Can't catch her!
 

I have a 6 month yorkie, and she ONLY does commands or tricks IF you have food or treats! She will ONLY come or sit and other stuff if you give her a treat, otherwise she never listens. The one thing that frustrates me the most is whenever she grabs something she is not supposed to, and just RUNS like a little hurricane all over my house and I can NEVER catch her! Shes way too fast and darts around everywhere. The only way I can catch her is if someone else helps me and we corner her, or if I pretend to give her a treat, and she comes. I've tried to punish her, by putting her in her cage everytime she runs off and doesnt come back, I did it 10 times, with the help of my sister catching her, but she still does not learn. So my friend said to try and spray water at her, but she actually likes water... then someone said to give her a small little spank and say "no!". So I did, and she does nothing but get down, grab the item again, and darts off. I feel so bad hitting her little butt, and plus it doesnt work, so I dont want to do it again.

I was thinking of dog training classes? But that is pretty expensive and its just one thing that she needs to learn, not other basic commands.

She actually is pretty smart, she won't even come when I have a treat for her now, because she knows I am just going to catch her and put her in her cage for being bad. What should I do??

i am having the same problem with Cali 23 weeks old. I was getting so frustrated tonight, she does not listen and does exactly what you describe above. I have tried the water she liked it I tried a can with coins in it and shook it when she was being bad. I just told my friend I cannot get a 3lb dog to listen to me what's wrong with me. I have had 3 other yorkies and do not remember them being so stubborn (but so darn cute) Any suggestions!

lol I understand where you are coming from. The only thing that worked for me with Muffin was she had a stuffed doggie that she absolutely adored and I'm not kidding. So, whenever she grabbed something she wasn't supposed to have, then I went to get her little doggie and the funny thing was that it worked. We just traded! :D She got her doggie back and I got my stuff back, too. :rolleyes:

lol i am having the same problem!!!i have to offer treats to get here to drop whats in her mouth.....must be a common problem

My boy is the same..he runs like the hurricane I remember once I didn't put hm on a leash outside and man I thought I lost him until he ran into a dog and I snuck around and grabbed him.

Rosi does this also !

Hi, Try putting her on a leash and don't allow her to have run of the home for a month. Put her in her carrier when your not loving on her. When you take her out have a harness on her with a long line. Always keep her on the line near you. She won't know she is unable to run away. When she gets into a no no then you can teach to come to you and some manners. When she is naughty call her name (ONCE) pull on her lead and bring her to you. No food reward. Just a kiss and set her down. Let her play with her toys and put out things to tempt her that are no no's. Again when she gets into the no no's call her name (ONCE) draw her to you and before you know it she will get the idea. She just has no idea you mean business she thinks this is a game. Don't worry she will do fine.

Catrina -

You need to make "come" more rewarding for her. Start working on come from short distances and always give her a treat for coming. Then let her go back to what she was doing or play a game with her. Why would she come to you if she knew the result was end of fun/punishment? Gradually increase the distance that she has to cover to come to you.

After she learns "come", you need to teach her "drop it".

As far as the not responding unless you have treat in hand, do this. Work on "sit", "come" or whatever with treat in hand. After a couple of repetitions, put the treats on the counter right beside you. When she complies say "GOOD GIRL!" (or better yet, use a clicker!) then reach for the treat and give it to her. Gradually move a bit away from the counter but still get her a treat every time. If you haven't already done so, name your "treat", "cookie" or whatever everytime she gets one. When she knows the name and you have done the above, you'll be able to get the behavior you want and follow up with a "GOOD GIRL! Let's get your TREAT!" and go to another room to get it for her. When she is reliable with the command you're working on, you can start two-fers and then three-fers.

Two rules for you that I follow and think are VERY important:
1) don't chase the dog! It's one of their favorite games.
2) never punish for coming to you regardless of what the behavior she did beforehand! However bad she was, she has redeemed herself by coming on command. The importance of a good "come" command can't be over-estimated. It could save your dog's life!

An obedience class is a good idea and well worth the money!!!

VERY GOOD advice FirstYorkie! I might add that while obedience
may seem to be expensive it does help alleviate many problems
by teaching you how to interact with your dog in a way they
understand. Having a pet that listens and has good manners
is pretty priceless in my opinion!

AMEN, sister!

This is what I did. I got a long leash, 26-feet I think, and worked with him outside. I used a treat every time, but it makes sense to at least intermittently use just praise. He's now pretty good when he's outside. He still runs from me in the house sometimes, but that's because he makes me laugh so hard it's become a game.

You guys are gooooood!!
 

Everytime I read in here that "chasing is a fun game", I always think, uh oh, someday that's going to be trouble! lolol

Great advice, everyone!! This should be posted in FAQ! I am sure every yorkie owner who is not a trainer as a profession has gone through this!

If you aren't already having trouble with stealing followed by the chase, then chasing can be fun for both parties under certain circumstances. The game should have a name (mine is "I'm gonna get you"), it should be initiated by the human, it should be terminated by the human, and it should never be played when the dog has a forbidden object. That way, the difference between the two (chase as a game and chase to retrieve a stolen object) is quite clear to the dog. I never engage in the second but we enjoy the first!

Does that make sense?

I realize now that I didn't say it exactly the way *I* do it. Sits, downs, etc are commands that I will do two-fers or three-fers for. To me, "COME" and Drop it" are such an important commands that I reward them every time (and quite often with high-value treats like people food). I don't want him stopping to think "has she got a treat or not?"; I want him to run to me as fast as possible for a heavenly treat! Sometimes, though, the treat is not on my person and we "lets go get your TREAT"! :animal36

To everyone: Thanks so much for your help, I will try what you guys said, and hopefully it will work!!!!! :-)