Dogs in human society sometimes serve as child substitutes — small dogs more than most. There's nothing wrong with treating your Yorkie as a full member of your household. In fact, it's a good idea. But you probably wouldn't let your human child eat only ice cream and cake for dinner, hit visitors, scream over nothing, and declare ownership over family possessions. Nor would you lock a human child in a room and go off and forget about him. These parenting styles don't work particularly well with Yorkie “children” either.

Being Overindulgent

People make the mistake of letting puppies get away with things that they'd rather not have the adult dog do. Yes, puppies are very cute, and it's hard to discipline them. But it's much easier to start as you mean to continue rather than to change the rules six months down the road. If you don't want your adult Yorkie occupying the furniture, don't put your puppy on the couch, and correct him if he manages to get there on his own. (Put him back on the floor and give him something to do down there, such as play with a toy.) Don't tolerate puppies chewing on your fingers or hair or pants leg. It's important for them to learn bite inhibition and to keep their mouths off humans. Don't cuddle and pet your Yorkie every time he barks or whines or paws for your attention. Ignore it until it stops, and be sure you consistently give attention when your Yorkie is just lying quietly.

Also be firm about food. It's perfectly natural for small dogs to skip a meal occasionally, or not finish everything that's given to them. But don't rush to add delicacies to convince your Yorkie to eat — you may well create a finicky tyrant that demands smoked turkey one day and filet mignon the next.

Being Neglectful

You can't expect to just put down food a couple of times a day and ignore your Yorkie the rest of the time or pick her up only when you feel like cuddling. Yorkshire terriers may be a small-sized responsibility, but they're still a responsibility. Puppies require near-constant supervision to keep out of trouble and learn housetraining. Even older dogs need training, exercise, and companionship. If your time is already fully taken up, you probably shouldn't have a dog.

Because Yorkshire terriers are so small, they are easy to stuff into a Sherpa bag or a crate and relegate to a corner, out of the way. This is abuse. A dog, however small, is a pack animal that needs to be with his family as much as possible. Dogs require time and attention — don't get a dog if you don't have these things to give. Puppies are cute and a novelty in the family, so their transgressions are usually forgiven. But when the dog reaches adolescence and isn't a puppy anymore, but still takes up considerable time, the dog is often shuffled out of the family to live a lonely, unloved life. You must understand that a dog is a commitment for life before you get one.