most popular pure breeds eyes while grooming If you are a small dog lover 99.9% chances are that you’ve heard about the very sweet, cuddly, affectionate, ridiculously adorable and great personality toy breed dogs known as the Morkie and the Yorkie. These two toy breeds morkie vs Yorkie are not only small and sweet but also intelligent, friendly and make great companions.
Even though all these qualities are great, choosing between the morkie or the Yorkie can prove to be an incredibly futile task as they have way too many characteristics in common. However, each of them boasts its own unique characteristics, advantages and also disadvantages.
Fortunately, you don’t have to perform any guesswork as we prepared a rundown of all the facts that you need to know about the morkie and the Yorkie to help you make a choice on the breed that suits your best.
Contents
What is a Morkie and Yorkie?
Before we take a deep dive into their characteristics and all factors morkie vs yorkie, it is essential you understand what they are and their origins.
The Yorkie
The Yorkie is one of the most popular dogs around. There is no doubt that you’ve come across him more times than you can recall in dog parks, trains, planes and even hotels. This is because they are small and easy to carry around. The Yorkie is a terrier and is known as the Yorkshire terrier in full.
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Characteristics 101- Height, Color, And Weight
It mostly features a beautiful flowing silky body coat with a golden tan and has hair that splits exactly at the spine and the muzzle. Yorkies commonly come in two colors, chocolate brown and sterling steel with a golden tan. They have a lively and also comic tuft of hair on top of the head. They weigh 4 to 6 pounds and grow up to a height of between 8 and 9 inches. If given the right care, Yorkies can live up to 15 years but the average lifespan is 12 years.
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Origin
The Yorkie has been around since early 1800 when it was first bred by English and Scottish workers who worked in coal mines and textile mills. The Scottish workers bred the Clydesdale terrier with the local terriers in the early 1860’s and that is when the Yorkie came to be.
The original purpose of the Yorkie was to chase rats, mice and other small animals that were a menace in the mills and mines. However, the story took a complete turn when the workers came with it to America and the upper-class ladies back then saw it and were wowed by its beauty and personality. A factor that saw it rise to popularity and become a first-class lap dog for the high profile members of the community.
Since then, it has been a story of glory for the Yorkie as it continues to amaze people with its breathtaking beauty making it one of the top bred toy breed dogs in the world.
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Behavior and character
The Yorkie is a very energetic, inquisitive and incredibly loyal breed. However, it easily gets attached and is among the breeds which highly rely on companionship hence you can’t leave it alone for long periods as it tends to develop separation anxiety. On the other side, they are very brave, smart and confident. Nevertheless, you might want to avoid overeating Yorkies as they tend to turn into spoils brats if you do. Also, they tend to be mischievous around strangers.
The Morkie
Now let’s talk about another famed toy breed, the Morkie. This tiny, adorable and confident small dog is a product of two of the most popular pure breeds, the Maltese and the Yorkie. It is also known as the Yorktese. If you love both the Maltese and the Yorkie then going for a Morkie makes the perfect gamble as it possesses the quality of both and is an adorable fluffy little fellow that everyone loves having around.
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Characteristics 101 – Height, Weight, And Color
Being a cross breed of the Maltese and the Yorkie, Morkies come in different color variations, the most common being; black, white, solid beige, a shade of apricot, black tan, brown, silver grayish, black and tan or even at times tricolors. Unlike the Yorkie, the Morkie has a soft long and flowing coat. They can grow up to a height of 6 to 9 inches but some grow to 12 inches and weigh between 7 and 8 lbs.
They have a coat instead of hair and were meant to be non-shedding thus you’ll never have to stress about finding tons of hair on your bed, couch, car seats or clothes. However, you’ll have to trim their hair often and brush them on a daily basis.
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Origin
Unlike the Yorkie which originates from England, the Morkie has its roots in the United States and from the word go, it was meant to be a lap dog. The sole aim of breeders was to create a smaller toy dog that has a low shedding coat and looking at the cute tiny fluff balls that morkies are, there is no doubt that they achieved their goal.
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Behavior and Character
When it comes to character, Morkies pack a lot of similarities to Yorkies. For instance, they are friendly, confident and very brave. Like most lap dogs and also like the Yorkie, they are loyal and constantly want your attention.
Therefore, you may have to constantly spend time with them and give them attention as they tend to react badly if ignored or left alone for a long time.
Unlike the Yorkie, Morkies are overprotective of their owners and will not tolerate strangers. Hence they are always alert and bark at strangers. It’s more like they are big dogs trapped in a small body. The Morkie is family friendly and is a great apartment dog.
Care Tips And General Hygiene Routine Morkie Vs Yorkie
When it comes to grooming, the hygiene routine carried out is almost the same. Therefore, you have to pay close attention to the hair, ears, and eyes while grooming to prevent dirt build-ups and hair tangling. Additionally, you need to clip the nails on a regular basis. Use a mild shampoo to prevent dog fleas and remove the dirt completely.
For the morkies, brush and trim the hair to prevent tangling and matting. Also like most small dogs, morkies and yorkie have bad breath problems so brush their teeth frequently not only for fresher breath but also to prevent tooth loss. Lastly, both need regular visits to the vets. Additionally, they are both small fragile dogs which need to be handled with care especially the Morkie as it can easily get hurt when you step, sit or roll over it.
When it comes to feeding, ask recommendations from your vet but the most suitable food for both the morkie and the Yorkie is dry as it prevents gum infections, bad breath, plaque buildups and tooth loss.
Both are stubborn but reasonably easy to train and as mentioned earlier, they are intelligent hence you can be sure that it will be easy for you to get them to learn commands. However, you’ll need to be gentle and patient during training sessions and don’t forget to praise and treat them when they do well.
Health Problems Morkie Either Yorkie
Most morkie dogs suffer from problems such as glaucoma, tracheal collapse, reverse sneezing, hypoglycemia and even worse heart disease. They also suffer patella luxation and port systemic shunt. Most of these diseases are often inherited from the parents, which is why it is essential that you carry out a background research on your Morkie’s lineage to avoid such problems. Also, ensure that you pay regular visits to your vet for checkups.
If well taken care of, a Morkie can live up to 16 years. As for the Yorkie, it also suffers similar problems except that progressive retinal atrophy adds on the list and is more rampant in Yorkie before the age of two years. Most Yorkies, Morkies and other toy breeds suffer hypoglycemia when stressed especially when they are still puppies so talk to your vet about your options.
Cost Of Morkie vs. Yorkie
When it comes to costs, a Morkie pup will cost you at least $800 to $1700 and it will cost you up to $1000 for upkeep in twelve months. Also, morkies are small but have an appetite for a big dog and can easily devour a whole bag of dog food if not watched. Therefore, ensure that you serve them depending on recommendations from your vet and the pet food manufacturer to prevent them from being overweight.
Read More Here : Before Buying a Morkie
The same case applies to Yorkies. The cost of puppies ranges from $800 to $10,000 and the recommended amount of food on a daily basis for both is ½ to ¾ cup of top quality dry food a day. Divide this into two. Nevertheless keep in mind that the amount of food that your dog eats depends on factors such as metabolism, age, and build and activity level.
Differences Morkie vs. Yorkie
- The Yorkie is a pure breed while the Morkie is a mix of the Yorkie and the Maltese hence will never be considered as pure even in its first generation
- Morkies come in a diverse array of color variations while Yorkies are a pure breed and hence available in only a few variations
- The Morkie is very friendly but doesn’t like strangers and will bark at anyone who it doesn’t know hence making a good indoor guard dog while the Yorkie does not bark a lot and is mischievous around strangers
- The Yorkie has more oral problems while the Morkie has more eye problems
Final Thoughts
At the end of the day, both breeds are adorable and it all comes down to your preference. If you love a smaller, cuddly and a dog that looks like a mass of fluff balls then the morkie suits you best while if you like a slightly bigger dog that’s also incredibly adorable and clingy then a Yorkie suits you better. Both are adorable, affectionate and cuddly toy breeds that every dog lover would die to own.
They are house friendly but not suitable for people with small children and toddlers as kids play can be careless which means they may easily hurt these fragile breeds.
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