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Originally Posted by jencar98  Congratulations - again! And, thanks for letting us know the process. I'm curious, did Simba not have to go through obedience training before the evaluation process? Not that he needed obedience training, sounds like he is so well-behaved! |
Simba is such an awesome little boy! I've been involved with dogs and obedience training on and off since 1975. I started with a very unruly 4 month old German Shepherd puppy and ended up with a 1st place winner in obedience at a local dog show. Ever since then, I've had some real well-behaved four-legged kids. I think Yorkies are
extremely intelligent. You can almost see the little wheels turning in their heads as they learn to do things. Simba was real easy to teach because I always keep everything I teach him fun, exciting and positive. That's the key, to not getting mad when they don't get it right, but giving him tons of "yays", "good boy", and happy excitement, and of course, a favorite little treat when he does get it right. If you start off when they're young to get they're attention on you, the rest seems easy, because they love to please you and thrive on positive praise. I love it when I'm talking to anyone in general, how he is focused on me and what I'm saying, as he picks up on familiar words by cocking his head back and forth the whole time I'm talking. It also helps that I have been at home from a work-related injury the whole time I've had Simba. To answer your question, yes, the basic obedience would be a giant plus before having your Yorkie evaluated. Even then, because they are generally so clever and comical, you never know what to expect them to do. Hopefully, it's something funny, cute and positive to win the heart of the evaluator. I felt like Simba was "working her" from the moment he saw her! I've never had more fun before I let a Yorkie into my life. I hope you decide to give the therapy dog idea a try. Nothing but positive things will come from it. Sorry, I'm so wordy, but I have always had a passion for dogs, especially Yorkies. I would feel like something's missing without a dog in my life. Whatever you decide, just have fun doing it.
