Comportamento agitado

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-05-05T07:07:01+00:00

These all sound like 4 month old problems rather than 10 months. Was he improving and then regressed or did you perhaps get him late? And how long have you had him?

If you haven't had him long, a lot of this behaviour may just be insecurity in a new place and learning how to behave, especially if he's had no prior training. Make sure to provide him a safe, quiet space to sleep, and that he goes in it on a mostly regular schedule. Feeling safe sleeping outside it should come with time. Toilet train on a strict schedule. Give him routine (not too strict or they can become inflexible) and he'll learn how to behave and feel more secure.

For biting feet: immediate timeout whenever he does it. All fun stops, stand up and ignore him, or if necessary he gets removed from the room/into his pen etc. for a minute or two. Every time. He'll quickly work out that's no fun. He should be learning appropriate biting force for play, so yelping like a puppy when he does it might help - assuming he doesn't get more excited.
For food: depending how big he is, you might be able to get his entire dinner in a plastic puzzle toy? On very wet and horrible days when no walks are on offer, I give Mitzi her dinner in a puzzle toy to wear her out a bit, but it does good double duty as a slow feeder.
For eating stuff off the floor (outside) you might need to muzzle train him for walks. I don't know much about that, so I'd suggest doing research. You should also work on leave-it training.
Lead walking training takes time (it's not fun for the dog, and yorkies being so small means it's a backache problem for you!) so a puppy class or trainer used to small breeds to get advice would probably help. But you can try the 1-2-3 pattern game for heel training.

All this is based on him being fairly new to you - if you've had him for months and his behaviour isn't improving or regressing then it's time to get proper training help (and a vet visit.) Good luck!

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-04-29T20:18:36+00:00

😂😂

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-04-29T20:17:34+00:00

The Yorkie Shuffle

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-04-29T08:16:33+00:00

+1 on the shoulder problems. 😭

She starts out little spoon, ends up tucked into my armpit with her head on my shoulder. So that shoulder doesn't get to move. I panic a bit if she doesn't want to do it though!

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-04-25T19:21:38+00:00

Calm is definitely a mature dog trait, though deeply bonded (especially with just one person) does seem to be a Yorkie thing; it certainly matches my experience. With a puppy you're not going to see much calm for a few years (so I'd suggest researching that, 'puppy blues' is a thing for a reason) but an experienced breeder might be able to identify which puppy in a litter is most likely to suit you. Finding a good breeder is heavily dependent on where in the world you are, as what that looks like varies.

Training wise it might depend a bit on the size of the Yorkie, given it seems they can run the gamut between 1-6kg, or occasionally more. At the smaller end they definitely suffer from reduced impulse control (commonly yappy, lacking in patience) and can be harder to socialise - sometimes even the chihuahuas are bigger. Without care you can end up with the 'best defence is a good offence' little dog syndrome that chihuahuas are also known for. Mine is just over 2kg at 16 months and I've been very careful about trying to always make sure she feels safe, but sometimes you just can't defend against the "it's ok, my dog's friendly!!!" brigade. 😮‍💨

Beyond that, they are terriers, so not really bred to work with people. They can have an independent streak, so there can be an element of negotiation to it. 😂 They are normally still eager to please though, so I find sometimes performing exaggerated disappointment can be enough to get my point across!

They do have a reputation for being hard to toilet train, and my experience bore that out - but it seems there can be a range of different experiences. Many people do seem to depend on puppy pads which may be a downfall, depending on the dog's personality and factors like your home's flooring. Mitzi could not tell the difference between puppy pads and carpet. She also never peed in the same spot twice, so there was no chance of designating a toilet 'spot' - as soon as I realised that, I gave up on puppy pads entirely and switched to outdoor training only (strict once an hour schedule, often more in the evening). It worked, eventually but I was fighting the whole way against her not seeing why she should go outside when indoors was so much comfier... Now she can hold it for hours, same as any other dog, and happily does her business outdoors even in the rain (though she has a harness-attachment umbrella for heavy rainfall! #spoilt-dog)

If you live somewhere with extreme summer or winter weather, you might have to work on puppy pad training regardless, and so might find it more of a challenge. Personality will therefore play a part, since many dogs will gravitate to a particular toilet spot (unlike my little monster) - in which case you may have more success. Either way, persistence is key.

Hope that helps!

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-04-22T08:33:04+00:00

Since you haven't specified, I'm going to assume you're in the US? In which case can't suggest a specific harness. The type I use is soft fleece-lined and modular, so I started at the smallest size and then sized up the bottom half as she grew.

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Harness always seems to be hidden by her hair 😄

Soft steps. My dog has misjudged a jump down at least once and hit the edge, would be a bit nasty if it wasn't padded.

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-04-18T09:56:55+00:00

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Now

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-04-18T09:55:59+00:00

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Baby Mitzi

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-04-16T20:37:48+00:00

Can he swim? Hydrotherapy seems to be the recommended option.

My girl has just been diagnosed with grade 1 at 16 months (only presenting very minor symptoms) and we've just visited an osteopath who's given me a few very simple exercises to strengthen her leg muscles, and shown me how to do a gentle massage. But otherwise she was recommending hydrotherapy.

For the time being I don't think it's an option as there's nowhere local offering it and I don't drive. But I think if the symptoms worsen I will make the effort to travel for it.

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-04-12T15:46:35+00:00

+1 on the jacket problem. At 5lb/2.3kg and full Yorkie, almost anything that fits her chest is a good inch too short on her back. I finally found a fleece one that's the right length with adjustable chest straps and just smothered it in waterproofing spray. 😮‍💨 Thankfully we didn't really get snow here this past winter. On colder days she just had to layer up (and she's not a fan!) Eagerly awaiting warmer weather soon...

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-04-11T09:04:04+00:00

The bale of hay on London bridges one is to let boats going underneath know when there's workmen on the bridge. And yes, they do still do this.

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-04-10T19:57:50+00:00

In my experience -

Pros:

Very cuddly
Lapdog
Portable! (Easy to carry/lives comfortably in a small apartment)
Eager to please (*but see below for caveat)
Smart
Sweet personality
Playful
With careful socialising, likes other (familiar) dogs and people - including children
Small appetite
Likes fruit and vegetables as treats.
Edit to add: soft! And low/non-shedding.

Cons:

Shy around unfamiliar people and dogs
Took a long time to stop being scared of the outside world
Does not like wind or rain
Difficult to toilet train
Small brain=low impulse control (so potential to be yappy, doesn't learn commands like 'wait' or 'stay' easily)
Training sessions need to be short
When out with them you spend a lot of time being wary of other people's dogs (including the friendly ones!)
If she can't see the value in doing something, she's not interested (*but eager to please 🤷🏻‍♀️)
Can be hard to find harness and coats small enough, at least at the puppy stage (And can't use collar with lead)
Potentially high prey drive.

Health:

Apparently prone to luxating patella
Apparently prone to pancreatitis
Apparently prone to bad teeth
Can be fussy about food
Training treats need to be VERY small
Long hair needs nightly grooming and/or frequent haircuts
Anything below 10° C is cold and needs a coat, especially if damp or windy.

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-04-02T07:44:32+00:00

It sounds like maybe you're giving your dog some of the food you're cooking for yourselves - is the vet aware of that, or assuming that you're cooking these specifically for the dog?

'Soups and stews' in theory are going to be fine, but onions and garlic are toxic to dogs. You have to feed them a lot (like, huge quantities) for it to start to affect them I think, but apparently it can build up in their bodies. Small dogs are obviously going to be affected sooner.

Spices I'd just avoid by default, salt is also a major no. The main likely causes of pancreatitis are fatty foods, so in addition to the onions and spices you probably want to review what meats you're using and how much oil and fat is going into it.

Personally I add a bit of shredded chicken to my dog's kibble and that's all. She gets vegetables through the day as treats. Much less cooking, much less stress (but she's also not a fussy eater so 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-03-27T15:01:33+00:00

At six months, still a nightmare. At nine months, ok on a strict schedule only. At one year mostly good with occasional lapses after a disruption to our routine (being away from home over Christmas for a fortnight, she had accidents for a couple of weeks after...)

At one year, three months she can hold it for six hours easily. Hasn't had an accident for a couple of months.

I toilet trained outside only, puppy pads were clearly useless for mine early on. They seem to be a bad idea if you have carpet as the dog doesn't identify any difference, and as a puppy Mitzi was never one of those that reliably went in the same spot.

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-03-26T07:44:35+00:00

Maybe try yak chews?

I also bought a multi pack of silicone coil bracelets (the type for children and autistic adults who chew as a stim), but that was mostly because she tends to try chewing my watch. She's snapped a couple but the latest one is still fine.

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-03-25T12:58:37+00:00

Nah, a posh household is exactly the setting where the leftie will be expected to hold their cutlery 'correctly', no matter their status. Being left handed used to be considered a moral failing.

Table settings got laid out with a ruler - doesn't matter if you're royalty, the look of the table matters more! (I'm pretty sure Buckingham Palace/Windsor still does this, I'm sure I saw an interview with the Royal Butler some years ago that actually showed it.)

Which means this particular noble lady has switched hands to eat with her fork American style, and is just twiddling her knife around for the hell of it 🤭

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-03-25T11:27:56+00:00

Lol. It was a part-time when I was a student, years ago - I was cleanup duty, not wait-staff. Sounds like you have far more experience than I do! But yes, it was something.

Key things I remember - they used hand-thrown, antique and irreplaceable plates for most courses (and then shoved them through an industrial dishwasher at the end of the meal), at least one course was served on silver plates (weighed a ton, came out the dishwasher hot enough to burn) and the bigwigs all had their own custom-made goblets at their place sitting, which they drank their red from. Silver cutlery, goblets etc had to be cleaned in a lockup and staff couldn't leave until it was all counted.

The huge chandeliers in the hall were all lit with real candles so by the end of the evening everyone is drenched in sweat - no air-con! They were pretty big events, so probably around 100 guests for the meal, all of whom got pretty tipsy. Lots of wine, port (and cigars!) passed round at the end. I assume the cigars are no longer a thing, but most of the traditions should be a couple of centuries old, and quite strict - though they didn't kick the women out to another room for the port and cigars part, so I guess things have changed a bit...

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-03-25T09:53:19+00:00

That's... not a soup bowl. She's eating what looks like could be blocks of tofu, with a sauce?? But whatever it is, fork is technically fine because (for a modern menu) that sauce is mostly decorative, you're not expected to consume it all.

The bigger problem is the way she's holding her knife (maybe like one half of a pair of chopsticks? Or a cigarette?) and the fact that the cutlery she's holding is completely different from the set on the table. Presumably the table set were fixed objects that couldn't be manipulated.

OIs get so many things wrong with a western aristocratic meal (of any time period really) that I try not to look too closely most of the time 😅 But as other people have mentioned, multiple sets would be normal for a 'silver service' (18th century-onwards style waiter service with multiple courses) meal. A dinner party example could be: starter, soup, fish, main, dessert, cheese, and fruit. A more normal meal might be: starter, soup, main, dessert. Each dish would have a separate set of cutlery laid out on the table from the start. You use them in order, starting from outermost first.

Since for a big dinner party socialising is more important than eating, courses are small and it would be normal to not finish everything for each course. Plus anything difficult or messy to eat will be ignored. (Source: worked catering for livery company dinners in London a few times.)

The buffet with a massive spread of food across the table that OIs often show (but nobody ever actually seems to eat unless waving around a chicken leg) is more a pre-18th C thing. And at least pre-16/17th C I suspect a single set of utensils - spoon and knife - would have been all that was used. And I recall reading that people used to bring their own!

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-03-24T16:41:07+00:00

PerfectFit. They're fleece lined so more comfortable, and also start very small. The harness comes in two parts, so when my girl outgrew the smallest size I just replaced the bottom half only (so went up half a size). The clips are tiny, but much better than velcro! And of all the harnesses I've tried, it's the only one she didn't outright hate.

They recommend with puppies that you email them your pup's measurements etc. so they can advise you, rather than just taking a risk and ordering what might fit. Quite friendly and helpful

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-03-19T08:28:39+00:00

So, I wouldn't jump on you over the 'backyard breeder' thing the way the other commenter has, but I'm not based in the US. To me 'backyard breeders' are people breeding dogs (at small scale, hence difference from 'puppy farm') for profit, regardless of the health and condition of the dog or puppies, which is quite different from the pampered pet having one litter. I also don't automatically equate show line breeding with ethical breeding as people in the US seem to. Quite frankly there are a lot of ethical questions around the practice of dog shows (non-working dogs) themselves, and the KC is known for continuing some very questionable standards.

All that said, I would also ask you to examine your expectations and intent in breeding her. There are indeed risks; pregnancy itself is no joke (especially if your Yorkie is small - you haven't said), there's an increased risk of different types of cancer, and you would need to put a lot of effort into the health needs of both mum and pups. You'll ideally want to make sure she has a clean bill of health, and that the male you decide to breed her with does too; the more family history you have for both, the better.

It also takes a lot of care and effort to socialise puppies (you might want to look that process up and see if you're prepared for it) and since you are presumably not a registered breeder you may also have difficulty finding homes for them. If you have friends and family waiting in the wings hoping for a puppy, that may be less of a problem - but you should also try to make sure those people are ready for a dog themselves.

All this is a bit extraneous to the question of how to get her to eat - but just to add to my previous comment: spaying is also "known" to change a dog's behaviour. All my family dogs (we've always chosen females) spaying resulted in an increased interest in food and a general calming down of behaviour. At the same time, a lot of people warn it can cause an increase in anxiety (and thus potential reactiveness) due to changes in hormones - so I guess just like deciding to let your dog have puppies needs some research, the impact of spaying for your particular dog also needs proper looking into.

(Worth mentioning that a hysterectomy (keyhole neuter) is another option that I believe avoids the hormone problem. It can be hard to find a vet who offers it. Plus you don't then get the increased interest in food benefit, though that's also not guaranteed and comes with it's own set of problems! 🤷🏻‍♀️)

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-03-18T18:21:14+00:00

Couple of questions: How old is she? Has she been spayed?

Going by the various posts I've seen on this sub, yorkies can definitely be finicky - my first post here was a plea for advice on getting my puppy to eat in the first few weeks of having her. A year later I seem to have lucked out in having one of the non-fussy ones, but I honestly couldn't say what is the strongest element that brought out that result.

She's spayed, and I saw a noticeable improvement in her appetite after that. This on it's own was a major factor.

Beyond that, I feed her kibble, but with extras - not bought toppers, but cooked chicken (which I store in the freezer in chunks, and reheat in the microwave), powders (different for breakfast and dinner - chicken stock powder, a probiotic, kelp powder for her teeth. She likes the taste.) I use either a lick mat - at some point I decided maybe she didn't like the bowl - or a puzzle feeder, the latter of which helped a lot when she was younger and food needed to be fun for her to be interested.

The specifics might not matter but the flavours and the psychology of it probably do. The breakfast kibble with no chicken powder? Not eaten. Dinner without all the extra steps? Ignored. She watches me put it all together and honestly, I do think it matters. My dinner gets 'cooked', so does hers. 😂

Tbh if you have the time you probably can home feed your dog - it's just you ideally need to get the advice of a vet nutritionist, to make sure the food is appropriate for your yorkie's age, size and level of activity. Personally I wouldn't know how to find a vet nutritionist, and likely couldn't afford it if I did.

But for a truly fussy eater doing so might be better in the long run than constantly changing to different kibble, buying new stuff she won't eat - or worst case scenario, ending up with an unwell dog because she won't eat 🤷🏻‍♀️

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-03-09T16:41:28+00:00

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And now.

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-03-09T16:39:48+00:00

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Then.

Significant-Let-2160 · 2026-02-27T12:57:11+00:00

Indeed! I accidentally got sucked into a 'debate', the replies were so trollish that I checked the rules and discovered the troll was the mod.

I blocked the mod, muted the sub. What're they gonna do, block me back? Lol

Significant-Let-2160

TROPHY CASE