Once in the ‘lie down’ position, some dogs try to creep forward on all fours. If this happens, move toward your yorkie or walk toward him up the leash.

If this doesn’t work, a good slap should show him that the forward thrust is unwanted; or throw something down hard in front of him. When commanding, don’t hold your hand too close to the ground – that will tempt him to come toward you rather than lie down.

Saying your yorkie’s name when he is lying down will also tempt him to get up or creep forward. If the yorkie backs away from you, this could be a sign that he’s afraid, so ease up and back away from him.

Instead of lying down on command, some dogs dart off frantically in one direction or another, or roll over on their backs. Don’t laugh at this antic. The minute your yorkie starts to roll, push him quickly back in to the correct ‘down’ position.

Repeat this until he no longer rolls over. For a yorkie that gets aggressive about being made to lie down and growls or even shows his teeth and lunges to bite, reprimand harshly.

Some dogs are really stubborn and won’t learn to lie down with any of the standard methods. For them, you have to think up little tricks. One owner took his dog to her favorite sleeping spot on a small rug. There he told her to lie down, and sure enough she did because that’s where she always slept.

After repeating this a few times, the owner took the rug and placed it somewhere else, and again put the dog through the ‘down’ command. She felt so secure on the rug that she again responded readily.

Soon, she was so used to obeying the order to lie down that the usual command became generalized, and she obeyed without the rug.

When your yorkie has learned to lie down, simply add the ‘stay’. To do this, follow the exact directions given for etching ‘stay’ and its release. Be ready to correct your yorkie at a moment’s notice – the mistake made all too frequently is that the correction is too slow in coming.

The instant he breaks down from the ‘down’ position, your yorkie should be reprimanded. Once told, he has to learn to stay until released by your special word and signal.