Spanky Shares Another Yorkie Tutorial…

Posted on August 2, 2011 by admin

“OK, Sassy… Pay attention. This is a fun game.

“Let’s say you already have a number of toys out to play with and three of them are tennis balls. They all look alike. We’ll use that to confuse mom and dad. And, this is another of those times when you can make them get up and move around a little. I mean… look at them… they NEED the exercise.

“Before you start, take one of the tennis balls and hide it in another room. Then, get their attention while running around looking at the other two balls and the rest of the toys… but act like you are in a panic. That will get them to notice your frustration. Go from one toy to another, flip them with your nose… roll each ball away from you and keep frantically searching. While all of this is going on, I’ll sit back and look totally disinterested.

“One of them… usually mom… will start asking you what you are looking for, tell you to bring her a ball, and make other comments trying to calm you down. When you don’t calm down, she’ll decide she has to help you find what you are looking for. When she gets up, start trotting alongside her… and while you do, look up at her as if asking if she is going to find it for you.

“A nice touch right about then is to have your mouth slightly open, your tongue hanging out a little and keep a smile on your face… Yeah, a smile! They really eat that up.

“Let her walk around, looking behind the couch, in the bedroom and kitchen, the hallway, bathrooms and everywhere else she can think of…while you keep that anxious look on your face.

“If she hands you another ball, check it over, then push it away… get the idea across that there is only one of those tennis balls that you want… and this one ain’t it! She will keep looking until she finds it…

“Once found, look real happy, play with the ball for a minute, flip it in the air, roll on it, etc.

“Mom will sit back down…

“Then, you can bring it to her so she can throw it and you can chase it. But… only do that once or twice, then put that ball down and go do something else… as if you have lost interest in the ball…

“It will drive her nuts! And you win the game!”

Posted in Fun, Interaction, Training | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Hiding Places…

Posted on July 29, 2011 by admin

Spanky likes his privacy – always has. What started off as a place to hide when he was in trouble, has become one of his favorite places to be… under the curio cabinet… just out of our reach.

So, when we would get ready to go somewhere and we wanted to put him in his crate, he crawled under the cabinet and hid until we were gone. Being free to roam, it seems he spent much of the time we were gone on the back of the couch… looking out the window and waiting for our return.

And along came Sassy. It took her awhile to catch on to when we would be leaving her in her pen, but now she can tell what we are planning. We are pretty sure Spanky has been coaching her, telling her what to look for… like when we get our shoes on, maybe get dressed up a little more than normal.

Now, she see the signs and starts getting nervous, walking around and carefully avoiding getting too close to either of us. Then, she goes under an end table… out of our reach… and from where she can quickly escape, if necessary.

So, we have to try and trick her so she is in the open and near one of us long enough to grab her and place her in the pen. But, we are running out of ideas as she gets smarter and smarter. And, it is taking longer and longer before we can go out the door. By then, we are nearly too tired to go.

Ah, Yorkies… we sure do love these little critters, but they are just too darn smart!

Posted in General, Interaction, Ownership | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

It’s All in the Game…

Posted on July 26, 2011 by admin

Spanky likes to share what he has learned about getting his way. He is even considering publishing a Yorkie tutorial book or video series to inspire young Yorkies.

One of the things he has enjoyed doing, over the years, is to try and exercise his reluctant mom and dad as part of his game of playing ball.

He is older, now, and doesn’t play ball quite so much, anymore. But, he used to bring us the ball, have us toss it and he would chase it – pretty standard Yorkie stuff.

However, if we had been sitting a little too long, he might decide to make one of us get up and retrieve the ball after he shoved it under the door to the coat closet. He would sit and whine, look at us and whine some more until one of us got up to get it for him.

Well… he must have shared this little trick with young-and-eager-to-learn Sassy, our pup. And, she decided to expand on this opportunity to see us move. She plays with the ball in front of the TV stand. Then, when she thinks we aren’t looking, nudges it with her nose until it rolls out of her reach. She then looks at it, growls and gives little barks while looking to see who is going to get it for her. She also modifies this trick to have the ball end up under the couch, the desk in the office or even on a shelf of the coffee table.

Since we are older, even using a grabber to reach under things is a challenge and not near as much fun for us as it is for her. Luckily for me, mom is usually the one who caves in and goes to get the ball.

So, what does Sassy do to thank us for getting the ball? She goes right back and puts it under again, so we can continue the game that we don’t want to play.

Spanky taught her well…

Posted in Fun, General, Interaction, Ownership | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Sassy the Shredder

Posted on July 13, 2011 by admin

Sassy is now 11 months old, but she has a bit of a problem that we hope limits itself to her puppy stage. She loves to shred paper. Just the other day, she kept us from saving on coffee by destroying a $1.00 off coupon that was on a table.

Guess I’m lucky though… just a couple of hours before that, I had some bills and $50 cash on that same table… I don’t want to encourage her, but she could have taken the bills!

I know… I know… there is a long history of kids saying the dog ate their homework. Well… in our house, that would certainly be true, except our kids are a couple of decades beyond school.

Seems like any time we aren’t paying enough attention to her, she finds paper and rips it apart, leaving pieces all over… usually behind my chair (a place that isn’t all that easy to reach for cleanup) or under a curio cabinet that is actually Spanky’s hiding place.

When you are getting old and less flexible like we are, it is difficult to reach. Thankfully we have a “Grabber” we purchased from a TV commercial a few years ago. That helps.

Sassy can reach into small trash cans, gets up on chairs and gets onto tables to get paper… and loves those postcard inserts that fall on the floor so easily while you’re looking at a new magazine.

So, I’ve nicknamed her “Sassy the Shredder” and I sure hope she gets past this stage very soon…

Does your Yorkie like to shred paper? Have you been able to train her to stop? Share any funny stories about shredding with us… we’d love to read them.

Posted in General, Interaction, Training | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Summer Tips for Yorkies

Posted on May 16, 2011 by admin

When the weather starts to turn warmer and your thoughts turn to the outdoors, you must make sure that you keep your Yorkshire Terrier in mind. This is not only true because Yorkies enjoy getting outside to go for a walk or run around a little bit, but it is also because you need to keep their safety in mind. There are many things you can do to ensure the safety of your Yorkshire Terrier when the weather is hot outside. Here are a few summer tips to keep in mind.

First of all, many people enjoy walking their Yorkshire terrier and this can be a great way for the two of you to get the exercise that you both need. You need to keep in mind, however, that the ground can be considerably hot and many of us don’t realize it because we are wearing shoes. This can be very painful and perhaps even damaging to your dog’s paws. Always make sure you keep the surface in mind and test it periodically so that you are sure that it is not too hot for the walk.

Another thing that you need to consider is the fact that dogs don’t have the benefit of sweating like humans do. Heatstroke is a very real possibility for dogs whenever they are out, especially in dogs with shorter snouts or if the weather is humid outside because it makes panting less effective. Watch your dog very carefully for signs of tiredness or if they seem to be panting more heavily than what they should. Remember, a dog will not stop on its own in many cases if it is having a good time playing, and heat strokes can happen rather suddenly. Always give your Yorkie ready access to shade and water and make sure that it takes advantage of it regularly.

One final thing that I would like to mention, and this is true of Yorkshire Terriers as well as any other animal, is that they should not be left in an automobile with the windows rolled up whenever it is hot outside. Even on a fairly mild day, temperatures inside a car can reach a much higher level than what they are outside. This is not only harmful for the dog, many dogs die as a result of being left in automobiles. If you are going to be out and about, take your little guy or gal with you whenever you go inside and never trust in a slightly cracked window to provide your dog with the air that it needs.

Posted in Care, General, Health, Safety | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Wanna Jump?

Posted on May 10, 2011 by admin

Jack Russell Terriers are known for their jumping… well, yesterday, Sassy proved they have little on Yorkies… Sandy was sitting at the dining room table and drinking coffee with her grandson and his wife. When Tatiana got up to get more coffee, she left her chair pulled out… an open invitation to a curious little girl who immediately jumped up, bounced off the chair and and right onto the middle of the table… luckily, no food was there to be splattered all over…

Does your Yorkie figure out how to get to high places and play King (or Queen) of the Hill?

Posted in Fun, General, Yorkshire Terriers | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Yorkies are naturals in high school productions

Posted on April 1, 2011 by admin

We all know what little hams our Yorkies can be…

Well, here is an article about about some Yorkie “actors” who displayed their talents in a high school “Wizard of Oz” production and wowed the audience…

“‘It’s the ‘ahh’ factor,’ musical director Diehl said, and audiences reacted as predicted when 6-pound Chloe stole the opening, running across the stage as Toto, and providing closure at the end. “

Read about these furbabies and their show moms in this newspaper article, by clicking here.

Make you want to see how your Yorkie might do on stage? Has anyone on Terrific Yorkies had their little one in a play, musical, video, on TV? Please share the experience.

Posted in Fun, General, Interaction | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Guilty Dogs…

Posted on March 25, 2011 by admin

Now, this post is about guilty dogs… not Yorkies, of course – are they ever guilty of anything? These dogs have done something they know they shouldn’t… and got caught. Like all of us, they are reluctant to admit to it. They have disappointed their people and are ashamed…

You may have already seen these video clips. But they are funny. The first is about a dog named Denver. Turn your volume up and check it out here (about 4 minutes long.)

The second is about three poodles… you’ll get a kick out of these three… Click her (just 35 seconds.)

Have any stories or videos to share about guilty Yorkies?

Posted in Fun, General, Interaction, Ownership | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Bathing a Yorkie Puppy…

Posted on March 2, 2011 by admin

Here is an article I found that takes a somewhat humorous approach to bathing your Yorkie puppy.

My wife has bathed our puppy and had pretty good success… so far. But, when it comes to the combing and brushing, Sassy is less sure about her safety and gets a little sassy about the situation.

Yesterday, Sandy was combing Sassy’s hair (no bath involved this time), when the pup once again lived up to her name… grabbed the comb and took off with it… chewing on it as she went.

Back to bathing, check here to ready the article.

Posted in Care, General, Puppies | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Update on Doggie Moms TV Show

Posted on February 17, 2011 by admin

Hi, everybody…

Well, our cable was totally out last night – TV, phone and internet. So, we didn’t get to look for the Doggie Moms show or even check e-mail… but, today I found more information on the program.

The new reality TV show, Doggie Moms, that began yesterday (2/16/11) may only be on New York channels. But, all is not lost… they have the first episode available for you to watch through their website… click here to see it.

There is also a Facebook page where you can see comments and keep up with the show through the NYC Media page… here.  And “Like” it, if you want…

Have fun… and, if I counted right, there are more Yorkies than any other breed on this show… that’s because they are Terrific!

Posted in Fun, General, Interaction | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment