And after some time the animal will stop chewing your property.
It is much more serious if an adult, independent Yorkie chews things in the house. This may indicate some problems.
We will tell you what to do about it and how to solve the problem in this article.
Reasons that prompt your Yorkshire Terrier to chew on your property
- First of all an animal can chew things in the house for a reason loneliness and fear. That is, as soon as you leave the apartment, the small Yorkshire terrier tries to find company (toy, shoes) and switches to this kind of communication with the thing.
Insufficiently active daily routine. An animal that does not realize its potential for physical activity will try to find something to do that allows it to release its energy. That is, he will chew furniture or other household items very actively.
- Elementary boredom during the absence of the owners. By chewing things in the house, the Yorkshire Terrier is trying to find an alternative activity.
Change of dentition in a young dog. In this case, the animal experiences discomfort in the jaw and gums. Your Yorkie needs his teeth massaged to relieve pain. So he switches to processing things in the house.
- Natural need Yorkie hunter in gnawing prey. This is how the dog realizes its potential as a representative of the hunting breed.
Bad habit, annoying the owners. This behavior requires additional correction using training.
- If the cause is gnawing things in the house is fear loneliness in the Yorkshire Terrier, then you need to dispel doubts in your pet. To do this, there are several techniques that allow you to train your dog to stay at home in your absence without causing harm. More about this in the material " alone at home".
Yorkshire Terrier with a very active lifestyle you need to walk more and more often. Moreover, simple walks on a leash will not be enough. In order for your pet to realize all its agility on the street, you need to give it a good drive. Take a toy with you outside and make sure that the animal is exhausted while playing. Then the desire to chew things in the house should disappear.
- Lack of dog toys needs to be replenished. Contact a specialized store and professionals will select the most interesting and original items for you and your pet to chew on. The animal will turn all its attention to them, and leave your property alone.
For gum massage and those teething, you also need to keep special toys-bones in the house. In addition, give your dog a massage on his gums and a large bone that he cannot grind.
- First of all get comfortable with animals command "no". This simple skill will help your companion quickly understand what behavior is acceptable in the house and what it is better to refuse.
Try not to tempt pet and simply remove objects that can be chewed. Put shoes, children's toys, etc. in closets.
- Leaving for a long time, carefully check the area. Hide wires and all small objects as much as possible. Leave your Yorkshire Terrier a few of his toys.
If your pet has taken a fancy to a certain piece of furniture (table, chair, sofa), try to smear this place with something bitter (mustard, pepper, horseradish). Most likely, having tasted something spicy once, the animal will no longer want to chew on property in the house.
- You can only scold a dog if , if you caught her doing the activity itself. Then just pat your pet by the withers and repeat “no” again. You can hit him lightly on the butt. Remember: there is no point in scolding an animal for already chewing an object. The Yorkshire Terrier still won’t understand and will associate the owner’s scolding simply with the appearance of a stronger family member.
How to deal with unwanted dog behavior
What else can you do
It is important to know: A properly trained dog that loves its caring owners is unlikely to cause problems with its bad behavior. Love your Yorkshire Terrier and treat him like a little child!
The article was written by Ruslan Miroshnichenko specifically for the website. In case of reprinting of materials, my written permission and a direct indexed link to this text are required.
Owners often forget that the Yorkshire Terrier is not a plush toy, but a living dog. Gaps in her upbringing often turn into bites. How to stop a Yorkie from biting? Is this possible in the case of an adult? There are subtleties in parenting, which you will learn about in this article.
How to stop your Yorkie from biting
Why do Yorkies bite?
There are several reasons for this behavior in a dog. Often they directly depend on the age of the animal.
This is what motivates puppies to do such tricks:
- swollen gums during the process of teething and maturation;
- expression of emotional state;
- inability to calculate one's strength in the game;
- the need to prove one's dominance.
These are completely natural instincts for an animal that have nothing to do with harmfulness or aggression. But they should not be left without attention and correction.
If an adult Yorkie begins to bite, the main reason is to prove its own dominance.
How to stop a Yorkie puppy from biting
To prevent your pet from biting, you should introduce your rules of the game from puppyhood:
- When playing with your puppy, every time he wants to bite your hand, switch the focus to toys. A good choice would be a rubber ball, special silicone toys for animals;
- gently stop all attempts to grab onto your clothes. Carefully unhook the baby, stop playing and make it clear with all your appearance that you are offended. Use the same tactics if the puppy tries to bite you. You can choose a place in the house where you will place the dog as punishment;
- A sharp clap of a folded newspaper, magazine on a table or wall will also be a warning gesture for a puppy who is crossing the line of what is permitted.
Use these methods any time your pet tries to use its teeth. To achieve results you will have to be patient.
How to stop an adult Yorkie from biting
When an adult dog shows aggression, you can use the cotton method. If it does not bring the expected result, try the following:
- clasp the dog's mouth with your palm, grab it by the withers the way a mother would grab a puppy, shake it lightly and say the word “No!” several times;
- turn the dog over onto his shoulder blades, gently press him to the floor and hold him until the resistance stops, also repeating the word “No”.
- Looking into the dog's eyes without blinking, growl at him.
These three techniques should be accompanied by a change in intonation and should not stop until the dog understands what is wanted from it and does not give in.
Hello!
Please help me with advice on what to do.
Lives with me for a week
The behavior is very frightening, she doesn’t accept it, she starts biting, growling and barking. Let’s say today we initially fed her and sat down to eat, she smelled the meat, started barking wildly, and just got mad because we didn’t give her our food, she rushed and bit.
She gnaws everything, bit her nose until it bleeds.
Help, what to do, will it outgrow, we are scared what will happen next.
Good afternoon.
What you describe is not typical for a Yorkie, and especially not for a 2.5 month old. Most likely, the puppy is a little larger. I believe that this is your first dog and it was acquired by chance (no serious breeder will give away a puppy before 3.5-4 months).
What you are describing is a complete lack of socialization, if the problem is not mental and of a medical nature (and this happens), then it is not difficult to help the matter, the main thing is the common line of behavior of all family members. I hope you will comment on my post to better clarify the picture.
Your first mistake is that you fed the dog first. In any pack, the strong and dominant one eats first - even the Yorkie is aware of this partly at the level of imprinting (in a nursing bitch, the best nipples were occupied by the strongest littermates) and instinct.
- Therefore, rule number 1 is that you eat first, then your dog. Get rid of your emotions, according to which the attitude towards a Yorkshire terrier should be somehow different from a Caucasian shepherd dog.
- The essence is the same!
- Rule #2 - This only applies in your case - you show your puppy that the last thing you will consider is his barking and tantrums. To do this, you first show that . In general, regardless of the circumstances.
- At any door - an elevator, a room, a house - people enter first, without exception.
- Everything in the house belongs to two-legged people (including children). Any toy can be taken away from the dog at any time with complete disregard for its protests.
If the situation does not improve immediately, we show the child where food comes from in the house. This means that from now on he will receive food only from his hands, and exclusively for following commands. Find ideas on how to train and what to teach in our section.
Please watch this video from minute 20:
In this episode of The Dog Translator, Cesar Millan shows a case that is not as serious as yours (I only say that if you give the correct age - 2.5 months!). However, the relationship tactics will be the same. I strongly advise you to find the rest of the episodes of this wonderful program, which can be watched as an exciting series. Be sure to read, especially the section on education.
Everything that I wrote does not concern the usual education of Yorkies, it is the basics of understanding how to act specifically in problematic cases.
Good afternoon
Yes, you are right, if you can call it that, it was a random purchase, that is, through Avito, without documents.
If the breeder (who breeds at home) is telling the truth, then the date of birth of the puppies is 10/06/14.
Hello!
Thank you very much for your detailed answer, we will try very hard to rectify the situation
Thank you, I really liked the video
Let me ask one more question.
How to understand whether this is a mental medical problem or not?
I’ll describe another case, maybe it will help you give us a hint.
When you come home from work, she is very happy, kind and affectionate, you even let her hold her in your arms (she doesn’t like this, she tries to get away with it right away), if something is not according to her, she immediately changes.
Yesterday she tried to tear off the wallpaper, I didn’t scold her, I just calmly said ugh, I removed it, and didn’t let her tear it off. After her 4-5 attempts she retreated. But, as always, she got angry, began to growl, bark and try to bite painfully, and do everything that she was forbidden to do, that is, chew on the sofa and the like.
After some time she calmed down.
How can this condition be characterized?
Anna, good afternoon. I apologize for the delay in response - I was on a business trip. In your case, IMHO, there is no need to worry about the real “clinic”: judging by the description, you are simply faced with a “difficult child”. The reason is most likely 30% hereditary, 60% upbringing from the breeder. You can also count your contribution :)))
The fact that the dog is happy when its owners return is a good sign (so I rule out the fact that it is from the “farm”), and its capricious behavior is most likely a simple misunderstanding on its part, who is in charge in the house and to what extent it can control those around it . The most important thing in such a situation is not to give concessions and not to “break down” (out of pity, or because of irritation, or because of fatigue). Remember that no one needs problem dogs, and if you don’t bring her to her senses now, you will have to get rid of her. Let understanding this be an incentive for you.
I'm very glad that you answered, so I'd better ask questions.
- How long does it take for your Yorkie to calm down after tantrums like the wallpaper episode?
- How does she behave on the street? How does it move, what does it do when there is no one around? How does he behave with other dogs on walks?
- What are your relationships like with strangers?
- What scares her? Under what circumstances? How does she behave and how long does it take for her to calm down?
- Where does she mostly go to the toilet now?
- Is she playing with you or with herself? If she has her favorite toy in her mouth, and you want to take it away, what happens?
- Is she ready to switch her attention from one toy to another? For example, if she has a ball, and you “seduce” her with a rubber ring, will she spit out the ball and rush to the ring?
- Did you start feeding her AFTER you fed yourself? What happens if you put your hand in her bowl while eating?
- Is there anyone in the family who stands out to her? (treats with special love, or vice versa)
Hello! Thank you very much for your contact, for your answers and real help in a difficult situation.
I will answer questions
1. She always calms down in different ways, sometimes right away, and sometimes she freaks out until she sleeps, and she won’t calm down until she sleeps.
There are also cases of unjustified aggression. Today, let’s say, I came home from work: she was, as usual, squeaky happy, running around me in circles, wagging her tail. She asked for food - I fed her in the kitchen. She behaved well. But when she came into the room, she began to throw herself at my legs, trying to bite them, as she usually does in attacks, she growls, jumps and runs away, I try to pick her up and calm her down, but she doesn’t give in, she dodges and runs away in every way, while continuing her raids, after about 15 minutes she calmed down and began gnawing on toys.
What frightens me is her reaction, which is not connected with anything, why does she try to bite and bark when nothing preceded it?
2. We don’t walk outside yet, the vet told us that this will only be possible after 4 months, and we are 2.5
3. With strangers, you get the impression that this is a different dog, very calm.
Let's say that when someone comes to us, at first she hides behind us, and then she begins to approach the new person closer and closer and sniffs him. If you put her in the arms of a stranger, she will sit quietly.
We were at the veterinarian on Saturday, waiting in line, she was shaking very much in my arms, there was a Labrador puppy in front of us, when she saw him, she tried to hide under my arm and began to shake even more.
When examined by a veterinarian, she did not squeak, the doctor was even able to look at her teeth, for us this is not realistic. When the doctor gave her to me, she hid in her bag and sat quietly.
4. She is terribly afraid of the vacuum cleaner, at the sight of it she already begins to shake. To vacuum it, we take her to another room, but even there she is simply hysterical. She tries to hide, then spends about 15 minutes looking around the room where she was cleaning, sniffing out the carpet. Even after bathing she shakes for about 20 minutes (we only bathed her once)
And so she has fears of the ironing board, hair dryer, but not so strong; she simply either runs away or hides, and in principle she does not even need time to calm down.
5. 30% for the diaper, 70% wherever needed.
6. Plays with herself, if she tries to pick up a toy with all her might, she won’t give it back, her whole game consists of chewing on toys, or something she shouldn’t chew, running around with a bowl in her teeth. She is not interested in the ball or playing with us.
7. In different ways. It depends on how passionate she is, sometimes she switches right away, sometimes she doesn’t. And it depends on how to lure her, if we let her show her socks or slippers, she will throw any toy))
8. We eat first ourselves, but secretly while she sleeps. We tried to eat first in front of her, but she barked, started jumping, whining, and it became impossible for us to eat in peace.
She eats very quickly, it feels like she won’t have time.
When she puts her hand in the bowl, nothing happens, she continues to eat, today for an experiment I took the bowl from her, she just held on to it with her paws, trying to continue eating.
9. My mother is mostly with her, and she treats her better; there are attacks of aggression against my mother, but the frequency is three times less. She reacts to me more strongly, I spend only a few hours with her in the evening.
Maybe I have a strange question, but it worries me. After reading on the Internet, I found similarities in her behavior with rabies (the only similarities with the symptoms of the disease are violent behavior), can we have this disease. She has been living with us for 16 days and has been behaving badly (not clear) since the second day.
We visited the doctor three days ago; we vomited once; after examining us, the veterinarian said that we did not look like rabies, and we had not had rabies in our city for a long time.
But her behavior is frightening to me.
I want to express my deep gratitude to you for your activities.
I'm looking forward to your tips.
Thank you again for your response, this is very important for us “young” dog breeders)))