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| When most people think of Yorkies they think of happy little house
dogs lounging on the furniture
and barking at dangerous things outside, like leaves and squirrels or they think of the beautiful full- coated show dogs, immaculately groomed, gliding around the show ring. There is a third picture to add to the above and that is the working Yorkie or the Yorkie that is participating in a variety of performance events and/or working situations. This includes obedience, agility, tracking, earthdog, and pet therapy as well as a host of other things that Yorkies can excel in like flyball, Frisbee competitions, backpacking, musical freestyle and even just teaching a Yorkie to do tricks to perform for friends and relatives. . Because of their size and attitudes Yorkies will generally draw a crowd around the obedience or agility ring they are working in. There is nothing more adorable than a Yorkie looking up at it’s owner at heel position or flying through the tunnels and leaping over the jumps in obedience and agility, even if, on occasion, it’s the wrong one!!!! Sometimes even trained Yorkies have minds of their own. Performance events can be a wonderful way to work with your Yorkie, form a bond like you’ve never known before and maybe earn a ribbon and title or two along the way. . Here are some things that you might want to do with your Yorkie and the titles you can earn from the American Kennel Club: . . The novice obedience class includes exercises that show that the handler and dog are working together. The dog will heel by its handlers side and sit when they stop as well as come when called and stay when and where they are told on a stand for examination, sit stay and down stay!!! This last can be hard for the average Yorkie to do with their endless supply of energy but can save it's life some day. The more advanced obedience classes include jumping, scent exercises, bringing its handler back a dumbbell or glove, etc. Obedience is the basis for most of the other performance events and is a great way to start working with your Yorkie. Here is a list of AKC obedience titles that a Yorkie can earn: . Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) Utility Dog (UD) Utility Dog Excellent (UDX) Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH) . Besides the formal obedience classes, the AKC obedience department also offers a CANINE GOOD CITIZEN Test. The CGC is not an official AKC Title but the dog earns a certificate and is an accomplishment any owner can be proud of. This is a great way to get started and the ten exercises needed to pass the CGC test include everyday things like having your dog under control for a brushing or vet exam and being able to walk up to a person with another dog and have your Yorkie be under control. Basic exercises that makes living with any dog easier. . . RALLY became an AKC titling event as of January 1st, 2005. Where the Agility concept was taken from Grand Prix jumping, Rally takes after road rallys where check points tell you your next move. Instead of having the judge call out the commands the dog and owner moves from one sign to another which tells them what exercise to perform. This is a fast paced fun packed kind of obedience that’s catching on like wild fire and is absolutely perfect for the way Yorkies like to work. The course changes with each trial as it does in agility and you can talk to your dog throughout the exercises and encourage them on. Here are the AKC RALLY Titles that can be earned: . Rally Advanced (RA) Rally Excellent (RE) Rally Advanced Excellent (RAE) . .  The fast paced, fun atmosphere of the agility ring was almost custom made for most Yorkies personalities. They love to run through a course and really enjoy going through tunnels, over dog walks and flying over the jumps. There is no dog with more determination and heart than an agility Yorkshire Terrier when it struggles its way up and over the A-frame, you can see spectators holding their breaths until the yorkie makes it to the top and starts down the other side!! Yorkies are show stoppers in the agility ring and draw a crowd whenever they run a course. . Here are a list of the AKC Agility titles: . Open Agility (OA) Agility Excellent (AX) Master Agility Excellent (MX) Open Jumpers with Weaves (OAJ) Agility Excellent Jumper with Weaves (AXJ) Master Excellent Jumper with Weaves (MXJ) . Although you won’t normally see a lot of Yorkies entered in tracking events, they can do very well and have the fire and determination to excel in a sport that is mainly thought of for big dogs. In tracking a dog learns to do “what comes naturally” and that is to use their nose to follow a scent. Tracking is usually run in fields and a tracklayer will walk on a pre-determined track making both left and right turns (at a test this track is laid out by the judges and marked so the tracklayer knows where to walk) and at the end of the track is an article (usually a glove or a wallet). The dog needs to follow where the tracklayer walked and find the article at the end or along the way, in the more advanced classes. VST or Variable Surface Tracking is the newest type of tracking and the dog tracks in urban areas near buildings, over mowed grass, concrete, asphalt, mulch, gravel, etc. . The AKC Tracking Titles that can be earned are: . Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX) Variable Surface Tracker (VST) Champion Tracker (CT ) . As of January 1st, 2001 the AKC has given performance exhibitors a whole new batch of titles to earn. The VERSATILE COMPANION DOG (VCD) Titles are not a new event but are earned by achieving titles in Obedience, Agility (both Standard and Jumpers) and Tracking. The number behind the VCD title depends on level of the four titles the dog has earned. These new titles provide performance yorkies with a new challenge and encouragement to compete in all three events. . Below is a list of the VCD Titles followed by the Obedience, Agility and Tracking titles that must be earned to achieve that level: . VCD2 - CDX, OA, OAJ, TD VCD3 - UD, AX, AXJ, TDX VCD4 - UDX, MX, MXJ, VST VCDCH (Versatile Companion Dog Champion) - OTCH, MACH, CT . A Yorkie doing pet therapy visits to nursing homes, rehabilitation facilities, schools, etc. may not earn trophies, ribbons and titles but there is not a more important, worthwhile job that this breed can participate in. Most institutions require a dog to be tested and registered by a Therapy Dog organization which provides the owner with insurance, training and assistance. A small dog, like a Yorkie, sometimes will have an advantage over the larger dogs which can be intimidating for some people. Yorkies can go where no larger dog can as they can easily fit on a lap or on a bed. Nothing can be more rewarding than sharing your beloved Yorkie with someone in need of being cheered up.. . There are so many things that an owner can do with their Yorkie that the possibilities are endless. You can easily train your dog to do tricks to dazzle your friends and relatives and it can soon expand into performing at schools and organizations. The Yorkshire Terrier is a highly intelligent little dog with a personality that never quits. A Yorkie can be a wonderful performance dog and truly is a dog for all seasons and events. |
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