Yorkie puppies are generally high energy. Tips for making life more enjoyable for both of you:
1. Establish a daily routine of activities at about the same time each day: waking up, meals, brief training and playtime sessions, going to bed and so on. This has a calming effect and your pup will start to fall into the rhythm of when to expect things.
2. Talk to your pup while you are doing your daily activities. You will be surprised how much language they can learn, and they will often follow along with you like they are involved.
3. Brief training sessions throughout the day: if you haven't already, start working on basic commands like sit, down, shake and so on. Puppies are eager to learn and love performing. I use kibble for rewards.
4. For grooming, be patient but somewhat assertive. Give lots of praise for good behavior. Always make it fun and never show frustration. I started with Max by holding him on my lap and massaging him. He would pretend to be asleep while I gently combed and continued to massage. We graduated to the countertop, and he knew he had to put his topknot in if he wanted to go for a walk.
5. Biting: the teething stage can be hard. Try to give her appropriate things to chew on. If she nips you, you can yelp like a puppy. If she is nipping your hands, cross your arms over your chest, taking your hands away and yelp.
Max liked to bite my feet first thing in the morning. He thought it was playful. If he wouldn't listen to my command "no bite", I put him back in the xpen while I brushed my teeth. He quickly learned if he wanted his freedom, he couldn't bite my feet.
If the biting persists, then you can try getting up and walking away. Yorkies hate to be ignored. We have gates where our dogs can't follow. When my boys get too riled up and if they don't listen to me, I simply cross the gate and go do something else. That settles them down immediately.
6. Aside from these corrections, I highly recommend positive reinforcement training methods. I have found them to be far more productive than getting frustrated or angry -- which tends to crank up the dog even more. Dogs tend to mirror their humans and feed off of their energy. If you put out a confident and in-control vibe, your puppy will pick up on it.
Hang in there. The first year is a challenge, and then you will find yourself missing some of the puppy antics. Yorkies tend to remain fairly energetic all of their lives, but there is nothing like that first year.
