how to teach a yorkie not to runaway?
 

hi,
my 11 months yorkie keeps running away. Every time someone opens the front door, she dashes out immediately. When I call her name she runs faster, the more I chase her the more she runs. She comes back when I stop chasing her and get back inside the house. How can I stop this behavior?

We always secure Gidget before we open the front door, just as a precaution. She has never darted out, but we have been warned this breed can be "darters". I would make sure she is secured either leashed or in your arms before you open the door, especially as little as your pup is. They can easily get hit by a car running out and not paying attention to what is around them.

I would start to teach her to sit when the door opens. Unless invited out. Lots of patience and good treats should get the job done. I bet you will be surprised if your consistent how fast she will learn... They love good treats. Good luck

Maybe first off try going to a puppy class where they will teach her sit, stay, and come. Then make her sit and stay when the door is open. That is what worked for us. But until she learns it your probably going to have to pick her up when the door gets opened.

Thank u so much for ur replies. Starting tomorrow I will try to teach her "come" and "sit" command. Wish me luck :D

Yes, teaching her every time that door opens, she needs to be back away or SIT. A way you can do this is by placing her in a sit (once she learns this) and slightly opening the door. Reward her for sitting in place while door is beginning to open. If she gets up, you could say 'uh-uh' or something else, and close the door quickly, and withhold a reward. Eventually she will learn that she gets an award for waiting while the door is opening!

I also have this problem with Abby. Riley will listen but Abby looks to bolt.
I am terrified something will happen to her. I am thinking about hiring a trainer to work with her. She listens to nothing. nothing. nothing.
Riley needs some time with him but he is responsive

Moses will sit at the door for me, but he has a hard time learning stay, because I think it will take two people to train him...one to hold him and one to give the command. He can come, sit, shake and speak...but the wait, or stay command has been the hardest for us!

My Pom will bolt out the door but my Yorkie doesn't. So I used half of a play yard (3 sections) to make a barrier at my front door. I can open the door and let whoever is there in but the dogs cannot get near the door. It is such a stress reliever while I am trying to train them. I know that it will take longer this way but I also know that my dogs are safe and won't get out and into trouble.

Luckily mine don't run out the door. 2 of mine are runners. Cozy and Roxy are runners.

Mine don't run out the door. 2 of mine are runners- Zoey and Lucy. Cozy and Roxy are NOT runners. Lucy will stop running and drops to the ground if you get in front of her. My golden, Lucky, would go after them all as puppies if they tried to run off and push him down onto the ground. He would also bark at them while holding them down. Cozy and Roxy decided it was better to come when called than eat dirt. Zoey won't stop running for anything. She is the only one that could escape from him. She makes very sharp and quick turns something poor Lucky's hips could not allow him to do anymore. He was 10 when I got Cozy and 13 when he passed away. If you chase Zoey she keeps running so I just sit on the porch until she decides to come back- I keep a visual on her the entire time though.

I'm a believer that no matter how well any dog is trained you should always be careful. Especially yorkies/terriers and other high prey driven breeds. You may be able to train her not to bolt out the door or to stay at your side during walks, or to "down!" on command, but if she looks out the door and there is a person across the street, a bird in someone's yard, something interesting out there that triggers her instincts... just expect her to run to it! No one wants to see their beloved pet pummled by a vehicle or attacked by another loose dog.

With smaller dogs I have always picked them up when I have to open the door, or in cases of some dogs just clipped their leash on. But def. training her to "sit", "stay" and "down!" are a must :D it will help a lot and a good owner and dog bond will help too, if she is truly bonded with you and trusts you with those commands just about anything is possible especially during bolting away or getting loose.

This is basically what we teach in puppy class. We call it Greeting. We encourage active learning. In other words get friends and family to help with the exercise lesson. It takes some effort to set this up but it is so worth it. Open your door to measure where it comes into the room. Make that your NO DOG Boundary you may mark this area off with a rug, a line of masking tape or what ever is handy and works. The idea is to give your dog a visual and verbal clue. He/ she must sit and stay behind the NO DOG Boundary. Have your helper knock, or ring the bell three times. If your dog is barking more than three times to alert you, give the Enough cue or Quiet. Don't rush to the door walk calmly. Puppy should be on leash. Chose a word you intended to use forever and every time, we use WAIT. (we also use Wait at curbs before crossing the street) When you get to the boundary, have the dog Sit. Now put your hand up like you are blocking traffic and say WAIT. At first you may have to keep facing the dog and back up to the door. Early on it is ok to repeat Wait and give the hand signal. Open the door a crack, if they bolt foreword, close the door. Walk them back to the Sit and Wait Spot. Give the cue Sit, Wait. Repeat this Greeting Exercise at least 10 times. Ideally it is most effective when repeated randomly over the period of two or three days. It take about 50 repetitions for the cues to be understood and obeyed. If you do not know what the Hand Sandwich Greeting is, let me know and I can explain for you.

I think you're brilliant - and you explain things so clearly and well :) Sally + Harry x

I believe in training a dog as described above, but last year I decided to put up gates after Teddy bolted out the door and chased the UPS truck down our driveway and into the street.

I thought my boys were trained not to bolt. We had not had any problems for months before this happened. My father is the one who opened the door and he is partially to blame because he doesn't give the dogs commands or handle them in that situation correctly.

ETA: If you can trust everyone in your home, including visitors, rely on training. If not, put up gates too. :)