Positive reinforcement training for your Yorkie Terrier
Positive reinforcement is simply rewarding your Yorkie with food, praise, toys or attention right after it performs the intended behavior (eg sitting). When teaching a new behavior, food is often used because it is quick and effective. By doing so, you are increasing the likelihood of the behavior occurring again. It works, is easy to use and does lesser harm than the alternative training; by punishment.
As mentioned, food is positively reinforcing and therefore is a valuable training tool. Once your Yorkie understands a cue, gradually stop showing the food before asking for the behavior. Give the reward after the response, and continue reinforcing useful behavior with food, play or other rewards your dog values. There is no need to eliminate food rewards. See AVSAB’s guidance on continued reinforcement.
Rewarding your Yorkie for good behavior sounds pretty simple, and it is! However, to practice the technique effectively, you need to follow some basic guidelines.
Positive reinforcement can be a powerful training tool for dogs, but it’s not as simple as just praising everything that your pup does.
Cesar Millan
Timing
Correct timing is essential when using positive reinforcement. Reward should be given immediately after an action; within seconds or your pet may not associate it with the proper action. For example, if you have your Yorkie sit but reward him after he’s stood back up, he’ll think he’s being rewarded for standing up. Using a clicker to mark the correct behavior can improve your timing and also help your dog understand the connection between the correct behavior and the treat.
Keep it short
Dogs don’t understand sentences. Keep commands short and uncomplicated. The most commonly used dog commands are “sit”, “stay”, “down”, “come”, “heel” and “leave it”
Consistency is key
Everyone in the family should use the same commands; otherwise, your Yorkie may be confused. It might help to post a list of commands where everyone can become familiar with them.
Consistency also means always rewarding the desired behavior and never rewarding undesired behavior.
