Yorkie Shaking
 

We got our 9 week old from an excellent breeder. The parents, and pups, are kept in her house--the pups when old enough go in a baby pen in her living room. They should be well socialized and fearless. When we went to visit the litter at 7 weeks old (she would not let anyone handle the pups before the 1st vacc), they were all gregarious and friendly. No shaking whatsoever. When I went to pick her up at 81/2 weeks old, she was shaking even as the breeder held her. Now, whenever she seems to get nervous, her little body shakes. I hate seeing adult toy breeds shake, it looks so pathetic and unhealthy.

Oh. I hope she is ok!

poor little baby - I would check her out with the vet first - then hold her lots and see if she's more secure...but that would break my heart too.

My dog does this
 

He is very healthy! He gets nervous in new places. You just have to give him exposure. Jackson used to shake when I would bring him in my kitchen because he was so used to being upstairs. Now he's fine. But he shakes if I carry him in stores, as soon as I put him down on the ground he stops.

My female shaked the first time I picked her up when she was younger. Now she only shakes when people outside of our household pick her up. I think in time your puppy won't shake as much.

Tia used to shake all the time as a puppy. She's gotten better, but does do it when she is nervous. If I talk to her with a low, soothing voice and hold her tightly, it seems to calm her right down.

Chamomile & more
 

You might try adding a little Chamomile tea to her water, or give it to her with a dropper. You might also get the Bach Rescue remedy and put one drop in her mouth at bedtime.

If you have lavender- or you buy bronners lavender soap, you can also wash her bedding in this.

These things may all help the puppy to relax and fell less stressed. The puppy may then open up easier to new situations.

Best,

Deborah

Shaking can be caused by so many things that it is hard to say. Some of it is behavioral and some of it is physiological. First off, what else is this dog telling you? When does the shaking start? You say when she gets nervous – exactly when, what, where and why? What other body language accompanies the shaking?

Yorkies, by and large, are pretty fearless. Although, there are exceptions to every rule and you might very well have gotten yourself a very submissive puppy who is easily frightened. Signs of fear, aside from the shaking would be submissive peeing, low tail set (as close to the body as possible), droopy ear set, wide eyes, panting, low head carriage, refusal to look at you (a dog showing passivity will actually look away), lip smacking and licking. In real signs of fear and submissiveness the dog will either, lie down and show you its stomach or actually begin to growl, snap and show you its teeth. Perhaps, this puppy experienced something recently that has left a very bad impression? Did she fall down? Get accidentally bumped? Dropped? Dogs do go through a fear period between 6 and 9 months but that is an average and some dogs start sooner and other end later.

There are many physiological causes of shaking too – some not so serious and others that are life threatening. With Yorkies, when I hear of a shaking puppy the first thing I want to rule out is a Liver Shunt. If your puppy begins to shake after eating, this could be the culprit. Alternatively, here are some other problems that can cause shaking: cold/chill; stress; pain from an arthritic condition such as hip displasia or patella luxation; diabetes; epilepsy; Cushing’s, Addison’s disease (a personal and painful topic); hypoglycemia; and various disorders of the nervous system and musculoskeletal system including wobbler’s syndrome (not the common in Yorkies); distemper; lyme disease; and rabies. Before you try to evaluate the puppy from a behavioral standpoint, you should take him/her to the vet have a full work up done to rule out any of these causes.

Lily shook alot when I took her out of the house. She is fine now. She will occasionally get nervous and shake still. It gets better. If you think it may be something else though, I wouldn't hesitate to call your vet. Always err on the side of caution!

Both mine shake
 

Both my full grown male and my 12 week old female will shake when they are excited and nervous. They will both do it for different reasons.
When Artie knows we are going to the Dog Park-his addiction, he will accompany the shaking with whining or when Abigail doesn't want to take a Bath she will shake b/c she does not want to do it. They are both Healthy and my Vet. says this is normal. These are very emotional & sensitive dogs and they communicate how they feel all the time! Lucky for me they can't talk.

Thanks
 

Thanks for the responses! Some of them were quite long. She shakes only when nervous, taken outside the house, etc. We took her into Petco and the shaking eventually stopped (don't worry, her paws did not touch the ground). She has not been dropped or mishandled in any way. Hopefully the behavior will decrease. Have most of you found that the natural/herbal remedies help?