Yorkies are one of the brightest breeds of dogs in the world. They have a fairly good grasp of instruction and command which are retained for a long term. However, they can get really independent minded at times. The tendency is to ignore the commands which are poorly absorbed because of lapses in the training methods. As such, training yorkies require close attention, swift reward system, consistent command and treatment as well as a firm, but friendly teaching mood.

The first requirement for any trainer is to have a keen observation regarding the yorkie's actions. As soon as the puppy is 8 weeks old, training can effectively begin. This time, one must be vigilant about certain behaviors like urinating and pooping. Once they are about to do something, the trainer has to bring them to right spot, let them do their thing and reward them immediately. If the trainer is late in reacting to a wrong action, he or she must not scold or hit the puppy, but firmly say no and put it in the right spot. By being keen with the dog's movements, one can guide it to the right actuations. Command words need to be associated with natural actions such as napping in the crate (say "nap"), sitting down (say "sit") or waving the tail (say "wave"). This way, the dog can gain better comprehension and retention.

The next in line in training yorkies is the swift reward system. In psychology, any creature responds specifically to an action or word that immediately comes before it. Two paired actions tend to occur together in a regular manner leaving anyone to assume that one happens as a result of doing such action. For instance, if the dog receives a treat after sitting down when instructed to sit, the dog will always associate the reward with the obedience in responding to the word sit. As such, every time the owner says sit, the dog expects to receive something if it sits down. The swift reward can reinforce compliance.

The third one is consistent command and treatment. Any trainer would agree that consistency is the key to regularity of actions. If the puppy still receives a reward after failing to follow a command, then the next time the command is made, the puppy will not follow anymore. The same also goes for puppies that yap around primarily because they want to assert dominance. If one member of the family tolerates this, then the dog will not stop yapping at people. On the other hand, if everybody is firm and openly say no, the dog will soon realize that it is at the bottom part of the pack.

The fourth requirement in training yorkies is to have a firm, but friendly mood when dealing with the puppy. It is so important to project a positive aura because this will be sensed by the yorkie. The actions as well as the trainer's tone of voice can easily be traced for exhaustion, stress or unhappiness. In this case, the puppy might wrongly get the signal and interpret it as disappointment for it.

With all these requirements in training yorkies, every soon to be trainer can read through the yorkie's mind. There can be so much fun and seriousness blended in every session which will surely guarantee obedience and cooperation from the yorkie.