When do they calm down?

[ladyj]

My 10-year-old granddaughter's Yorkie, Sammy, is almost 9 months old now and is still wild and out of control. I expect a puppy to be wild and excitable, but want a puppy to calm down a little as it gets older and learn some manners. Sammy still bites fingers and toes and jumps up and nips fingers when you're walking around her. She walks right in front of you backwards and is a tripping hazard and gets stepped on a lot. She won't walk on a leash and is almost impossible to groom. She has never been to a professional groomer. My son bathes her because she is very hard to handle. The only way you can brush/comb her is to let her chew on your thumb! Sammy is very sweet and has a great disposition. She loves to play and she goes in her crate when told to. She sleeps with my granddaughter. She isn't quite potty pad trained.

Is this normal Yorkie behavior or is it because they haven't been strict enough with her training? I think she needs firmer handling and some gentle discipline. I mentioned to them that they should start taking her to the groomer as soon as she had all of her puppy shots to get her used to it. My son and daughter-in-law both work and my granddaughter is in school, of course, so they have limited time to spend with Sammy. But I have raised puppies while working and I never had one that was so out of control at that age. I've never had a Yorkie, so maybe I'm expecting too much.

This is their first experience with a dog. My son grew up with dogs, but he wasn't responsible for their raising and training. My daughter-in-law never had a pet in her life until she married my son and they got a kitten when my granddaughter was little.

I also mentioned that they should have Sammy spayed at about 6 or 7 months of age. She weighs 6-7 pounds. I think my daughter-in-law (secretely) would like for Sammy to have puppies. She has never raised puppies and doesn't have any idea how to go about it or how to raise them and I think it's a very bad idea. They have friends who have a Yorkie that has puppies every year or so.

I hesitate to say much about Sammy and raising/training her or grooming or puppies, but do have some thoughts about it!

This is a picture of my granddaughter, Brianna, and sweet Sammy at my house.

[scoobiedooiscoo]

i think alot of dogs dont settle down until they are closer to 2 yrs old, i would try to curb the nipping though.

[Ellie May]

Nipping isn't acceptable at that age but I don't think that the dog is out of control. My Yorkie lets me cut her hair but when she needs to be restrained (at the vets) she is a wiggle worm (well that's what the vet says). She pulls ahead on a leash too. I should probably mention that Ellie is six YEARS old. I would say just replace the hand that she nips at with a toy.

[Ladylavender]

Well, based on the information you have provided, I would have to say she needs some training. Millie was significantly calmer at 9 months over 3-6 months, but not perfect by any means. She got more settled at 1 year old and perfect by 2 years old. When that happened, more the things that I was training her to do (like keep out of my way when in the kitchen and to move aside when I was carrying an arm full of something or other) became habit and did not require active training anymore.

However, we trained her to have manners right from the beginning. At 9 months old she was able to walk on a leash, did not nip anyone, did not run wild everywhere, and while she did/does not like it, will behave for the groomers. She hated to be combed too, but tolerated it, because she was trained to do so.

I have to say that there are some dogs that will train themselves and those that are more hyper, but all in all I think you can tell an undisciplined dog when you see one. And from my experience, Yorkies need aggressive active training (ongoing from puppy to adult) in order to get them where you want them to be for the rest of their adult life.

[Potter]

My Yorkie boy is 1 year and a little more now. He is pretty much well-behaved but does pull on the leash and walking zig zag when we go out because he is too excited. I wish he can be a little less excited but at 1 year plus he is still a young dog. Training from young and ongoing training is really important to these little guys as I feel that they tend to test your position from time to time. Also agree that nipping should stop to curb it from turning into something bigger when they are older. Mine is being brought to the groomers from time to time just to get them used to groomers. Also trained him to walk on the leash from young although he still pulls . He loves combing as it will come with massage after combing and I also started it from young. I also brush his teeth and make him wear clothes when it gets too cold. I think you should at least start now and not wait. A firm but gentle training goes a long way.

[celstu1]

My 2 boys are still very excitable and they are 2 years old. I think little dogs calm down a little later in life bc they have a longer life span so they have a lot of energy for more of the earlier years (total theory here, at least thats what I tell myself when my dogs are NUTS!! LOL)

Sounds like Sammy could use a little more authority and training though too. My boys are nuts, but the groomer says they are good when they are with her. They do not nip at all, but they are always underfoot like sammy... I think its a yorkie thing, they just want to be WITH you all the time!! Id work on the nipping thing, gently but firmly hold her snout shut and say "NO BITING" in a firm voice, you dont need to yell just be firm. Make sure everyone knows to do that so everyone is consistant in her training and she'll catch on quickly. They are very smart!
As for walking on a leash, if you want her to stay with you, give her only enough wiggle room to stay at your side. When I walked my dogs on their leashes I let them have all the room and they were sooo hard to walk, they zigzagged a lot, went around things and caught their leashes on everything, one would go in front of me and the other behind me wrapping their leashes around me, it was annoying and sooo difficult to walk them... so now I take them on a more controlled walk, one on one side and the other on the other side and very little room for movement. After the walk, I take them to the field and let the lock on the leash go and let them run around with all 26ft of the leash! That way they got their walk and they got to run too! It works out soo much better for me and for them believe it or not, they really enjoy their walk when Im controlling their movements more.

Good Luck with her

[Yorkiekids]

They may need to take him for some formal training. Sounds like he needs some socialization and to work on basic commands. Just blames us. Say I talked to all these yorkie crazy people and they said...... LOL

[MikaTallulah]

Cozy can be wild and crazy but would never bite or snap at people. She does not like to be groomed but will allow it without being violent. I think this little one needs some rules and boundaries in order to be a healthy and happy dog. This pup sounds like she is the leader of the pack not the people. What is cute as a puppy will not be cute as an adult. Good luck.