The Morkie is a mixed breed dog that is bred from mixing the Yorkshire Terrier and the Maltese dog.Over the years, Morkies have garnered a huge demand because of their small size that makes them perfect lap dogs. Morkies are one of the many breeds that are known as ‘Designer dogs.‘This popular dog is a toy dog and is small, energetic, and adorable. They love their families and are quite vocal as they will bark when they see strangers or unfamiliar people. These dogs are easy to care for because of their diminutive size and will need the proper amount of training to adapt to your lifestyle. Moderate exercise and regular grooming should be provided to them as they are energetic and love to move around. Since these dogs are low on the hypoallergenic dog rating scale because of their low-shedding capabilities, they are great for people who are allergic to dog fur.If you like this article about Morkie temperament, be sure to check out articles about how long do Yorkies live and how to groom a Yorkie too!Do Morkies like cuddling?Morkies, or Maltese Yorkie mix are mixed breed dogs that are developed by breeding the Maltese and Yorkshire terrier breed. This mixed breed dog is one of the many designer breeds that have been spread throughout the world as great family pets.This hybrid breed is extremely friendly towards humans and other animals and much like their Yorkshire terrier and Maltese parents, are adaptable to their surroundings.This cross-breed canine companion was bred to be a lap dog and just like its parent breeds, loves to spend time with their pet parents. The Morkie dog loves to cuddle with its humans and will spend most of its time entertaining you while they play indoors.Morkie owners have over the years seen this designer breed get along flawlessly with young children as well as older children who have some experience with dogs and know how to handle small dogs that are delicate, just like this Maltese Yorkie Mix.Friendliness And AffectionJust like their parents, the Maltese Yorkie mix is known for its friendliness. This designer dog breed is affectionate towards its family and loves to play around with children as well as adults.It is recommended that before picking up your Morkie puppy from Morkie breeders, you should meet the Yorkshire and the Maltese parent to get an idea of how affectionate and friendly your Morkie puppy will be. This little meet-up can also help you in figuring out whether your Morkie puppy will fall prey to health concerns or not.In most cases, these intelligent dogs will form strong fondness towards their families and will require loads of affection and attention.So, if you are looking for a loving and healthy dog, this Maltese Yorkie mix will be great for you as the Morkie temperament allows these dogs to show their love and fondness towards humans flawlessly. Another aspect of this mixed breed is that they are quite social and love spending time with humans or other pets that you already have at home.Ease Of TrainingSmall dog breeds like the Yorkshire terriers and Maltese dogs have been bred to portray emotions and are friendly and affectionate towards their families.Originally, the parent breeds of the Yorkshire terrier and Maltese dogs have had their own functionalities former to their adoption as pet dogs. The Yorkshire terrier parent was bred as a pest control dog that specialized in getting rid of rodents. Because of this, your Morkie might chase animals instinctively and portray signs of aggression towards bigger dog breeds.Compared to the Yorkshire terrier, the Maltese breed was bred as a lapdog, but can still show signs of aggression towards the stranger, animals, and their owners.As a result of this mixed breeding, Morkies will develop the attributes of both the Maltese and the Yorkshire terrier parent. This can also lead to them being particularly stubborn. However, since these are affectionate dogs, they show signs of intelligence and will be anxious to entertain their owners. A thoughtful and attentive strategy will help you in training your Morkie triumphantly.Training your dogs is usually a handful, hence the best time to start their training is when they are puppies. Puppy training classes are one such method that you can use once your puppy is old enough as it will help them in socializing with other dogs and humans.When your puppy is one year old, it is recommended to start their adult dog training sessions which can be done by yourself one on one or you can get the help of a professional dog trainer. Professional help might cost you a bit more, but it will be much better in the future as you will get a happy and well-behaved dog.If you choose to train your Morkie yourself, you should start with socializing them with other family members family pets as it is the easiest of the training process.You should introduce your puppy in separate situations, and with other people, and this should be done during the first 14 weeks of your puppy’s life. Not to forget that introducing them to larger canines might be harmful as they would get hurt during their interactions.Potty training your Morkie might be a bit troublesome as small breeds like the Yorkshire terrier are difficult to potty train too. Hopefully, your Maltese Yorkie mix does not inherit these bad traits from their parents.If you find training your puppy yourself stressful, then you can enroll your Morkie puppy in puppy kindergarten where they will easily pick up things like potty training, barking, nipping, and commands like ‘stay’ and ‘sit’.All in all, it should rather be easy to train your Morkie puppy as both the Maltese and Yorkshire Terriers are intelligent dog breeds.Are Morkies good with other dogs/pets?The Morkie temperament can sometimes be surprising as this dog breed might inherit the natural instincts from its parents that involved hunting and chasing. Due to this, the Morkie temperament is tough to predict, so it cannot be said if your Morkie puppy will behave well with other pets or not.If Morkies do inherit instincts from their parents, they might chase around other small animals in the house, which can include cats, smaller dogs, hamsters, or guinea pigs. However, it is often noted that if these puppies are raised alongside other pets in a household, they will show less of this inclination.This particular instinctual behavior makes Morkies suitable for houses that have no other pets that wander about openly.This particular situation is mostly a given, as this toy dog is confident, fearless, and assertive, which can lead them to get in trouble with other dogs, particularly the larger ones, and to no surprise, your Morkie will stand its ground even when it’s facing a larger animal.Training is one of the most important things to factor in when you are buying or adopting a rescue Morkie as the Morkie temperament cannot be expected to be the same for every dog.Are Morkies good with children?The Morkie is a great dog breed to have around you, but one of the main issues to consider when adopting or buying a dog is whether it is comfortable with children or not.In this case, the Morkie temperament tells a lot about their adaptability with small children in a household. These small dogs often form strong bonds with their family members but can show signs of aggression, which can be reduced by training them properly and socializing them with family members.In general, the Morkie is a great pet to keep around children, but the issue of mishandling arises because of its small size. Since Morkies are really small dogs they can be injured or harmed by children who have no idea how to interact and handle little dogs. Because of this issue, it is not recommended to keep Morkies in a house with extremely young kids and they should be kept in families that have older kids who know how to handle dogs tenderly.In most cases, Morkies can be great companions to children but younger kids should be instructed on how to treat dogs kindly. These dogs are great around other pets too, but most of the interaction should be supervised. All in all, these toy dogs are not suited to families that have small kids as they might get hurt intentionally or unintentionally by the kids.Morkie Separation AnxietyMorkies are extremely clingy and love spending their time with their family members. These dogs are loyal and are devoted to their family. This devotion leads to the Morkie breed being prone to separation anxiety due to which they cannot be left alone for too long.These little dogs do best in homes where someone is around most, if not all, of the time. Separation anxiety can cause a lot of stress for your puppy. So, make sure that you never leave your Morkie alone for too long.In spite of their small size, these happy-go-lucky dogs are energetic and ready to play all the time. However, they get bored quickly or will start chewing on things when they cannot find anything that can entertain them. This love and affection towards family is the main cause of their separation anxiety problems.This small dog will always need human interaction and does not like to be left alone in an empty house, so if you are someone who cannot dedicate their time to your Morkie, then this dog is certainly not for you.Morkie Activity Levels And PlayfulnessBecause Morkies are small dogs people assume that they do not need daily activities or much exercise. This thought process is incorrect as, despite their small size, these dogs are extremely energetic and love to run around and play. It is worth remembering that this mixed breed will not need long walks as larger dogs do and because of their diminutive size can adjust to life in small apartments or homes.The Maltese-Yorkie mix is more of an indoor dog breed but will need to be walked daily and maintain a level of activity at home. A 30-minute walk every day should be enough to burn their excess energy which can be done in a dog park or even your own backyard. Be sure to keep a check on them when you take them on walks as they might inherit a high prey drive from their Yorkie parent and chase things around when on walks.Playfulness can be an issue if you do not devote your time to your Morkie, and this can be taken care of by mentally stimulating them through toys and games and giving them dog food or treats when they do well in these games.In case your Morkie does not get enough stimulation it will show negative trends like excessive barking, chewing, and digging. So, in order to keep your Morkie in its best forms, it is advised to take care of their activity levels and playful nature.Did You Know…Morkies come from mixing two specific dog breeds and gained popularity around the 1980s and 1990s. Morkies are also known as ‘Morkshire terrier’ and have become extremely popular and have garnered a huge following for people who like designer dogs breeds. Despite the newly gained popularity, the origin of the parent breeds goes way back in history as the Maltese dog, originally from Malta, is an ancient breed that dates back to pre-Greek times. In the words of Aristotle, this dog was ‘perfect in its small size.’ The Maltese dog was bred as a lap dog breed and became companions to the aristocracy. It is said that after the fall of Rome, breeders from China kept these dogs from extinction.The other parent breed, the Yorkshire terrier was bred in Yorkshire, England in the 1800s by Scottish people who emigrated to England. These dogs were bred to hunt pests in the form of rodents and were known for their tenacity. As years passed, the Yorkshire terrier became a lap dog and was soon brought to the US where they were acknowledged by the American Kennel Club in 1885.The Morkie might look small, but its appetite is not! These dogs eat a lot for their size and to keep them in good health while taking care of the dog hair, it is recommended to feed them high-quality dog food in a controlled method as they are prone to gaining weight easily.According to the American Kennel Club, 100% hypoallergenic dogs do not exist, and thus, the Morkie is hypoallergenic too, so if you are someone who doesn’t like dog hair sticking to furniture or clothes around you, then this breed is not suited for you.Morkies are known to be healthy, but like most toy breeds, they can experience illness and diseases that might cause immature death. Some of the diseases that Morkies can experience are Obesity, Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, Tracheal collapse, and Patent Ductus Arteriosus.Because Morkies are hybrid dogs, they can have variance in appearance as in some cases puppies inherit the appearance of either the Yorkshire or the Maltese parent. However, in most cases, their body size does not look that different and some can be tiny like the ones that are bred to be teacup dogs. Usually, they weigh around 4-15 lb (1.8-6.8 kg) and stand 9-12 in (22.8-30.4 cm) tall. Females are smaller than males because of sexual dimorphism.The Morkie coat is soft and long and it flows when the dog is in movement. These dogs come in different color shades that include black, brown, apricot, and white, which are the basic colors. The head of this dog can be shaped like that of the Maltese or the Yorkshire terriers and the ears can be pointed or floppy like the Yorkshire’s or Maltese’s ears respectively.The legs have had no increase or decrease in length and are mostly short with a fine-boned body and a half-curl tail that bends one side or the other.Morkies are delightful to look at and have round eyes and a black button-style nose on their faces that adds to their cuteness.Because of their small size, the litter size of Morkies is low compared to larger dogs and they give birth to two to five puppies.The average lifespan of Morkies is estimated to be a minimum of 14-15 years, and in most cases, Morkies reach at least 10 years of age.Like most designer dog varieties, the Morkie, too, is yet to be acknowledged by the American Kennel Club because of which they are still an unrecognized breed.Because of their popularity as adorable cute pets who like to socialize, the demand for Morkies is rather high, so if you are looking to buy a Morkie puppy, be prepared to fork out money that can range between $450 to $2,500 USD. This price mostly depends on the reputation of the breeder and the quality of the puppy.Grooming your Morkie can be quite easy because of their small size and soft and shaggy coat. They are also considered to be low-shedding dogs because of which it is fairly easy to remove hair and stop the formation of knots in their coat. All you need is a soft brush to remove dust and other nuisances from the fur. Morkies should be bathed once per month and shampoo should be used to keep their skin and fur in great condition.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Morkie temperament, then why not take a look at do Yorkies shed or Yorkshire terrier facts?
The Morkie is a mixed breed dog that is bred from mixing the Yorkshire Terrier and the Maltese dog.
