Morkie Care

Morkie care means you will be devoting your life to the next 11-12 years making sure your Morkie puppy gets a lot of attention, a proper diet, and so much more. Learning how to take care of a Morkie should not be a hard job but a loving task. If you have heard this hybrid dog called a Yorktese or a Yorkshire Terrier, you shouldn't fret as they are names for the same mixed breed dog. This page will help you understand the many aspects of raising and caring for a Morkie as well as give tips, information, and help on how to do it all.

The Morkie has a lot of energy but few exercise needs. As these dogs tend to grow slowly shortly after being born, even light exercise must be done later than most other dog types. You should wait until they are about 4-5 months before you even walk them. Even then, the walks should be short and easy, say no more than 5 minutes or so. They can get most of their daily activity requirements met on their own providing they have the right environment.

Exercise should not be strenuous in the first year. These are small dogs that are highly excitable, overly courageous, and remarkably fragile. Children should be mature and taught how to be careful when engaging a Morkie. Extreme weather should be avoided, as should anything that might cause respiratory problems. They should be walked for a number of reasons, but an important one is so the concrete (sidewalks are best) will help wear down their nails. They should never be let off the leash when walking as they will chase after squirrels, cats, birds, and other animals. At dog parks, they should be kept from interacting unsupervised (if at all) with larger dogs, as they will not back down. Even when playing, a larger dog can accidentally cause injury. If they are not exercised, they will bark non-stop, and they can destroy furniture and doors fairly rapidly, as well as injure themselves doing so.

There are not many exercises recommended for this hybrid dog. They'll spend most their time trotting around the house checking on you and everything else. Rubber (or tennis) balls and other little toys will keep them amused. A short walk every day is essential, however, and for a number of reasons: discipline, a change of scenery, etc. here are a few easy exercises that will keep your little Yorktese in tip-top shape:

• Walking: be sure to not go too fast, and jogging is not advised.
• Fetch: Morkies love to please their owners, and they'll love this!
• Stick-hopping: While high-jumping is not good for them, low jumps over a broom or other stick held low by you can provide a way to burn off energy while inside.
• Training (or agility) weaves: Sticks stuck in the ground, or little cones set up inside, can provide a lot of exercise as well as help with training.

As Morkies can eat a lot, using snacks for obedience training during and after walks is recommended. If during a long walk, she stops or slows down a lot, you might want to carry her. Don't risk injury by forcing her to finish the walk. Also, a proper diet will help prevent obesity. Obesity is a problem that can quickly cause respiratory problems that can be very dangerous when Mortise get over-exerted. Make sure she has plenty of safe space inside to walk around as she pleases for as long as she desires.

Although Morkies have their maintenance issues in other ways, shedding and drooling are not concerns. Well, they are not concerns so long as there is not a health problem.

Neither the purebred parents or this hybrid dog are known for drooling. If sudden, excessive, or odd-looking slobber does happen, you should inspect the dog's mouth, observe if there are other reactions, and call your vet. These little dogs can get into and under things you can't imagine. They are also very curious and have a hunting drive, so they may have captured and eaten a bug, toad, or something else making them drool.

Morkie shedding is not a problem, but keeping the coat from becoming a gnarly, matted, and tangled mess is. The brushing requires much more than brushing with any old hair brush, however. Tips on the kinds of brushes and combs, the ways to use them, and how to keep your Morkie's coat from becoming a mess can be found in the Morkie Grooming section. If there is a shedding problem, either partially (from, say, a "hot spot") or the entire coat, it's best to call a vet as well as perhaps prepare to visit a professional groomer.

Your Morkie may be small — even tiny! — but she will eat more than you imagine. As puppies, these dogs should be fed small amounts frequently rather than one or two large meals a day. They should not be free-fed, however, as they will eat themselves into a balloon! They are also known to be finicky eaters. Moving her dish to another place, using a plate instead of a bowl (so her eyes aren't obscured by the sides while eating), and maintaining basic feeding times are tips that can help. Whatever you do, never give in to her pushy attempts to feed her table scraps, as this can cause digestive problems. Although there is no specific Morkie puppy food, there are many great appropriate dog foods for puppies that grow into small dogs.

A proper diet will help prevent having a fat Morkie in your home. There is much that needs to be understood, and the most basic thing is that if your Morkie become obese, this can lead to a lot of significant health problems. Obesity in small dogs — and worse, small puppies — puts strain on the joints, taxes the digestive system, and can cause issues in the coat, stool, and behavior. Getting small kibbles will help prevent choking and other digestive issues. Small dogs tend to have a faster metabolism, and this is certainly true with the Morkie. As one of the parent breeds, the Yorkie, is well-known for having a sensitive tummy, so too might your Morkie. As such, these dogs need a food that is higher in protein than what is needed by big dogs. There is also the possibility of hypoglycemia if improper diets or too little food is available. Many Morkie owners say that kibble (dry dog food) is best for these dogs, and if you opt for a raw diet to be extra careful.

What is the best dog food for Morkies? That's a preference that can be decided by a number of factors: your budget, your Morkie's health profile, her finicky tastes, and what you ultimately decide is best after considering these and other factors. Wet canned dog food is often avoided by Morkie owners and breeders as it can cause stomach problems. Wet dog food is not good for Morkie puppies at all. The raw (or BARF: Bones And Raw Food) diet can be tricky. What may be the best food for Morkies is Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet dog food. It comes in a variety of flavors for your finicky Morkie. A couple of them are Merrick Lil' Plates Grain-Free Real Chicken + Sweet Potato Recipe Small Breed and Merrick Limited Ingredient Diet Grain-Free Real Lamb + Sweet Potato Recipe.

There are no documented temperature restrictions for this breed. They are quite small and shouldn't be left in extreme weather conditions. They will most likely be indoor dogs, in which case they can be kept in any climate.