New York Yorkie Puppies

 
There are many methods of dog training and many objectives, from basic obedience training to specialized areas including law enforcement, military, search and rescue, hunting, working with livestock, assistance to people with disabilities, entertainment, dog sports and protecting people or property.

 
As pack animals, wild dogs have natural instincts that favor cooperation with their fellow dogs. Many domestic dogs, either through instinct or breeding, can correctly interpret and respond to signals given by a human handler.

 
Most dogs live with people who want them to behave in ways that make them pleasant to be around, keep them safe, and provides for the safety of other humans and pets. Dogs do not figure out basic obedience on their own. The fundamental rule that must be remembered is that one should never apply human standards of society onto the dog with the assumption that the dog will understand. Never assume a dog is trying to insult, injure or deceive you on a personal level. Understand that it is acting as a dog naturally, innocently does, and should be met with patience and thoughtfulness, rather than forcefulness or retaliation. Many trainers treat their dogs with cruelty and irrational punishment, leading to measurably increased stress, illness, and tendency towards violence.

 
The hardest part of training is communicating with the dog in a humane way that the dog understands. However, the underlying principle of all communication is simple: reward desired behavior while ignoring or correcting undesired behavior. “Corrections” should never include harmful physical force or violence.

 
Basic pet obedience training usually consists of six behaviors:

 
• Sit
• Down
• Stay
• Recall (“come”, “here” or “in”)
• Close (or loose-leash walking)
• Heel

 
Reward and punishment

 
1. Positive reinforcement adds something to the situation to increase the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.
 
2. Negative reinforcement removes something from the situation to increase the chance of the behaviour being exhibited again.

 
When training your dog, use positive training methods. This requires positively reinforcing good behavior rather than punishing to decrease bad behavior.

 
IMPORTANT: Dogs should not be punished by being placed within a cage, crate or carrier, especially one similar to where they eat or sleep. While this may confine the dog from further disruptive behaviour, and also may seem similar to “sending a child to their room” as a form of punishment, the dog’s mind will unfortunately begin to associate the cage with punishment, and will experience anxiety if put into the container, as a result of the negative feelings associated with it. Punishment involving confinement is an unusual and confusing type of situation for a dog, and should not be used for proper punishment

 
Rewards

Positive reinforcers can be anything that your dog finds rewarding – special food treats, the chance to play with a tug toy, social interaction with other dogs, or the owner’s attention.

 
Punishment

Punishments should only be administered as appropriate for the dog’s personality, age, experience and physical and emotional condition. Some dogs may show signs of fear or anxiety with harsh verbal corrections. Other dogs may ignore a verbal reprimand. Some dogs develop an aversion or fear of water, when water is sprayed at them as an aversive.

 
Keep in mind that each dog is distinctly different. Training methods should be administered only as appropriate. As long as you remain consistent and persistent in their training, it will be well worth your effort and will be highly rewarding. Your dog will never give up on you so never give up on your dog!

 
Below is a list of supplies you will need before bringing home your Yorkie Puppy.    Some supplies are optional and some are a necessity.   We strongly recommend being prepared beforehand to assure an easy transition for you and your Yorkie Puppy.

 
Things You Will Need Before Bringing Your Yorkie Puppy Home

 
Bringing your Yorkie Puppy puppy home is one of the most exciting moments. There is a new bundle of furry joy that enters your family and settles in for a long and nurturing bond between dog and human. However, this joy can quickly disperse as the role of housebreaking comes along and you start to become frustrated.
First, the new Yorkie Puppy owner must realize that not all dogs are the same. One puppy may be easily trained by the time it is 12 weeks old, while another puppy could be 5 months old before being fully housebroken. Each puppy is different and must be trained according to what fits for that particular puppy.

 
What is housebreaking?
Housebreaking is the act of getting your puppy to soil where you want. Usually this is outside of the home but some owners of smaller breed dogs choose to litter train their puppies instead. For Yorkie Puppies, litter training is not an option so we must assume that the Yorkie Puppy will be trained to pee and poop outside of the home.

 
Importance of Schedules
Schedules are one of the most important aspects of housebreaking your puppy. The first thing any new or expecting family should do is create a bathroom schedule for their new puppy.

 
Puppies around 8-16 weeks old will usually need to go to the bathroom every 3 hours. Therefore, you should schedule bathroom breaks every couple of hours, even if your puppy does not show signs of having to go to the bathroom. If you keep to a 3-hour schedule, your puppy will catch on quickly and start to begin to hold from going to the bathroom indoors until that scheduled potty break. As your puppy gets older, this 3-hour schedule can be extended an hour at a time, until your puppy can finally wait up to 8 hours or more. Please note that this is a gradual process and will take several weeks to months before being able to wait that long as a puppy’s bladder is underdeveloped when young and cannot physically wait that long without having the urge.

 
Training to go Potty

So now that you know what housebreaking is and the importance of scheduling, how do you get your puppy to go outside? It is a simple process of awarding your puppy for good behavior.

 
Most Yorkie Puppy owners follow a very simple routine when they take their puppy outside: take your puppy out on a leash directly to the spot you want your puppy to eliminate, use a command to tell your puppy to do its business such as Go Potty, do not play with your puppy while outside for bathroom time, as your puppy goes potty repeat the command over (this helps train your puppy to go on command), treat and praise when your puppy goes potty, do not return your puppy to the house until 10 minutes have passed even if your puppy has already eliminated (it may go potty again), and praise your puppy when it comes back into the house.

 
Beyond the 3-hour schedule, your puppy will need to go to the bathroom:

• When they wake up in the morning or after a nap
• Before they go to sleep
• After they play
• Before and after they go on a car ride
• When they get overly excited

 
Using a Crate
We strongly urge crate training for housebreaking puppies. By using a crate, you provide your puppy with its own den and capitalize on its innate tendency to keep this area clean. A puppy kept in its crate for a reasonable period of time – no more than three to four hours at a time during the day – will refrain from soiling and will learn to hold itself until you let it out. Consistently doing this will help your puppy establish a regular schedule for elimination. Crates also prevent young puppies from getting into mischief when you cannot watch them and confines their chewing to objects you have provided. Like children, puppies need lots of rest but they also require pleasant physical contact and socialization. Use common sense about how much time your puppy should spend in its crate.

 
Introducing the Crate
It is important to introduce your puppy to the crate gradually. It may be helpful to use treats to provide a positive association with entering the crate. As your puppy becomes comfortable with the crate, you can increase the time that it spends there, realizing that it is important not to overuse it. Your puppy should not live in its crate — he or she should live with you. However, use the crate for the periods of time when it cannot be watched, when it is resting or eating and while it is being housebroken. This time staying in the crate will teach your puppy to hold itself. Used this way, a crate is an important aid in your puppy’s adjustment to its new life.

 
Housebreaking is not always an easy task but it doesn’t have to result in frustration and hair loss. With Yorkie Puppies, owners need to remain consistent and persistent in their training. Most owners become frustrated because they try something for a week or two and when it doesn’t work, they either give up or try something new. Unfortunately, this ends up confusing the Yorkie Puppy and your puppy will be deemed un-trainable. When training fails, it is usually that the owner does not remain consistent with the training or gives up all together. This leads to an 80-pound dog that rules the roost and a very important bond between owner and Yorkie Puppy that is lost.

 
Remember that each Yorkie Puppy is distinctly different. However, as long as you remain consistent and persistent in their training, it will be well worth your effort and will be highly rewarding. Your Yorkie Puppy would never give up on you so never give up on your Yorkie Puppy!