timid yorkied

Question
Hi Melinda,
I have a 7 month old yorkie which I bought from a reputable breeder.  She completed her puppy classes and is quite obedient.  My only concern is that she is a bit timid when she is not home.  She is somewhat indifferent to people.  Even though I have exposed her to many people since day one she tends to be  reserved.  I've noticed that her tail is usually down.  
The trainer suggested that her socialization might have been somewhat neutral.  I would love to get your opinion on this matter.  What can I do to encourage her to be more outgoing?  Would agility classes be a good thing for her?  Is it possible that I have caused this behavior by babying her too much?  
I have had 2 yorkies before her and they have always been very happy and spunky.  
Thanks so much for your help.

Answer
Lucy,

Yorkies all have different personalities and it is just the luck of the draw what kind of personality you get.  I don't believe that any amount of training will change her personality especially if she has had puppy training already.  Being indifferent to people is not a matter of training it is just her personality.  In the ten years that I had Yorkies they were all brought up in the same way, with the same people but they all had very different personalities.  Most of them were as you described, happy and spunky.  However, I had two that were indifferent.  The first one was indifferent and had a personality more like a cat.  She would let you love on her but only when she wanted you too.  She had a daughter that I kept who is very timid.  Her personality is a lot like her mothers with the exception that she is not quite as grumpy.  She is very timid sometimes to the point of aggravation.  We have however, accepted her personality and her for how she is.

I do not believe that you caused her personality by babying her too much and I don't think agility classes would be good for her.  If she is indeed timid agility classes would probably be very stressful for her.  As to her tail, I would say it is like a barometer.  When it is down is a sign that she is feeling uncomfortable and since she cannot tell you that you should pay attention to her body language and act accordingly.

I hope this helps.  Please let me know if this has been helpful by filling out the feedback form.

Sincerely,

Melinda