How do you get your Yorkie to get used to....
 

outfits? harnesses? bows? etc..

I was talking to a fellow small dog owner and she said to put it on, while you were at home (the harness anyway) and leave it on for the day...let her wear it for a few days, take it off while she sleeps at night. Outfits? Hmmmm, seems as though Sunny hates anything going over her head. its a struggle and a fight to put on a sock sweater that I made her...yep, saw the video and tried it. Any suggestions....will the battles die down after I do it a few times or do I just conceed and try something different? I know there are a ton of outfits out there that dont necessarily have to go over her head and maybe where the head opening is, is much bigger then say a sweater but....do I just tough it out and make her put the sweater on? after she gets it on she seems to be ok with it, its just getting it on that is a huge fight! LOL

Bobbi

Try offering her a treat, but to get it she will have to stick her face through the sock sweater to get it. Try to get her to go a little further each time. When she seems comfortable with that, then slip it on her and give her lots of treats (plain Cheerios or similar so she won't get too filled up) and tons of praise, especially how pretty she looks with it on.:D

Ziva only wears clothes for a few months here. It is a learning process every year- she stands completely still until the "pretty girl" starts sinking in- then she fusses at me when I take it off! The harness she knows means out so she is happy to see that.
We are starting to put a small harness on Abby (5 months) every day and a bit of the leash walking back and forth.I like to do it slowly a little every day.

For the top knot, for everyday or training, I use the made for humans plastic claw clips from WalMart. They're cheap, and you can get them in quickly, and if she gets it out, she won't be ruining an expensive bow. It can take up to two weeks or longer before she'll forget about it and leave it alone.

If it really bothers her, just get it in, then give treats to distract her and praise. Then do 4-5 15 minute sessions a day until she's okay with it. Same with the harness, and always try to end the sessions on a positive note, with treats and a ton of praise.

Thanks for the advice...I should have mentioned earlier, yes in fact, treats go along way with Sunny! LOL. I do use a lot of treats to motivate her. So its basically persistence, if I am gathering everyones advice and TIME. You would think that wearing clothes and bows would be a given for a Yorkie!! LOL

Bobbi

My Sapphire is a hyper little thing and so loves to go for walks.The entire time I'm trying to put her harness on, she's mouthing my hands and likes to chew on the harness. Before I can get it buckled, she's spinning around going after my hands again. If I'm taking two for a walk, she'll try to chew the other dog's harness too. Then when the harness is on, she'll go for the leash. My plan is just to try to get her to calm down a bit, but once they're outfitted we head right out and get busy walking, and the chewing and silliness stops. She walks like a gnat on a leash, but has improved a bit... she'll be 5 years old this month!

Lol! Yes and you don't want a mad yorkie either, hehe.

Holy crap! Never make a Yorkie mad!! LOL!! For some reason this wee one makes me a bit neverous. I have had several dogs in the past, heck she has three other sisters, that are much bigger then her, I just dont want to make her this lil demon dog. Maybe I read tooooo much info on Yorkies before I got her. I just so want to do whats right and good for her. All my other dogs are just fine, but I think the smartness factor, the tendency to be stubborn, along with all those other traits makes me just a bit neverous...maybe she is smarter then me!! LOLOLOL..I just dont want some yippy, snappy lil dog...so I try not to piss her off and when I do, it worries me that I may have "damaged" her!!

Bobbi

I've not gotten to the harness as of yet. Bailey and I leash with a collar. I know we need a harness, but so far, Bailey won't leave my side much so there's never been any need for tugging or the like. We are in such sync when we make our potty rounds and he is the proudest looking little boy as he struts the 'hood leaving his mark!

As for sweater, we bought him one and tried it on. Ha! He's a tea pot alright. That thing was so short on him I snatched it off as fast as we put it on. Luckily Natalie loves to knit and she's making Bailey a sweater this week.

She just has to get used to it. Put an outfit or harness on her everyday and after a week or 2 she wont make a fuss about it

Agree with this method 100%. We did that for Ozzy for wearing his harness and it worked like a charm. He gets excited now every time you take out his harness, and he doesn't mind having shirts and sweaters put over his head. TREATS TRUMP EVERYTHING and making them WANT to put their head through is the trick.

We had a stray yorkie that we keep for awhile and he chewed through his harness while he was crated one day. So I don't ever keep harnesses on them.

My other Yorkies loved clothes so that wasn't a problem but I always did take off the collar while i crated because once I came in and found her caught on the crate from the o ring on the collar and that really scared me. What if that had happened while i was gone of the day :eek:

I guess I was lucky because mine has always loves clothes :D Callie actually puts her head through the head hole and will lift each leg and put it through the leg holes. I would put something on her every day and give her a treat after and just keep doing it until she seems to get used to it.

I really have no great advice to offer..lol..But Foxy is fine with her harness and clothes, but bows on the other hand dont stand a chance...lol...We had her groomed about two weeks ago and they put a gorgeous bow in her hair, yes it was cute, but it lasted all of two minutes once we got in the car...lol...

Now My Jewels used to do that with her bows and when she did I would put it back in and then she do it again and Id put it back in and so on. After awhile she got the idea If I put it in it stays in and she quit doing it.

You're off to a good start! But do stop comparing her to other breeds, Yorkies look like dogs but I don't think they really are dogs at all, lol. Mine are all smarter than me, I accept that. That is why they are such fun, bc I'm always trying to stay one step ahead of them.

I gave up the notion of having a 'perfect' Yorkie a long, long time ago. I decided that if they didn't kill my cats, bite people, and learned half of what I tried to teach them, that would be fine by me!

I taught my first Yorkie to 'sit' on command. What he actually learned was if he hit my leg to get my attention, and then did the 'sit' while I was watching, then a treat should follow, lol.

Patience, consistency, and repetition are key. Short, frequent training sessions work best. They need to know you are in charge. If they feel you are not up to the task, they will take over your house.

They need to be part of the family, not just 'the dog'. They love to be included in whatever you're doing. Being kenneled for long periods all the time makes them very unhappy and can make them 'act out'.

Does she respond and understand when you talk to her? Or does she treat you like a chair in a corner, only there when she bumps into you?
Bonding and communication are very important too, and socialization.

Don't worry, most problems can be fixed. Just don't repeat what doesn't work and do figure out and repeat what does!

lola doesnt mind outfits as long as they have no hoods or pant legs lol. otherwie it is annoying to her and she fuses. she hates bows on her head, i think bc theyre too heavy right now on her small head.

Kathy,

Thanks for the reply and advice!! Good stuff. You know, I think we turned a small corner today. She has sat at the door to go out every time today. WooHoo!! She has somewhat came when I called her (read...in HER own sweet time. LOL). I am using her name every chance I get, and have been using treats at every oppurtunity as positive reinforcement.

I think the biggest thing beside not turning her into a yappy, snippy pup is that I don't want her to rule the roost. So yeah, staying one step ahead of her is the key!:thumbup: Oh and we have been working on the "sit" command too.
Your absolutely right...persistence, patience, and repetition is KEY!!

Bobbi

Reilly is almost 11 months old. When I first got him, I went out and bought all kinds of clothes, snowsuits, boots, etc and although he would wear them, he wasn't happy about it. Now I just put them on when we're going somewhere special and I want him to be somewhat calm. (He's way less hyper with clothes on- acting civilized, you know). He knows that if he wants to "go bye-bye in the car" he has to put on clothes. Even then he kind of stands there in this catatonic statue-like state, looking at my husband like he's saying, "Please help me." LOL.

Yep, Sunny gets that same look too. After we end our wresrling match she is very subdued......Lol

Bobbi



=ReillysMom;3745474]Reilly is almost 11 months old. When I first got him, I went out and bought all kinds of clothes, snowsuits, boots, etc and although he would wear them, he wasn't happy about it. Now I just put them on when we're going somewhere special and I want him to be somewhat calm. (He's way less hyper with clothes on- acting civilized, you know). He knows that if he wants to "go bye-bye in the car" he has to put on clothes. Even then he kind of stands there in this catatonic statue-like state, looking at my husband like he's saying, "Please help me." LOL.[/QUOTE]

I had the exact same questions when we got our Katie Scarlett and I will tell you what everyone told me...persistance! You just gotta keep on it, everyday. If they nip at it or even take it off/out, put it right back on or right back up. Katie Scarlett used to chew at her sweaters and I would say 'no no.' After about 2 weeks, she finally just gave in. Now she knows every morning we do our grooming and then put on our sweater/dress/etc. for the day. I think she even looks forward to it now. As for the top knot, just keep on it. If they take it out, put it right back up. It can be frustrating, but just stay persistant. I am living proof...it works! I had a time with Katie Scarlett leaving her top knot in but now it's like clothes...she just lays there and lets me. With her I found that she doesn't mind the bands at all, but if I use a clip or a bow, she throws the biggest fit. So we do a band every single day and I am working on getting her used to bows. We haven't mastered that yet, but I have confidence we will. Just keep on doing what you are doing and all your hard work will pay off hopefully! Good luck! :)

Thank you for the reinforcement! I appreciate it!

Bobbi

QUOTE=southernbelle04;3745741]I had the exact same questions when we got our Katie Scarlett and I will tell you what everyone told me...persistance! You just gotta keep on it, everyday. If they nip at it or even take it off/out, put it right back on or right back up. Katie Scarlett used to chew at her sweaters and I would say 'no no.' After about 2 weeks, she finally just gave in. Now she knows every morning we do our grooming and then put on our sweater/dress/etc. for the day. I think she even looks forward to it now. As for the top knot, just keep on it. If they take it out, put it right back up. It can be frustrating, but just stay persistant. I am living proof...it works! I had a time with Katie Scarlett leaving her top knot in but now it's like clothes...she just lays there and lets me. With her I found that she doesn't mind the bands at all, but if I use a clip or a bow, she throws the biggest fit. So we do a band every single day and I am working on getting her used to bows. We haven't mastered that yet, but I have confidence we will. Just keep on doing what you are doing and all your hard work will pay off hopefully! Good luck! :)[/QUOTE]