The drive to defend what he considers his territory is one of the major causes of canine aggression. It is a matter of survival for a wild dog to defend his den or sleeping place against intruders. It is natural for dogs – including Yorkie breed dogs – to defend their home ground against intruders, especially dogs of the same sex.
In nature, animals respect each other’s territory principally through fear. Even a small Yorkie may be able to drive away a Rottweiler if it enters his property. Male dogs are usually the most aggressive about their home territory: This strong protective instinct develops as the dog matures, and is probably related to sexual maturity.
However, you will normally see signs of aggression, perhaps subtle, well before then.
Some especially defensive Yorkie breed dogs develop a resentment toward animal or human visitor. A dog who is constantly restricted to a small area over a long period of time and never allowed freedom an develop abnormally intense territorial instincts. These dogs develop a pattern of noisy barking and aggressiveness. The dog will bark as a stranger approaches but will back away if the visitor gets too close.
If the stranger backs way, the dog will give chase. In this way, a person approaching a chained dog will frequently be met with barking, lunging, and even attempts to bite.
There is no way to prevent this other than not to restrict the dog permanently in close quarters. but never allow any teasing of a chained or penned dog; it will make him more defensively aggressive.
Another dog will pick out specific intruders to react to – a mailman, a delivery person, a passing dog, – perhaps because he knows these are going to enter his personal territory. he will make a big thing out of the intrusion – barking, threatening, sometimes even attacking. If you think this habit is cute or clever, you won’t be able to stop it.
Despite your half hearted commands for him to stop, your dog will sense that he is really pleasing you. if you express real disapproval, these aggressive (but not all of them) Yorkie breed dogs will desist.
If this kind of behavior goes on, a behaviorist can help correct the problem. Negative training won’t do anything good, as it will only erode the dog’s self-confidence, and is most likely to turn out to be a fearful Yorkie.
Basic Rules for the Yorkie Terrier Puppy’s Trainer
When deciding when to begin formal training, let the Yorkie Terrier puppy be your guide. It is useless and frustrating for all involved to begin training a puppy that cannot understand what you want of it.
As a general rule, most Yorkie Terriers can start command training at six to eight months of age, but you can still instill the desire to learn as young as six or eight weeks of age. Reward each simple success – coming toward you when called, stopping an action when asked – with loads of praise and treats.
Concentration is the key. If the Yorkie Terrier puppy consistently wanders off – physically or mentally – he is probably too young, so try again in a few weeks. The first lessons should be short, no more than ten minutes, but they should be held regularly – twice daily if possible. repeat all lessons frequently, but proceed very slowly.
Stop as soon as the Yorkie Terrier puppy shows signs of having trouble concentrating. Boredom in the early stages can cause serious damage to the Yorkie Terrier puppy’s acceptance of future training.
Training should be serious, but not tedious. The more fun it is for the puppy, the more he will benefit from training. Learning can be a stress-producing experience and reassure him frequently. Praise your Yorkie Terrier puppy for each minor success, but don;t go overboard and get him so excited that he forgets what the purpose of the lesson is.
Praise enough to inspire the Yorkie Terrier puppy to do well and earn more praise. And treats.
Commands should be made in an authoritative, but not scolding tone. Never whine or plead with the puppy to get him to comply. Remember: You are the leader here. Issue the same command each time you request a certain action. As a general rule, include the Yorkie terrier puppy’s name in any command that requires motion (heel, come) but omit it from the commands where he is to remain motionless.
Similarly, give your Yorkie Terrier puppy cues to what his response to a command will be by always stepping off with your left foot when the puppy is to move out with you and your right foot when you move away from the puppy alone.
These are some of the little things that have an unconscious effect on your Yorkie Terrier puppy’s response.