One of the strongest instincts that a Yorkshire terrier can have is constant chewing. For many Yorkshire terriers chewing begins as a puppy, when teething and excess energy get channeled into chewing everything in sight. Chewing behavior is quite normal for Yorkshire terriers and it's very important to take appropriate actions to prevent them from chewing as soon as possible if you want your belongings to be safe.
As your Yorkshire terrier gets older though, chewing can move beyond youthful indiscretion and into the territory of serious behavioral problem - one that needs to be addressed with specific actions and careful training.
Why Do Yorkshire Terriers Chew?
Chewing occurs for a number of reasons, but you should know that at first it will happen no matter what you do. Your goal should be to direct it toward the right mediums and to minimize it where it can cause destruction. Even then, some Yorkshire terriers may just be psychologically wired to chew more than others. You need to make important adjustments to reduce your Yorkshire terrier's access to things they can possibly chew on.
Instinct to Chew
First of all, realize that most Yorkshire terriers begin to chew while they are still very young. When Yorkshire terrier puppies are teething they have that urge to chew, so they are looking for anything they can possibly chew on. Yorkshire terrier owners who give their little friends some things to chew, such as a shoe or a sock are simply telling them that it is an acceptable behavior to chew on those particular things. If your Yorkshire terrier often raids your closet looking for things to chew on try to remember if you used to give them similar items in the past when they were puppies for chewing.
Even if you did not give your puppy household items to chew on, you'll need to retrain them to understand that those items are not okay to chew on. Remember that just screaming and yelling at your Yorkshire terrier when they chew on stuff will not get you anywhere and you will not have any results. For a Yorkie chewing is something very natural to do, so until you actively explain them that chewing on your stuff is something that you don't want, it will continue to happen.
To start, you may consider crate training for your Yorkshire terrier. By putting your Yorkie into a relatively small space, such as a crate, and removing them from a very large space, such as your house, you can right away, control better what they do when you're somewhere else. To that end, when you are home, make sure you have a chewing substitute to hand them when they start chewing on a shoe, or a cushion, or whatever else in your home they gravitate towards. A great substitute to chew on can usually be a rawhide because Yorkshire terriers like to chew on leather. However, some Yorkshire terriers are not that excited about a rawhide, so in this case take them to your local pet shop and let them choose a chewing toy that they would like to chew on.
Sprinklers from Chewing
If your Yorkie always finds some thing to chew on in your house, there are some other effective methods to stop that. For instance, every pet store sells special sprays that are very unpleasant for dogs when they chew including Yorkshire terriers. The two most popular flavors are bitter apple and cayenne pepper. What's important is to get a product that is organic and natural and not chemical. The spray should be not dangerous for the dog's health and just taste bad. The last thing you want is this spray to bring your Yorkie pain.
Those two kinds of spray work especially good to stop your Yorkie to chew on a carpet or a cushion. Additionally, it is very helpful to teach a Yorkie the "leave it" command, and give this command every time they chew on something. This common command forces a Yorkie to drop what they are chewing immediately. It is an alpha leadership command that is very important for your little friend when you take them out of the house. The last thing you want is your Yorkie with some trash or a dead animal in their mouth refusing to drop it. The "leave it" command can be taught with treats or a clicker, and a whole lot of patience.
Potential Health Concerns
If your Yorkie chews on things obsessively and refuses to stop no matter what there may be certain health issues that provoke that chewing. This isn't just your Yorkie acting out. This is a problem that your vet needs to manage or it could potentially lead to poisoning or even death.
If your Yorkie eats a coin or something like that and just does it once, it is likely an accident. However, if it occurs all the time and is not cured by training or sprays, see a vet as soon as you can.
As your Yorkshire terrier gets older though, chewing can move beyond youthful indiscretion and into the territory of serious behavioral problem - one that needs to be addressed with specific actions and careful training.
Why Do Yorkshire Terriers Chew?
Chewing occurs for a number of reasons, but you should know that at first it will happen no matter what you do. Your goal should be to direct it toward the right mediums and to minimize it where it can cause destruction. Even then, some Yorkshire terriers may just be psychologically wired to chew more than others. You need to make important adjustments to reduce your Yorkshire terrier's access to things they can possibly chew on.
Instinct to Chew
First of all, realize that most Yorkshire terriers begin to chew while they are still very young. When Yorkshire terrier puppies are teething they have that urge to chew, so they are looking for anything they can possibly chew on. Yorkshire terrier owners who give their little friends some things to chew, such as a shoe or a sock are simply telling them that it is an acceptable behavior to chew on those particular things. If your Yorkshire terrier often raids your closet looking for things to chew on try to remember if you used to give them similar items in the past when they were puppies for chewing.
Even if you did not give your puppy household items to chew on, you'll need to retrain them to understand that those items are not okay to chew on. Remember that just screaming and yelling at your Yorkshire terrier when they chew on stuff will not get you anywhere and you will not have any results. For a Yorkie chewing is something very natural to do, so until you actively explain them that chewing on your stuff is something that you don't want, it will continue to happen.
To start, you may consider crate training for your Yorkshire terrier. By putting your Yorkie into a relatively small space, such as a crate, and removing them from a very large space, such as your house, you can right away, control better what they do when you're somewhere else. To that end, when you are home, make sure you have a chewing substitute to hand them when they start chewing on a shoe, or a cushion, or whatever else in your home they gravitate towards. A great substitute to chew on can usually be a rawhide because Yorkshire terriers like to chew on leather. However, some Yorkshire terriers are not that excited about a rawhide, so in this case take them to your local pet shop and let them choose a chewing toy that they would like to chew on.
Sprinklers from Chewing
If your Yorkie always finds some thing to chew on in your house, there are some other effective methods to stop that. For instance, every pet store sells special sprays that are very unpleasant for dogs when they chew including Yorkshire terriers. The two most popular flavors are bitter apple and cayenne pepper. What's important is to get a product that is organic and natural and not chemical. The spray should be not dangerous for the dog's health and just taste bad. The last thing you want is this spray to bring your Yorkie pain.
Those two kinds of spray work especially good to stop your Yorkie to chew on a carpet or a cushion. Additionally, it is very helpful to teach a Yorkie the "leave it" command, and give this command every time they chew on something. This common command forces a Yorkie to drop what they are chewing immediately. It is an alpha leadership command that is very important for your little friend when you take them out of the house. The last thing you want is your Yorkie with some trash or a dead animal in their mouth refusing to drop it. The "leave it" command can be taught with treats or a clicker, and a whole lot of patience.
Potential Health Concerns
If your Yorkie chews on things obsessively and refuses to stop no matter what there may be certain health issues that provoke that chewing. This isn't just your Yorkie acting out. This is a problem that your vet needs to manage or it could potentially lead to poisoning or even death.
If your Yorkie eats a coin or something like that and just does it once, it is likely an accident. However, if it occurs all the time and is not cured by training or sprays, see a vet as soon as you can.
About the Author:
If you want to learn about Yorkie poo training go to Yorkie poo training. If you want to learn about Yorkshire terrier training go to Yorkshire terrier training.
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