I'm new to the Yorkie breed, but from what I have seen in general dog training and such is that exposure to new people and such is something to carefully watch. One thing that isn't good is to lock up the dogs in another room and not let them sniff about and see who's in their home. That can lead to them getting anxious and agitated. I've been told the best way to keep guard dogs aggressive to strangers in the home is to never let them out when anyone is over.
I would let your dogs loose and try to ignore the dogs as far as they can tell, but keep a close eye on them. If you are sitting there anxious and in a lot of tension/stress/worried, the dog will pick up on it and it could leave them on edge. If you are "ignoring" them and conversing or playing with the kids, the dogs will follow suit most of the time. The 'heeler we have has never bitten anyone, but he gets very cautious and he will charge new people when they come out. I explain to visitors to ignore him, don't pet him and just talk to me for a little bit. He sniffs around, checks out their car and when he walks in, I have them toss him a treat and from that point, all he wants to do is get somebody to scratch his chest for him,
If the dog is behaving in a way that makes you worry, I would suggest the leash to project a little more dominance and possibly have the kids hold the leash or hold the leash while going for a walk if you can take them for a walk. Having the kids toss a couple treats doesn't hurt either or giving them their food when it's time to eat. |