Call us: 555-555-5555

Crate Training

Yorkie Crate Training

Owners should remember that crates are to be used for temporary situations. However, it is a good idea to allow your Yorkie to become used to his or her crate, so that when they must be placed inside, they can handle this without stress.

You will want your dog to be used to their crate when :

• Keeping your Yorkie safe when you are not home, for short periods
 
• Allowing him or her to have a place to retreat to, if needed. Commonly, dogs who live among other pets often need to have a space of their own. A house with a lot of foot traffic may be an environment in which a dog wishes to have a place to rest, away from the noise

• Traveling – Your vet may require that dogs are brought into the office in crates and/or you may opt to use a secured crate for the car as opposed to a seat harness.

Those who opt for crate training, typically do so because they believe:

• The dog will not eliminate inside the crate
 
• The dog can be left home alone as long as they are in the dog crate

• Puppies are out of harm's way in the crate if no one can keep an eye on them

• It is the easiest method to housebreak a dog

Some of these theories are not accurate. In fact:

• A dog does eliminate in their crate if they are inside it too long and simply cannot wait any longer
 
• A puppy should not be left alone for extended time, whether in a crate or not

The premise of Yorkie crate training is to keep the dog inside the area and remove them when it is time to go outside for their needs. The crate can also be used to keep a puppy from roaming around. For instance, a puppy who is teething will not be able to chew on potential dangerous objects when the owner cannot keep their eye on the puppy at all times.  

When a dog is constantly confined, they are unable to learn about the world. Keeping your Yorkie in a crate for extended times severely limits the bonding that should be happening between the two of you…a vital element to having a happy, well behaved canine family member.
A dog has a innate interest to snoop around, sniff, smell and investigate. Too much time in a crate = not enough time to gain knowledge of the world and what is right & wrong behavior.

That being said, dog crates are one of the many parts of training and should be combined with the umbilical cord method and 1-on-1 time with the owner.

If you are having a difficult time getting your Yorkie to go into the crate, you can use a step-by-step desensitization technique.

• Make the crate a comfy and comfortable retreat. Place a soft blanket inside, along with some attention-grabbing toys.

• Leave the door fully open and encourage him or her to enter

• Any time spent inside the crate should be rewarded with praise

• As time goes by, when your dog is inside crate, close the door a little bit more each day/week to allow your dog plenty of time to become accustomed to a closed door.

• Be sure to never leave your dog in the crate for more than they can hold their needs. Your dog will eliminate inside the crate, if the dog is left there for too long. A 1 month old pup can stay for 1 hour, a 2 month old puppy can remain inside for 2 hours and so on. If you place a 3 month old Yorkie in a crate for 6 hours, you cannot expect that puppy to hold its urine. It simply cannot. If they are confined too long and are always eliminating in the crate, they will not learn to go outside for their bathroom needs. 

The goal is to have them sleep in there at night...And to use it during the day if you will not be home for a short amount of time....If you will be gone all day, better is a nice set up of a gated off area that includes a comfy place to rest, pee pads, toys, food and water dishes and room to stretch and move around. 
More Training Issues

Training Tips- Some basic tips that owners should follow that will help lead to effective training. 
Aggression - While aggression is not typical for this breed, things you can do if your Yorkie is indeed overly aggressive. 
Chewing - Overview of common chewing problems. 
More Information

Oh, the silly, odd & curious Yorkie behavior that our best friends can bring to us! To see 24 different Yorkie behaviors, with detailed training for each...see what we have for you inside our new-edition Yorkshire Terrier Book
Popular Page:


Names in alphabetical order, for both males and females. 
Share by: