You are here:

Canine Behavior/10 month yorkie

Advertisement

Expert: Cassie - 1/7/2008


Question
Hi Casey,
I have a 10 month old yorkie that is a true delight.  She is quite obedient "most of the times", extremely loving and is completely house broken.  My concern is that she has recently started showing signs of apprehension when we go out.  she seems frightened and very reserved.  I thought I had done a decent job at socializing her by exposing her to different people/experiences and taking her to puppy classes. However, looking back, there are things I could have done better.
From your experience, is there anything i could do to improve this?  Do you think that additional classes such as advanced obedience or agility would help?  I would really appreciate any information that could help me have a happy dog.  

Thanks for your time!

Answer
Hello Lucy,

    Your Yorkie is only 10 months, and even 9 year old Yorkies can still be socialized. During the asking of your question, you made it seem like it was too late to socialize her more. Every dog has to have a job to do to live a happy, balanced life, so I think agility or advanced obedience would be a great thing for her. Take a look at the past answers I have given other clients to get more info on training your dog. Thank you!

Canine Behavior

All Answers

Answers by Expert:

Ask Experts

Volunteer

Cassie

Expertise

My expertise lies in the fact that I've helped people with their dog's behavior since the age of eleven! I was inspired by animal behaviorist "Cesar Millan" and knew I was meant to make a difference in the lives of animals, particularly dogs. I have owned dogs all my life. I can answer questions regarding behavior, breeding, training, and raising your puppy. In most 'behavior cases', the owner is the reason the dog is misbehaving. They were thinking with human psychology, not canine psychology. They did not provide their dog with what he/she needed, or tried to 'punish' their dog like their children, by putting them in a time-out, yelling, ect. This caused the dog to be in an unbalanced state of mind, which is the exact opposite of what most owners are trying to achieve. The dogs' instincts kick in and he/she tries to take over by jumping up, excessive barking, ect. That is why I'm here. To help people live happy, healthy lives with their best friend.

Experience

I have owned animals all my life, particularly dogs. I have studied animal behavior for much of my life, and am currently working toward my goal of becoming a professional animal behaviorist. I breed Labrador Retrievers as well. My kennel name is "Happy Tails Labradors", and my website can be viewed here: http://happytails.weebly.com/.

©2012 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.