Caring for a Rescue Yorkshire Terrier (2024)

2) The Environment, Vibe, and Expected Interaction

It is human instinct that you'll want to mother your new adopted Yorkie. All that time of needing a new, loving home... and finally he's there, and all you want to do is hold him, baby him, and never let him go.

If your new Yorkie is receptive, that is wonderful; But, anewly re-homed puppy or dog may not be ready for that yet. Depending on what the dog has seen and lived through, it can take a while to get settled in.

The most important thing is that you have him safe under a loving roof. His journey to you is complete. Allow him plenty of time to gain his bearings, and realize that no harm will come to him.

Here are some tips that can help:

Everything should be approached in a slow and gradual manner. A shelter may be able to tell you about some phobias or fears that a dog has; but, in many cases, you will just not be able to know until a situation presents itself.

So, with any tasks or activity that you do with your adopted Yorkie, assume that he will need to become slowly accustomed to it. Some rescued dogs have never stepped on grass, navigated steps, or even had a proper toy.

When applicable, show your Yorkie an object, allowing him to touch and sniff at it. Many things will be a first. Never push him to do anything, but allow him to take small steps in his discoveries.

It is suggested to allow your Yorkie to first become used to the household and yard. This can take 1 to 2 months. Then, you can extend his knowledge of the world to other areas, such as taking walks in new places, visiting stores with you, and essentially exploring new locations.

Be ready for the most common fears. While each rescue dog is unique, common fears and phobias include other dogs (particularly larger ones), loud noises, car rides, being held by strangers, walking on ground level with lots of foot traffic, and being in areas with lots of other people.

No adopted dog, or any other dog for that matter, should be forced to be socialized to elements that elicit extreme fear, unless it is something that will be part of the dog's daily life. So, it will be important to find a balance. What do you want him to get used to? And what is best avoided?

He may be able to become slowly accustomedto visitingthe dog park and playing in a gated off area for small breeds, but will never do well when near your neighbor's Lab. That is okay. He may learn to feel at ease when your best friend comes to visit, but will never be relaxed if you bring him to another house that's filled with children running around. That is okay too.

Clingy behavior is common as well.Most rescues suffer badly from separation anxiety, so you'll find that given the choice of being home alone or out with you, he'd choose you.