Polka Dot Kisses: Meet A Yorkie Extraordinaire

Chloe Polka Dot Kisses
photo courtesy of Candice Katayama

YouTube did it. I have no idea what I was searching for, but I saw this precious, bright-eyed little Yorkie face and clicked “Play.” That was my first introduction to Chloe Polka Dot, and it hooked me forever. I say polka dot kisses, because Chloe’s mission is to be an ambassador for creating smiles (like little puppy kisses) around the world. And, she’s succeeding. How does she do it? The cutie pie face does draw you in, but with Chloe, there’s so much more. This is a Yorkie extraordinaire! Chloe is a fashionista and has a closetful of beautiful clothes. She drives her own pink Mini Cooper, plays basketball, collects raffle tickets for charity (yes, actually collects them), plays pattycake with her mom, and chooses her clothes each day from her doggy armoire. Her Facebook page has over 7,200 likes; she has over 5,000 Twitter followers, over 4,600 Instagram followers, and one of her videos has had over 200,000 views! She’s even done her first music video for a group named Marlowe & Athena.

I had to learn more about her story! So, I connected with her mom, the human brains behind the operation, Candice Katayama. But, before we go into the interview, you’ve got to see Chloe in action to really get what I mean. I promise you’ll be smiling before you’re done. This one’s of Chloe learning to drive her brand new pink Mini Cooper, but there are lots of great ones on Chloe’s YouTube channel.

See what I mean? I can’t help it! To fully appreciate Chloe’s gifts, you have to know a little more about Candice. She is a longtime sales and marketing expert, and is very computer savvy. She’s built websites and does photography. She’s a very smart and resourceful woman, who’s done an amazing job training Chloe.  And, she’s done it with love, patience and treats. She’s not a professional dog trainer. She must be doing something right, because Chloe is a very happy, little dog and loves what she’s doing. I was so impressed, I asked Candice for training tips, too!

How it all began…

Chloe Polka Dot came into Candice’s life two years ago, as a Valentine’s Day gift from a friend. How apropos, as she’s become Candice’s heart. She had lost her previous dog a year before, and she finally felt ready. Candice knew she wanted Chloe to be social and to love going out, something her other dog didn’t enjoy, so she started Chloe early doing the things that worked for Candice’s lifestyle. Smart move. Chloe became the “Mr. Rogers,” as Candice puts it, of the Orange Circle, a charming area downtown from their home, known for its antique shops. They walk there, and Chloe loves socializing with the shoppers and shop owners. Candice also started a local Yorkie Meet Up Group in Orange County, CA., so Chloe could find lots of friends. It currently has 400 members. But it was a video of a dog playing basketball that really started it all. “I’d always thought, if I ever got another dog, I’d want to teach it to play basketball,” Candice relayed. “I had seen a video of a dog putting a basketball through a hoop, and I thought it was really cute.” But, before b-ball, there was standard obedience training, and Candice went a very mainstream route, with great success. She took Chloe to her local Petsmart for dog training classes. “I love what they have set up; it’s a great foundation…how to walk on a leash, how to behave when there are distractions,” Candice explains. “It provided us the ability to be with other dogs who were distracting. Now, it doesn’t matter what’s going on around her, Chloe’s not affected. She’ll listen to me.”

Chloe going shopping
photo courtesy of Candice Katayama

For me, that’s big. Sophie gets distracted by everything. Ugh…

The interview…

Now that you’ve had an intro to Candice and Chloe, here’s where it gets even more interesting. I wanted to know how Candice trained Chloe to do all of these amazing tricks. And, some other stuff, too.

BaS: So, how did you train Chloe?

Candice:  I learned how to use a clicker in the last Petsmart class. I told the trainer, during that session, that I wanted to teach Chloe how to play basketball, and asked her if she could show me how to do it. She took me through the process, and once I saw the steps leading up to doing a complicated trick, it became easy.

BaS: So, you took that same blueprint and applied it to any trick you wanted to teach Chloe?

Candice: Yes. You break it up into small, digestible pieces and teach the dog each piece. Finally, you put it all together. For example, Chloe can sneeze on command. That’s a hard thing to teach a dog.

BaS: How did you do that?

Candice: Well, we were doing clicker training and, one morning, I noticed she was sneezing. I didn’t know what that was about, but I thought, let me try to teach her to do it on command. So, the next morning when she sneezed, I grabbed the clicker, clicked it and gave her a treat. And, it didn’t take long. It probably took two mornings and she had it. I also believe in working with a dog’s natural tendencies and creating tricks around those tendencies.  For example, the trick that came after basketball was patty cake.  Chloe naturally lifts her body in the air and claps with her paws.  That is when I thought wouldn’t it be cute to have her play patty cake with me.  No one had ever done it at that time, and since then (2 years ago),  people have copied the trick.  It was the first complicated dog trick that I taught her on my own and she had mastered it by the time she was 18 weeks old!

BaS: Wow. So you are a big proponent of clicker training.

Candice: Well, I’m a little lazy too! With clicker training, you have to reach for something, so you have to have it with you all the time. I switched the clicker to the word “yes.” So, when I want to teach her to do something, and she’s doing it on her own, I say ‘yes’, treat her and give it a name.

Chloe at the piano she bought in the Orange Circle
Photo courtesy of Candice Katayama

BaS: What about things she’s not doing on her own?

Candice: I use feeding as an opportunity to train. Whatever we’re learning at the time, I repeat it with every bite I give her. I think consistency and patience is key. When my friends ask me how I taught Chloe something, I’ll show them and watch them do it with their dog. What I notice the most is they’re impatient. Chloe taught me patience, and it pays off.

BaS: So many people have connected with Chloe. She does bring sunshine into people’s lives. How has this affected your life?

Candice: I feel really blessed being able to do this with her and blessed to do it through social media, too. Also, to be able to express so many different parts of myself through this process, and to have developed a much closer relationship with Chloe as a result is amazing. And, the people I’ve met have been incredible. I have Facebook friends, who are really good friends of mine, who I’ve never actually met before, yet we speak once a week. Never met them.

BaS: How wonderful! Chloe is also a Pawblogger for Tickle Me Chloe. What are some of her favorite topics to blog about and where does she get her inspiration?

Candice: We really want the blogging to be something inspirational, like everything else we do. So, it’s really all about fun. I like do-it–yourself projects; teaching people how to do it themselves. Chloe and I are very creative together (laughing).

Chloe in her
customized stroller
photo courtesy of Candice Katayama

BaS: Yes! I loved how you customized  Chloe’s zebra-striped stroller to have a little chandelier inside! That was so cool.

Candice: I really like photography, so we’re doing more of that and giving people tips. I like social media, too. There are a lot of people who like seeing what Chloe is up to. And, fashion, definitely fashion.

BaS: Speaking about fashion, I understand Chloe has her own collection.

Candice: Yes, it’s brand new. We’re calling it Chloe’s Closet, because she’ll go out wearing something and people will want to buy it. We met a wonderful woman, Irene Kerley, through the Yorkie Meet Up Group who is a seamstress. She has this amazing sewing room in her house with so many great fabrics. We’ll sit in there and brainstorm outfits for Chloe and she makes them. We’ve become good friends. She’s always surprising us with presents for Chloe. And, Chloe’s become good friends with her two Chinese Cresteds.

BaS: How do you balance it all, to be a good dog mom and a good business person?

Candice: I try to categorize things and ask myself what the most important thing to get done that day is. I don’t want to do any of this if Chloe isn’t going to be healthy and happy. So, I’ve already determined what makes her healthy and happy. She likes to go and take her  walks in the circle. She loves to socialize with people; she likes to socialize with other dogs. One of her best friends is a Pitbull named Bonnie. Chloe’s a normal dog; she’s not a perfect dog. She’ll bark at another dog sometimes, and other times, she’s perfectly fine. But, I’m very careful with her. She’s only 5 lbs so I treat her like a piece of china. I’m always watching what she’s doing and where she is. Introductions to other dogs, like when she met Bonnie, are carefully orchestrated, step by step.

BaS: What are Chloe’s favorite designers, other than herself?

Candice: There are so many.  Chloe loves Severine Vicknair’s fashions, and melts at everything that  Mario Laliberté of Vienna Canine Couture creates.  Yvette Ruta from Sweeten Your World rocks my world.  Drool drool drool. 🙂

Chloe off to Doga!
photo courtesy of Candice Katayama

BaS: What fashion trends is Chloe loving for this year?

Candice: We love vintage, shabby chic. Also, more constructed, streamlined outfits. Like city chic.

BaS: Any new projects coming up for Chloe? (at the time of this interview, the video was still in the works)

Candice: We have a new video coming out. I don’t want you to say anything yet, but Chloe is going to do dog yoga.

BaS: It’s called Doga! How cute!

Candice: Chloe is also going to be included in a book coming out soon. It’s BringFido.com’s first book, called the Ruff Guide to the United States. It’s 365 of the best places to stay and play with your dog. Chloe is representing three of those places. One of them had her on the Queen Mary!

BaS: (laughing) That’s amazing, Candice! Is there anything Chloe can’t do?

And, btw, she did learn to play basketball.

Here’s Chloe’s newest doggy yoga video, for your enjoyment!

For more Chloe Polka Dot and more inspiration and smiles, visit her on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

What’s your favorite Chloe outfit? Tell me in the Comments below.

(Disclosure: I am an affiliate of Petsmart, so if you choose to purchase something from them from a link on my site, I will get a small commission, which goes towards keeping Bark and Swagger running and towards the animal rescue and advocacy organizations I regularly donate to. Thanks for helping!)