Yorkshire Terrier is one of the most popular dog breeds, especially among those who are looking for a toy dog. They’re cute and cuddly and always ready to have fun with their owner. But, because of their lively nature, they’re notoriously difficult to train.

It’s not easy to train Yorkshire terriers, even when the tiniest and the cuddliest version of this breed, Teacup Yorkies, is concerned. Still, this doesn’t mean that you should give up without a fight. If you let it all slip away, you’re going to end up with a nasty little devil that will disobey your orders, possibly ruin your furniture, and most importantly get himself in grave danger.

To prevent all of these scenarios from happening, the best thing you can do is to start training him while he’s still a puppy. So, if you got a baby Yorkie, here are some tips that are guaranteed to help you teach him how to behave the right way!

1. Choose the Right Time for Training

Yorkies love to sleep, they could spend between 16 and 22 hours every day in the dreamland. The problem is that their owners often disregard this fact. So, if your Yorkshire terrier is misbehaving, it could mean that he’s just feeling nervous due to lack of sleep.

In order to get your puppy in the right mood for training, you need to make sure that he’s had enough sleep. The problem here is that Yorkshire Terriers, same as all other dogs, are crepuscular creatures. What this means is that they like sleeping during the day and getting active just before dawn.

If your daily routine doesn’t allow you to train him during the night, there is a solution to find the time when it’s most suitable for him. All you got to do is wait. Let him sleep and wait until he comes to you. If he wakes up on his own and seems cheerful (like they always do), it means he’s ready for his training.

2. Show Him Who’s The Boss

Due to the fact that these puppies incredibly cute, Yorkshire Terrier owners often find it hard to be stick with them and show their authority. But, that can be a really costly mistake. If you don’t show your pup you’re the leader of his pack, he will decide not to listen to your orders but follow his own instincts instead.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should physically punish him when he disobeys you. Finding a way to established authority with zero violence is what your goal needs to be. This sounds hard, but there are some easy tricks through which you can show your Yorkie that you’re the boss.

The easiest of them all is just to raise your voice at him and show that you’re not too thrilled with the way he’s behaving. Your pup loves and will do anything he can to stop you from being angry at him. And that’s why he’s likely to stop doing the things that you don’t like.

3. Set Your Training Goals

Although it’s crucial to start with training your Yorkie while he’s still a little puppy, you just can’t expect him to learn all the tricks right away. This is why you need to adjust your training goals and make them age-appropriate.

You can start training your little Yorkie as early as when he’s only eight weeks old. But, you should start easy and teach him one lesson at a time. The obvious lesson you want to teach him first is where to go to poop.

Potty-training your Yorkie is probably your biggest concern and you want to get it out of the way as soon as possible. But, take into consideration his age and physique. If he’s too young, he just can’t control his bowel movements even if he wants to. So, if he happens to poop where he wasn’t supposed to, give him a break.

4. Rewards, Not Punishment

When it comes to dog training, it’s all about the rewards, not punishments. If you give your Yorkie a reward every time he behaves the way you want him to, he’ll figure out that he’s on the right track. Yorkies, same as all other dogs, love food a lot.

So, if you give him a treat as a reward for a job well done, he’s going to appreciate it. To take it one step further, figure out what his favourite snack is and give it to him only during training.

5. Everyone is a Trainer

You as the owner of a Yorkie have the responsibility to train him properly, but it won’t do you any good if other members of your family keep on spoiling him. For instance, if you don’t allow him on the couch but other members of your household do, he’s probably going to listen to them instead of staying on the floor.

Training a Yorkie is a job that requires teamwork and only if all of you stay consistent will he be able to learn how to behave. And more importantly, he will not forget about the rules. So, our advice is to educate your friends and family members about the potential damage they can make if they continue spoiling your Yorkie.

6. Dog Training Never Stops

They say an old dog can’t learn new tricks, but this isn’t completely true. You can train your Yorkie throughout his life. Still, it’s true that it won’t be as easy as if you had started early on. At the same time, stopping with training can make him forget about rules and tricks that he’s learned as a young puppy.

This means that your job as a Yorkie trainer will never stop. You need to remind him about his behaviour if he starts misbehaving again. The good news is that re-training him is a much easier job than teaching him from the start. That said, you can be sure that as time goes by, training your Yorkie will get much, much easier.