The Yorkshire terrier (or Yorkie for short) is a highly intelligent, energetic, and affectionate breed. However, it's also known for its tenacity, and this very trait can sometimes become problematic while you're learning how to train a Yorkshire terrier.
On a more positive note, however, Yorkies are great students and willing learners. As with most other breeds, they respond favorably to positive reinforcement. They love new challenges, particularly in the case of obedience training, which is a great boon for the owner or trainer, provided he/she knows what he/she is doing.
How to train a Yorkshire terrier: The basics
Just as in the case of humans, dogs have different personalities, even though some traits are specific to a certain breed. For this reason, you must be familiar with the personality of your Yorkie prior to training him/her.
Positive reinforcement, encouragement, and a firm, yet loving hand go a very long way in training any breed. Negative training techniques or approaches like 'punishing' a dog, hitting it, isolating it, or indulging in other forms of cruelty are a huge no-no and only disrupt the very aim of canine training.
How to train a Yorkshire terrier: Owner tips
For one, Yorkies can be stubborn if they want to be, so you have to remain patient and calm while training them. This may be easier said than done because trying to be persistent while having to train an obstinate dog the right way can be a challenge, but it's not impossible.
For the most part, teaching a Yorkie some basic training or obedience commands like 'sit', 'stay', 'fetch', 'come', and so forth is relatively easy since they are quick on the uptake. However, as you move on to the advanced stages of training your pooch, you will need to use various 'tricks' in your kitty, like using treats and praise to make your dog pick up certain behaviors and commands.
Yorkshire terriers love attention, so it's only natural that you praise your dog for every task or trick/command that's well executed. This also holds true in the case of using treats during training- but this is trickier, because you have to draw the line between using treats as a tool of encouragement, and using them so often that your dog starts begging for them and eats more treats than its usual grub.
Yorkies can sometimes have a short attention span and are curious by nature, so you have to see to it that you minimize distractions and train your dog in a relatively quiet environment where there aren't many people or animals around. Go slow and teach your Yorkie one thing at a time in a clear, authoritative voice so that it knows you mean business.
Lastly, train yourself to become a good trainer. If a Yorkie isn't well-trained, it reflects on the owner, so if you're having a hard time training your pooch, approach a qualified, experienced professional trainer to help you along the way.
