Maltese Yorkie Mix

The Maltese-Yorkie mixed breed dog is called a MORKIE.

Morkies are popular because they combine the best of both favourite breeds, the Maltese and the Yorkie. What is it that people love?

Morkies don’t shed

Both the parents have hair, not fur. So they don’t shed like most dogs.

Morkies are small and they stay small

Most Morkies are between 5 and 10 pounds

Morkies are very affectionate

Both the Yorkie and the Maltese dogs are affectionate and loyal pets.

Morkies live long lives

Toy dogs live longer than other sizes and mixed breeds longer still. With good care your Morkie could live 15++ years.

Morkies are smart little dogs

Thanks to the Yorkie’s terrier background, they’re very smart little dogs.

The Morkie is often called a hybrid or designer dog. Cross-breeds or hybrid dogs are very popular advertised as designer dogs.

So what’s the difference between today’s designer dog and yesterday’s mutt or mongrel?
Today’s version is the combination – planned – of two purebred dogs. Popular crosses (such as cockapoos) are intentional and done by design — in this example, the cocker spaniel and poodle mix The mutt or mongrel on the other hand, has unknown origins and so the mix of breeds is uncertain.

The downside of designer dogs

Not everyone agrees that they’re great.
If you visit a message board like pets.ca — you’ll see that some dog owners disagree pretty strongly with the whole idea of “designer dogs” or hybrid breeds.
What’s their beef? Often so-called designer dogs are really just someone’s get-cash-quick scheme. They have a purebred, a friend has another – so let’s just mix them and see what happens. While there are many ethical breeders of hybrid dogs, a lot are fly-by- night and aren’t necessarily raising the most healthy, happy puppies.
Even worse… there’s a greater chance that your new buddy could have come from a puppy mill, which is a surefire way to heartbreak.

What is a hybrid dog?

Well, actually…..There’s really no such thing as a hybrid dog… unless you’re crossing a dog and a cat!

A mule is a hybrid animal, since it comes from breeding a donkey and a horse which are two different species.

All dogs are the same species, no matter how different they look from one another. That breed is called Canis familiaris. All dogs originate from a single species: the grey wolf. Scientists now believe that dogs first originated in Eurasia, between 12,000-14,000 year ago, from a smaller southern strain of a Gray Wolf which can still be found in India today. (Although called the “Gray Wolf,” the coat comes in a wide variety of coat colors.)

From the beginning of the Bronze Age, around 4500 BC, five distinct types of dog have been identified from fossil remains: • Mastiff • wolf-like dogs • Greyhounds • Pointer-type • Sheepdogs

This funny photoshopped picture of an ape and dog would be a dog hybrid – two different species. Or is this puppy-baby-monkey 🙂

These basic types of dogs, from the Sheepdog to the Greyhound — proliferated by natural genetic mutation and selective breeding — produced the approximately 400 different types of dog breeds we know today.

What’s a pure bred dog?

They sound so adorable: tiny teacups, babyface puppies or supermini (insert your favourite toy breed name here).

But these extra small dogs are really just a heartbreak waiting to happen. No responsible breeder would ever purposely breed down the size of her line; national organizations like the American Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club, set out breed standards which stipulate the ideal weight for toy dogs.

That means that a reputable breeder would not purposely sell dogs that are super-small. They are either from an unscrupulous breeder preying on your emotions, or a puppy mill!

What’s wrong with super small toy dogs?

Dogs bred to be small within one or two generations are the result of breeding runts with runts. Runts – undersized, sickly and poorly developed puppies – are of course not what you want for your loved pet.

Being too small can result in:

• excessive shyness
• cottony or woolly texture coat
• overshot or undershot bite
• poor digestive system
• bad teeth

Over time, professional dog breeders do change how breeds look, including their size.

The first recognized Yorkshire Terrier, for example, was introduced to the American Kennel Club in 1872. At that time, the Yorkie weighed about 12 pounds; now the breed standard is 5 to 7 pounds.

Dogs that are smaller than they should be have 6 big drawbacks:

1. First, teacups have more health problems and are more sensitive to potential hazards around the house than ‘full size’ dogs of the same breed. A jump from the couch can break a leg. They often have chronic diarrhea.

2. A super small dog faces high risks if he needs an operation, even common neutering.

3. Very small dogs are harder to house train. Their bladders are that much smaller and owners say it takes at least 6 months to potty train a teacup.

4. Teacups normally need a lot of attention and can’t be left alone for a long period of time. They need food more often – 3 or 4 meals a day at least, and can be very high strung.

5. Teacups are unlikely to live as long as “full size” versions. Most toy dogs have a life expectancy of 12 to 15 years but a teacup can live as short a life as just 5 or 6 years.

AND THE BIG PROBLEM….

Hypoglycemia and Your Super-Small Dog

6.  Teacups are prone to Hypoglycemia or low blood sugar shock. This problem is a temporary one with any toy puppy until it grows to its full size, but with teacups that are under 5 pounds when full grown — they always at risk of this common yet very serious problem.

Hypoglycemia is caused because the small dog is not able to store enough energy (food) in its tiny digestive system. Any kind of stress can cause a drastic drop in blood sugar levels which can actually be fatal!

Causes for blood sugar dropping include:

• stress
• over-handling
• shipping
• not enough food
• cold
• intestinal parasites
• infection

Most so-called “Teacup” puppies come from puppy mills, which spells heartbreak.

Avoiding a puppy mill dog

The Morkie is the offspring of a purebred Maltese dog plus a pure bred Yorkshire Terrier.

The Maltese features a beautiful, flowing coat – but in pure white… no other colours are allowed in a purebred Maltese, although they were originally bred in different colours, hundreds and even thousands of years ago.

That hair must be perfectly straight, and the longer the better. In a show dog, the hair hangs to the ground.

Like the Yorkshire Terrier, Maltese do not have an undercoat. Instead they have a single  layer of hair, not fur.

Black lips, dark brown eyes and a black nose complete the little Maltese – which ideally shouldn’t exceed 7 pounds.

Maltese have a slightly rounded skull, with a finger- wide dome, and a black button nose and eyes. The body is compact and fine-boned but sturdy; it’s slightly longer than it is tall with a level top line. The Maltese chest is deep.

The drop ears with long hair and dark eyes surrounded by darker skin pigmentation (called a “halo”), gives Maltese their expressive look.

The Maltese, first bred as a pampered lapdog for ladies of the court, is among the gentlest of all little dogs, but can seem fearless at times. They are loyal, vigorous and super affectionate. Maltese originated about 6000 B.C., likely in Asia and were worshipped by the ancient Egyptians.

Maltese Temperament

Maltese were bred from the beginning to be luxurious lapdogs and they thrive on that lifestyle even today. They love human companionship and are very loyal to their owners. Maltese are lively and playful, but always gentle. Even as a Maltese ages, his energy level and playful personality remain fairly constant.

Some Maltese may occasionally be snappish with smaller children and should be supervised when playing, although socializing them at a young age will reduce this habit.
Basically, Maltese is a breed that is cuddly, playful, spirited and very kind and loving. The Maltese is very active within a house, and, preferring enclosed spaces, does very well with small yards. For this reason, the breed also fares well in apartments and townhouses, and is a prized pet of urban dwellers.

Because they’re so devoted to people, Maltese can suffer from separation anxiety. Like any small dog who is spoiled, they can also fall victim to “Small Dog Syndrome,” although less so than the more forceful Yorkshire Terrier.

Yorkies are active, bright little dogs with very big personalities. In fact, they need plenty of socialization and training to keep that ‘big personality’ on track.

They’re very affectionate and loyal. Though small, the Yorkshire Terrier is active, loves attention and is protective of his owners. The Yorkie is no lapdog! Originally part of the Terrier family of dogs, Yorkies were developed in the 1850s in northern England, where they were first bred as working dogs to chase rats and other vermin in factories around Yorkshire. Even today, they like to have a job to do, but like most terriers, they can be stubborn and aggressive.

Today Yorkies are classified in the Toy Dogs category along with the Maltese. However they retain their original terrier character.

Yorkshire Terriers have a long, single coat that’s glossy, fine, straight and silky. This coat takes a lot of care, with daily combing and brushing, although some owners prefer to keep their Yorkies in the short “puppy cut.”

Born almost pure black, it takes Yorkie puppies about 3 years to develop their final colour. Adults are black and what’s called “steel blue,” (a blue-gray) with tan on the head, high chest, and legs.

The Yorkshire Terrier is high-spirited, confident, feisty and very loyal and affectionate. However, Yorkshire Terriers can be very “assertive” and noisy. Yorkies can be very needy – they suffer from separation anxiety more than some other breeds

Yorkie Temperament

The Yorkie really is the small dog who thinks he’s a big guy! Introduce another dog or a new person to the Yorkshire Terrier and you won’t see anything timid or curious about the Yorkie… just full out barking and standing in the “alpha” dog position.

Yorkshire Terriers are lively, bold and intelligent. Given their working class background chasing rats, it’s no wonder they still need some adventure and the odd bit of trouble! They’re also brave little dogs, often willing to put themselves on the line for you.

With such a strong personality, the Yorkie is a very independent dog. He will come and go as he pleases, checking out every shadow and every corner of the home. So it’s no surprise the Yorkie isn’t willing to be locked in a room for long hours, or ignored if you’re home. Yorkies shine with an owner who can gently assert himself and is willing to lavish love and attention on this little monkey!