Morkie puppy

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Cubs Fan
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Morkie puppy

Post by Cubs Fan »

DM and DW ages 78 and 72 are considering a Morkie puppy. What is the personality like for a Morkie? Do they bark a lot? Can they be left alone for several hours? Are they protective? Do they bite? Do they tolerate small children? Do they attach themselves to one person to the exclusion of all others? Are they easily trained? Are they intelligent? Thanks.
wait until next year!
fposte
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Re: Morkie puppy

Post by fposte »

Have you had dogs, especially puppies, before? If not, I'd start with an older dog rather than a puppy. A puppy really can't be left on its own for long periods of time, and small dogs have small bladders so housetraining requires vigilance. Both the Maltese and the Yorkie sides skew toward barkiness. With a mix where each contributor has different characteristics, it's hard to pre-call an individual--terriers tend to be smart but with an independent streak, while Maltese are more eager to please. While every breed can bite if improperly socialized and trained, Yorkies have terrier boldness that makes them more inclined than softer dogs.

How'd a Morkie come to be the dog under consideration?
brad.clarkston
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Re: Morkie puppy

Post by brad.clarkston »

There happy but barky, ours is dumb as a box of rocks but he's probably an outlier. They don't tend to like being without at least one of there humans even with our two cats he will set at the door or window and bark when we are gone. He's not very loud you have to be close to the front porch to hear him.

They are dialed up to 12 out of 10 on the energy dial for the first 4-5 years and slow down a bit until around 10 and then sleep allot.

The one thing to keep in mind, after the first year ours changed fur color drastically. He was soled black with a bit of brown on his face and muzzle. After he turned one that changed to white and muddy gray. That is very dependent on his parents genes and will probably very allot.

While ours is rock stupid and off white/gray he's 15 and still in really good health according to the vet, he has the trachea coughing problem but a pill a day takes care of that and a really bad case of pancreatitis but a very low fat diet and no human or cat food takes care of that.

He still has allot of energy when outside or when he gets wound up but he's been snoring in his dog bed next to me for the last 2 hours.

Don't be shocked if he/she eats allot. Pound for pound he eats more than our cats who are x2 and x4 times larger than he is. That slowed down the last 2 years but he still can put it away every couple of days.
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Padlin
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Re: Morkie puppy

Post by Padlin »

Cubs Fan wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 4:51 pm DM and DW ages 78 and 72 are considering a Morkie puppy. What is the personality like for a Morkie? Do they bark a lot? Can they be left alone for several hours? Are they protective? Do they bite? Do they tolerate small children? Do they attach themselves to one person to the exclusion of all others? Are they easily trained? Are they intelligent? Thanks.
I only have 1/2 the combination, a Maltese, our 2nd, so that's all I can answer for.

Personality, very friendly but a bit skittish for a minute when experiencing someone, or something, new. They are very good with kids, but same thing, they might bark at kids when they don't know them. Problem is kids love the tiny dogs and run up to them, sometimes in groups. We try and keep such encounters controlled so they don't et scared and bite. It's never happened but it's worth watching out for.

Our 2nd barks a lot, people, cars, all big dogs, cats. It's our biggest issue with her. Our previous one didn't bark at anything so it's a crap shoot.

Neither were protective.

Both could/can be left alone for hours on end. They do suffer some separation anxiety, but they manage. We hire someone to come over and stay at the house if we are going to be gone for longer periods, basically a baby sitter.

Neither of ours attached themselves to exclusively to one person, they had/have a favorite, but it's not a big deal. They are fine with whoever we leave them with.

Easily house broken, if you are persistent. Can be trained but as far as I'm concerned, not easily. I would not classify them as either smart or dumb, kind of middle of the road. A smart dog wouldn't continually try to attack cars driving by. This one sometimes barks at trash cans, parked cars, scare crows, pumpkins, or just about anything else that is out of place.
Regards | Bob
Arabesque
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Re: Morkie puppy

Post by Arabesque »

I’m not sure why they want to pay money for a mutt. When you cross two breeds, there is no way to predict what the puppies will be like. Some may be sweet, calm, docile (dumb), easily house broken like Maltese. Others will be lively, funny, and noisy like Yorkies. Some will be a mixture of the traits.

I have groomed both and owned a Maltese. I admit neither would be my first choice for a pet. I find them a bit fragile. What are your parents looking for in a dog? A cuddly darling? Get a Maltese. An amusing wild child with a terrier bark? Get a Yorkie.

If they want to be sure of getting a healthy puppy, they would be wise to do some study. Here are links to nonprofit clubs that support and educate about both breeds. http://www.theyorkshireterrierclubofamerica.org/
https://www.americanmaltese.org/

People have Very different ideas about what dogs should be. Purebred dogs reflect many generations, even centuries, of careful, purposeful work to create breeds. Good breeders (not greeders) really work to preserve the tradition.
clip651
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Re: Morkie puppy

Post by clip651 »

Cubs Fan wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 4:51 pm DM and DW ages 78 and 72 are considering a Morkie puppy. What is the personality like for a Morkie? Do they bark a lot? Can they be left alone for several hours? Are they protective? Do they bite? Do they tolerate small children? Do they attach themselves to one person to the exclusion of all others? Are they easily trained? Are they intelligent? Thanks.
If you aren't sure about a breed or mix you're interested in, go meet a number of them in person. This may be more difficult right now due to the pandemic. But if you really don't know what a morkie (or maltese, or anything else) is like, you don't really know if you want one yet.

Puppies take a lot of work and a lot of training for many months to a year. They can't be left alone long at all in the beginning. How they turn out will be a combination of their personality and their training and socialization as a puppy. A puppy that was raised with no kids nearby may not be good with kids later in life, for instance. Additionally, as mentioned by another poster previously, morkies aren't a breed, they are a mix, so there is additional unpredictability in personality and traits compared to getting a purebred.

A good option for anyone worried about how their dog will turn out, is to consider getting an adult dog. Some reputable breeders (the types that raise their dogs in their own homes, socialize all their dogs, breed for good health as well as for good temperament, are available to help new owners with questions, etc) will have adult dogs available for purchase. Sometimes these are retired show dogs. Other times they are what the breeder considers to be "pet quality" - they may have some small flaw that makes them not win in the show ring, but they may be wonderful pets. If the breeder has done a good job training and socializing, these can be wonderful house pets because someone experienced has already done the house training and other training and socialization.

Additionally, when you get an adult dog, you can meet it and see how their personality instead of guessing how the puppy will be when they grow up. Even within a breed, some will be more barky, or more protective, or more outgoing, or more shy, etc.

Getting an adult dog from a rescue is also an option. If you go right to a shelter, sometimes they don't have a lot of info on the dog (is it house trained? good with kids? etc), and you may be adopting an adult dog that has no basic training or needs retraining, etc. This can be fine for experienced owners. Some shelters and some rescues have some of their dogs, especially smaller dogs, in foster homes. In those cases you can often get a lot more info on the dog's personality and training, and the foster will likely have started house training and whatnot.

Lastly, many (but not all) of the mixed breed puppies sold these days come from puppy mills. Unless you are going to a breeder where you can go to their house, meet the parent dogs, and see how they raise their dogs (both adult and puppies) there is an excellent chance you're either getting a puppy mill pup or a pup from an inexperienced breeder. The downsides of this are many, but include a lack of breeding for good health and temperament, as well as a lack of early socialization and possible health problems from poor condition in the kennel. With the puppy mill, your purchase money will also be supporting an industry that is inhumane to dogs.

Regardless of what dog you get, do some reading about basic positive dog training. If you get a puppy, please go to a good puppy class. They will help you train your new buddy.

Best wishes, hope you find the right dog for your home and enjoy life together.
cj
clip651
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Re: Morkie puppy

Post by clip651 »

Cubs Fan wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 4:51 pm DM and DW ages 78 and 72
Also, can you please decode this? DW is often dear wife on message boards, but I'm only guessing your meaning since not everyone uses these abbreviations the same way. What do you mean by DM and DW? If these are relatives of yours, please have them read the thread. :D
Thanks,
cj
stan1
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Re: Morkie puppy

Post by stan1 »

clip651 wrote: Sun Oct 17, 2021 9:27 am
Cubs Fan wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 4:51 pm DM and DW ages 78 and 72
Also, can you please decode this? DW is often dear wife on message boards, but I'm only guessing your meaning since not everyone uses these abbreviations the same way. What do you mean by DM and DW? If these are relatives of yours, please have them read the thread. :D
Thanks,
cj
DM was new to me also. Dear myself?
clip651
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Re: Morkie puppy

Post by clip651 »

I'm guessing maybe a typo. :D Hopefully Cubs Fan will clarify.
dak
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Re: Morkie puppy

Post by dak »

Have you considered a shelter animal for them? Won't get bragging rights for a special breed, but there are tons of animals available in all age ranges - if they want a lower energy companion, they will probably find an older dog that will fit the bill. Lots of animals out there that need good homes, even after the run on pets from the Covid quarantine.
Topic Author
Cubs Fan
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Re: Morkie puppy

Post by Cubs Fan »

Error Correction due to typo. Should read DH not DM. Sorry to make you guess what I meant.
wait until next year!
rockstar
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Re: Morkie puppy

Post by rockstar »

I always adopt. I have a mutt of a mutt of a mutt.

Of course, now, someone really smart has come up with Doodles, which are mutts that can be sold for lots of money. Strange.

I suggest finding a dog that matches their activity level. Ideally, I'd adopt because so many shelter dogs are put down every year. It's just sad.
wfrobinette
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Re: Morkie puppy

Post by wfrobinette »

Cubs Fan wrote: Sat Oct 16, 2021 4:51 pm DM and DW ages 78 and 72 are considering a Morkie puppy. What is the personality like for a Morkie? Do they bark a lot? Can they be left alone for several hours? Are they protective? Do they bite? Do they tolerate small children? Do they attach themselves to one person to the exclusion of all others? Are they easily trained? Are they intelligent? Thanks.
Have one. Also have a bichon/maltese mix.

1. Once they get potty trained they can go a while but not a full 8 hour day.
2. Maltese are stubborn but pretty smart.
3. Our morkie was tiny at 8 weeks but grew into a 18lb stud.
4. Both Dogs even house trained still have "accidents". If it's raining or the grass is too wet neither like going outside
5. Both deal with Children well but our Morkie has become a bit food aggressive but I think that's because we have a total of 3 dogs.
6. None of pour digs have ever bitten anyone.
7. Our morkie isn't the smartest of the bunch either.

I will caution you that these dogs live as long time. Unless you guys are in great health and will likely live 15 years or so I would strongly discourage you to get a puppy. Very few people will adopt a senior dog. The absolute worst thing you could do to a dog his hand it to a shelter
clip651
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Re: Morkie puppy

Post by clip651 »

wfrobinette wrote: Mon Oct 18, 2021 1:28 pm
I will caution you that these dogs live as long time. Unless you guys are in great health and will likely live 15 years or so I would strongly discourage you to get a puppy. Very few people will adopt a senior dog. The absolute worst thing you could do to a dog his hand it to a shelter
This is also a great reason to consider adopting an older adult shelter dog (5 years or more, up to senior with health problems). You'll be really saving the dog and giving it a good home to live out its senior years. And you might end up with a lovely dog that is already sweet, house trained, etc.
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Padlin
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Re: Morkie puppy

Post by Padlin »

There are Morkie Rescues.

I'm surprised a Morkie can get to 18 lbs seeing as how both Yorkies and Maltese are 7 lbs.
Regards | Bob
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