Our new puppy, Trudy, is 11 weeks old. We are training her the same way we did her predecessor, Tasha. We are in the country but not far from the city. We have leash laws but they are not usually enforced in the county unless there is a complaint. Every afternoon, we walk the perimeter of the yard (2/3 acre) so that she will become familiar with what is her territory. She is usually right at my heels but when she lags behind, I call her name and whistle. This way, I am accomplishing two goals at once; territory identification and name recognition. You do have to watch what they pick up and attempt to eat but I think the payoff is worth the extra effort. Yorkies have a strong hunting instinct. I wouldn't allow one to hunt a groundhog or a cat twice their size but they become quite capable in dispatching mice, snakes and small lizards like we have in Tennessee. Hunting was one of Tasha's great joys in life. In the afternoons, she would sit in my lap on the patio; not just because she loved me but because being higher up gave her a panoramic view of her yard and any intruders that were around.
Since she was trained in the same way Trudy is being trained, she rarely ventured outside her turf and would come running when we called. I understand if you just don't have the time to do the proper training but otherwise I would be hesitant to deny your dog the joy of hunting. It is what they were originally bred for, of course. I think back to the many times that I would point out to Tasha that there was a bird or squirrel in her yard (neither of which she could catch) and watch her do her stalking thing. She was the best 6 pound hunting dog you could ask for and I'm glad that she had many happy hunts in her lifetime.
Lee aka tomatoguy |