Morkie Breed Description

Introduction

A small, mixed-breed of the "designer" or "hybrid" breed type. The breed is relatively, albeit increasingly popular, achieved through the cross-breeding of a Maltese to a Yorkshire Terrier. Appearance of the Morkie will take on a combination of both the Maltese and Yorkie parents, resulting in traits shared by the two. Morkies typically grow to reach 6 to 9" in height, weighing a maximum or 7 to 8 lbs.

History

Originally, the main intention of people breeding the Morkie was to bring out a number of outstanding features of both parent breeds. The first Yorkshire Terrier breed was originally a larger dog that had a laden weight of approximately 17 lbs. People bred these dogs together with the Maltese (a smaller dog breed) to reduce the size of the Yorkshire breeds and to tone their temperament because the Maltese are famous for being more relaxed dogs.

Description

Morkie dogs are a breed that is also known as hybrids or crossbreeds since they are half Yorkshire Terrier and Maltese. In recent years, all hybrid dogs (designer breeds) have increased in popularity since many unwanted character traits of the parent breeds are eliminated while characteristics that are more desirable are maintained. This is the same case with the Morkie dogs. These dogs usually have very soft coats as their colors vary depending with the parental colors, though the majority of these breeds are cream. Considering all the parental breeds are smaller breed dogs, Morkie dogs are normally smaller as well. On the other hand, the real coats of Morkie dogs are not only long, but flowing. While other people prefer docking the tails of these dogs like Yorkshire Terriers, others allow the tails to stay longer like the Maltese breed. Taking after their parent breeds, the ears of these dogs drop like Maltese or are erect like Yorkie dogs.

Temperament

Just like other hybrid dog breeds, the probability of Morkie dogs having personalities and characteristics of either parent or from both parents is relatively high. However, Maltese and Yorkie all have a lot of personality; therefore, it is no surprise that Morkie dogs do also. Similar to the Yorkie, Morkie dogs demand and crave attention from their families. The Morkie dogs also have a strong dedication to their owners, which makes them the best watchdogs and family dogs. From the Maltese side, the Morkie might inherit some fearlessness and energy too.

Health and Care

The main advantage that comes along with the Morkie dog is that they are low to non-shedders, although potential dog owners ought to be aware that these dogs need to have short haircuts if people cannot brush them on a daily basis. Additionally, it is essential for dog owners to ensure that the hairs around their eyes are constantly cleaned. This ensures that the hair does not concentrate around the dogs’ eyes apart from preventing debris and dirt from concentrating too. As with other other smaller dog breeds, Morkie dog owners are required to brush the teeth of their dogs several times each weeks to minimize issues revolving around dental health. Owing to the smallness of these dogs, many owners realize that Morkie dogs do better when they eat small portions throughout the day, versus eating a lot of food once.

Colors

As a hybrid between Maltese and Yorkshire Terrier will have a mix of the colors of both.

Living Area

Can adapt easily to most situations, making it a popular pet for families with children, single people, senior citizens, and just about anyone. They do great as apartment dogs, or enjoy the outdoors of a yard also. They are by no means outdoor dogs and need to be kept inside when not under supervision due to their size.

Recognized By

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Pets4You offers listings of Morkie breeders with puppies for sale.