Let me know if this is familiar. You get home from
work, greet your furry ally and then go to snag the
leash. Your terrier yorkie straightaway begins running in circles and
jumping up and down. You get them outside and they
pretty much pull your arm out of its socket on a b-line to
whatever it is they smell.
You grin shamefacedly to the neighbors, pull back a bit
on the leash and try to get your yorkie to slow down – but no
way, fido is on a mission and there’s nothing you can do
to stop him.
This is how most folks begin their walks with their
yorkies. And it tends to turn a walk into a task more than
something enjoyable for owner and dog alike. The effect is
a yorkie that doesn’t get sufficient exercise and an owner who is
embarrassed to take their terrier yorkie out the front door.
Halt the Behaviour
Yorkies pulling on their leashes are not novel. in the first place, a
yorkie is not genetically bred to have their throat wrapped
in a collar and tied to your arm. They pull since you’re
pulling back, and the only real way you’ll ever get them
to stop is to train them that the walk isn’t going
anywhere until they slow up.
I’ve seen hundreds of yorkies with this conundrum and the
big majority simply didn’t know what they were doing
inappropriate. They’re not demanding to assert dominance by running
in front. They’re not trying to make you mad. They’re just
excited and want to smell everything they can.
That’s why you need to take authority of the situation.
Like anything in your yorkie’s life, it’s your work to control
what they have access to and when they have access to. By
displaying to your yorkie how their behaviour hinders their walk
(rather than shouting, which only confuses them), you’ll
resolve a lot of problems.
Revise the Walking Ritual
To be effectual in revamping your yorkie’s walking
behaviour, you ought to start with the minute you pick up
that leash. As you might have noticed, your yorkie learns very
speedily what behaviours on your part signal that they’re
about to go outside.
You have to take control of this situation because it
sets up their reactions for the next few minutes on your
walk. If your yorkie decides they are going to jump about
and whine in exhilaration before a walk, wait till they
calm down.
Just waiting 5-10 minutes will often drain them of
that over exuberance. I know it’s precious, but it’s difficult to
control a yorkie that gets that emotional. before you even open
the door, make sure they are seated in a quiet, calm
position. From there, don’t do anything until they’re
waiting uncomplainingly.
Once you get outdoors, let them relieve themselves right
away, but then take control and restrain their exploration.
Because a yorkie pulls back when they are restrained, you
cannot teach them to stop pulling by pulling back. You
should stop walking and make them sit, beside or behind
you.
It can take a lengthy time, but if you stop the yorkie from
walking every time they start to pull, they’ll promptly
learn that the act of pulling on the leash stops the walk.
This is vital. They must recognize that the pulling
action is causing the stoppage. Anything else will be too
complex for them.
Once you’ve done this, you ought to be able to slowly
work them up to walking beside or even behind you on your
walk – both things that will make your life infinitely
easier out there. Take treats with you as well. It can
make the procedure much easier if you can reward them for
first-class behaviour.
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