How to Train Your Yorkshire Terrier to Stay Away from Your Table

Thou Shalt Not Beg

One night last summer, my husband had a dinner meeting and there was a movie on tv that the girls and I wanted to watch. So we took our plates and ate in the livingroom.

Baby, our yorkie, was about 6 months old . She is very tiny, she weighs 5 pounds soaking wet. She is at my daughter's feet watching every bite my daughter takes, knowing that she isn't supposed to have people food.

I said something to Kristen and she turned her head towards me. Before we could react, Baby had jumped up on the couch, grabbed the Grands Biscuit off of Kristen's plate and was GONE. It was the funniest thing I've seen. This biscuit is bigger than her head, and here she is trotting across the floor, headed for her hiding place so she could munch down.

What made it even funnier, is that Kristen, my 17 year old high school Senior, puts her plate down and takes off after the dog, hollering "Give me my biscuit back, you rat."

I asked her what she planned to do with it once she got it back.

She got really red in the face and said "Can I have another one?"

It's a funny story, but it really made me begin to think about Baby's house training. I knew the vet didn't recommend table scraps, but I'd spoiled her really badly and allowed her to have a bite now and then. So I began to research, wondering if I could "undo" the damage that was already done. It seems that I can, and did.

The Yorkshire Terrier dates all the way back to England, prior to 1750. They began as a breed familiar to farm life, and were used to keep the vermin away from the house and barn. They could weigh up to about 30 pounds. Today, they weigh somewhere between 3-7 pounds and are primarily show dogs and as in my case, completely rotten lap dogs.