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Originally Posted by JellyLegs
would an older dog be harder to train though especially with things like toilet training? and had bad habits?
Mitzis Mom wot a great little dog, so smart 
BLowry said "In my opinion, a yorkie wouldn't make a very good service dog. Yorkies are a very high energy dog. Just my opinion!" That was part of the reason I thought service dog training would be a good idea as it would give the dog more to do with little things to do while keeping me company? 
Thanks tsehasd I will keep that in mind when making a choice
oow its so exciting just thinking about it all lol |
I've been training Loki for over a year now. It's been necessary because he is very active and he has a difficult temperament (like most terriers!). You are absolutely right that training will make all the difference. An additional suggestion would be to have a trainer accompany you to pick out a Yorkie. A good behaviorist will be able to give you a good indication of the temperament of the puppy. In your special situation I think this is very important. You don't want a pup with a difficult personality.
As far as potty training, Loki was about a year old before he was totally housetrained. Is your mom home with you all day? This is easiest if you are home all day and is difficult at first, but once they "get it" it makes things so much easier! Also, are you able to let the dog out when he needs to go, or can you install some kind of doggie door? Yorkies are smart, with help and instruction they will figure it out. Getting an adult would at least get you past that housetraining stage - but be careful. Sometimes people give up their dogs because they are not housetrained. So if you get an adult just be sure it is already housetrained. Also, while you can train an older dog you might not want to get one with a lot of bad habits. At least with a puppy you can start training right away so they don't develop those bad habits. It's a trade off, I guess. I'm all for rescues! But in your situation I think you need to be as careful as possible. You deserve to be picky about this. I don't think you want to take on the re-habilitation of a rescue dog - right? It would be different if you could find one that came from a great home and simply can't be cared for any more. But in my experience those are not only rare but last about 2 hours in our shelters here before someone snatches them up. The ones that linger usually need some extra help.
Loki is about 9-10 pounds. He is perfectly capable of jumping on the couch and he has a step to get on the bed and he uses it 50% of the time. Mostly he just jumps. He knows commands like "on the bed" and "off" so if you get a larger one you may not need to lift them. Loki prefers to sit beside me and not on my lap, although I don't feel he is too big to sit on my lap at all. He curls up in a tiny ball. SO I suppose that is the advantage to a bigger one, unless you plan on lifting the dog and need a smaller one.
At night he snuggles in bed with me. He gets up in the morning to go outside and eat and then naps all day (with or without me) If I am sick, he hangs out with me either in bed or on the couch. On an average day he needs a good 30 mins of "fetch" or tug or some other activity and a decent walk around the neighborhood. He gets active in the evening, so I usually walk him when I get home from work and wear him out a little. He will also play quietly or chew on a bone. If I don't feel well or it's rainy he can do without a walk, although I try to go every other day. An alternative here is "doggy daycare" If I feel that I haven't exercised him enough I send him to the trainer's for the day to play and run around with the big dogs. He then comes home and sleeps for days.
Again, as someone to actively trains her dog, I know you can train a Yorkie to do practically anything. Loki knows a ton of commands including simple stuff like "out" for "get out of that room" and down and stay and all of those things. I taught him to "fetch" and then drop the ball/toy in my hand or lap. He knows the names of his toys. I'm sure this could translate to having your Yorkie pick up something for you, like a sock or keys. If your mom is going to go to classes, just make sure she takes notes and she can show you what to do when she gets home. The dog doesn't really learn at class - they learn at home anyway. If you like to read, there are a ton of good books out there for positive training! One of my favorites is "Positive Perspectives" by Pat Miller.
Plus, the #1 most important thing. Yorkies are there to make you happy. They bond with you. Loki knows when I don't feel good. Last night I went to bed early and he kept coming to check on me. Then he would bark at my husband to come check on me. Then he just curled up in a ball and snuggled in.
They are so smart!
I hope this helps a little.
