# Morkie?



## BriGuy (Aug 31, 2010)

Some friends of ours mentioned that they were looking into getting a Morkie (half Maltese, half Yorkie). Does anyone know a Morkie in real life? I was thinking that they might be difficult to housebreak, since many small dogs are. Are they good with kids?

Last time these friends saw Cookie, she was just a little 3 month old puppy who was still in that really mouthy phase. I hope we didn't scare them away from goldens! 

Brian and Cookie


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I have met two morkies when I lived in Mass. Personally, they were kind of ugly, I think a pure bred yorkie or maltese are cuter.

My mother rescued a maltese, and with all the abuse this poor dog went through, she is the sweetest thing, and is 100 percent housebroken.


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## BriGuy (Aug 31, 2010)

Thanks - I guess Morkies haven't made it out to Missouri yet!  I have known a few people around here talk about getting one, but I don't think I've ever seen one in person.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

The problem with a mix is that you lose the predictability of type and temperament (and health) that you can get with a properly bred purebred. So it becomes much harder to predict whether the dog will have any particular characteristic (like being even tempered, healthy, and good with kids).

Since both Maltese and Yorkies have a reputation for being a bit hard to housebreak, a cross could potentially be VERY hard to housebreak.

And, finally, you're unlikely to have the best breeding stock with a fad breeder. Both Yorkies and Maltese can have some serious health problems, and a mix of the two would be a real crapshoot.

What's wrong with a properly bred Yorkshire Terrier or Maltese? That's probably their best shot at health and good temperament if they want that type of dog.


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## tippykayak (Oct 27, 2008)

One other thought: toy dogs are often a poor choice for people with young children. It's VERY easy for a child to injure or even kill a toy dog. The child has to be old enough to understand that the dog can't be hugged or played with roughly.


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## BriGuy (Aug 31, 2010)

Thanks - these were actually some of my concerns as well. I know a lot of people want small dogs, but don't appreciate the fragility of the animal. 

As for the reasons not to go with a purebred dog, I have no clue, though I suspect it is kind of the "in" thing to do right now. In the classes I've taken with Cookie, at least 3/4s of the dogs have been some kind of *-poo or *-doodle...and these were not pound puppies either! One doodle was flown in from Australia.


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## Tahnee GR (Aug 26, 2006)

I will emphasize the fragility of these little dogs. I worked with a man who had a Yorkshire terrier. One afternoon his sons were wrestling, rolled over the dog and killed it. It was just an awful situation for everyone


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## vcm5 (Apr 20, 2011)

Oh no, that is the saddest story! That just about makes me cry. What an awful feeling for everyone involved.


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## TuckersMom (Sep 26, 2010)

My mom has two purebred Malteses, one is about 10 and she weighs about 13lbs (fatty!) and the other is about 3 years and weighs less than 3lbs. They are from different breeders so that explains the size difference, but you CAN find malteses that are a bit larger, but if you plan to show them make sure they are within the AKC recognized range. Charley is a bit big to be a show dog  I have a pomeranian/chihuahua that lives with my dad, and I never intended to own her, she kind of just fell on my lap. But I have never loved a dog more than I love her. She is such a doll. If you are going to get a small dog, I would say PLEASE check out petfinder or your local shelter...little mutt dogs get so overlooked because so many people want these "designer" dogs.


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## TuckersMom (Sep 26, 2010)

On the subject of small dogs, before my mom got Cooper (the small one), the breeders had a litter and the one my mom was supposed to get was stepped on at 5 weeks...she was killed instantly. It was hard for her to agree to get another, she was devastated. The breeders felt terrible and insisted they have a litter just for my mom. But definitely definitely be careful. There are many times I have stepped on Ellie (my pom/chi) and was afraid I was going to squish her!


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## DianaM (Feb 18, 2010)

My aunt has one and unfortuntely got her from a pet store so she's had tons of problems with potty training. It's been almost 2 years that they've had her now and I think it's just starting to get better. I haven't heard an update in a while but she was asking for a ton of advice a year ago.


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