Cute morkie puppies

I've hand-picked a selection of things I hope you and your Morkie will love, here at Just Morkies

You'll find pages of:

Morkie clothes
"just for fun" toys and stuff
Morkie collars and leads
Morkie beds
Cameras (even a Morkie-cam!!)
Morkie books

Enjoy!

The Morkie is not actually a breed - it's a "designer dog" that has purposely been bred from two purebred parents. You can see more examples here of morkie pups.

One parent is a Maltese - extremely sweet and lovable little dogs that have been apart of aristocracy for more than 28 centuries. With long, to the ground, pure white fur, they're very glamorous!

Right, a show Maltese from Dogsindepth:The Online Dog Encyclopedia

A purebred Maltese is bred with a purebred Yorkshire Terrier. The Yorkie is much more "feisty" than a Maltese (read: aggressive); and is high spirited, affectionate, energetic and very clever. (I've had more than 20 Maltese over the years, and currently have a Yorkie. You can see her here at Pictures of Yorkies.

Like the Maltese, Yorkshire Terriers need plenty of grooming, so you can expect your Morkie to be the same.

For more on the characteristics of both Maltese and Yorkies, check out my other lens, Maltese or Yorkie? Get Both with a Morkie!

Right, a show quality Yorkshire Terrier, featured on Flickr pages of DonnataMae

A purebred Yorkshire Terrier bred with a purebred Maltese = a Morkie

Is this a good combination?
Yes... and no.

On the plus side -- Morkies are...
- ADORABLE puppies that grow into ADORABLE dogs
- small size
- varied colours
- great temperament, although a little aggressive

On the not-so-plus side--
- you could end up combining the "worst of" each of the stock breeds - the Yorkie and the Maltese.

According to many experts, Yorkshire Terriers can be willful, making training difficult. They are very territorial - and so can bark a lot. They need tons of human attention.

The Maltese is famously hard to housetrain. They're really not suitable for children because of their very fine bones. Maltese can be finicky eaters and often suffer indigestion. And like the Yorkie, the Maltese is territorial and will bark, even bite, when he feels his family is threatened.

Pictured: Another pup from Melanie Waters

Take a peek at tons of hand-picked and custom-designed Morkie gifts, gear and more on Zazzle, or my CafePress store

1 Am I acting on impulse or am I ready for the commitment?

When you bring a new animal into your life, you can expect a lot of uproar... your lifestyle and your household will never be quite the same again! If you're not prepared to accept change, then you should reconsider. Pets depend on their owners to fulfill all of their needs. That's huge! They can't eat, drink, exercise, relax or even sleep without you.

Are you ready for a young puppy, who will need to be fed every 4 hours for a few weeks, and taken outside every hour or so during waking time to pee or poop?

Although the temptation of a cute puppy is very strong, understanding the commitment that comes with pet ownership can save you lots of stress and even heartache down the road.

2 Does my lifestyle allow for a new pet? How much time do I have for my new dog? Where will my dog stay?

It's key to recognize that training, caring for and exercising your new puppy will take up a ton of time and patience. Especially patience! It can be a stressful time at first for both you and your pup, not to mention your family and friends!

Chewing and scratching and peeing on the carpet are all part of the deal. This can be super frustrating but you have to be ready for it and be understanding... you have to work with your new puppy to address these behaviors consistently and kindly.

Do you have time to introduce the new puppy to your household, as well as time to house-train and obedience train the new addition? Don't forget to factor in walks - dogs must be walked 20 minutes twice a day, no matter how small they are.

Have you got arrangements made for someone to come in and take the dog outside for a walk when you're at work? 8 to 10 hours a day is far too long to leave a dog - the result will be an anxious, neurotic dog that will probably respond by eliminating indoors and destroying things out of boredom and anxiety.

3 Will my future plans and ambitions allow me to properly care for my new dog?

You can't base your decision on getting a dog solely on your current situation. Where you and your family may be in the future? Is there a chance that in the near future you may move, go back to school or change careers? Sure, no one has a crystal ball but a dog can make things complicated.

4 Are my living arrangements suitable for a new dog?

Where you live can have a big bearing on whether you get a new pet and what kind of pet you ultimately choose.

A dog needs exercise space both indoors and outdoor, and can't be left in a kennel cage all day. Do you have room? If your dog barks a lot, will your neighbours complain?

5 Is everyone onside for a new puppy?
Getting a puppy is something that everyone in the household has to agree with... even if it is just "yours." Allergies or phobias, or just plain intolerance for animals don't make the household ideal for a dog. And if you have young children, you might want to wait a bit before getting a smaller breed like a Yorkie or Maltese or Morkie.... they're not really kid-friendly because their bones are somewhat fragile and a child can accidentally hurt them.

If you have older children, I can guarantee you that they will NOT look after the dog, no matter how much they promise... sure they might be a big help, but the responsibility rests on you the adult.

6 Can I afford a pet?
This is a big one, and we don't always want to look closely at it, but dogs are expensive.... you need all the "stuff" (dog bed, combs and brushes, kennel cage, leashes, etc.), a good quality food and regular vet care including regular vaccinations and mediations for things like heart worm. It adds up!

I'm not gonna kid you: it won't be easy. Maltese are notoriously difficult to house train; and Yorkies are only a little better!

This is probably the only "flaw" I would find in a Maltese, a Yorkshire Terrier or a Morkie. But it's pretty annoying.

Good news!

I've just come across a GREAT new training system - wish I'd had it about 20 Maltese puppies ago...... it's called "Potty Training your Puppy in 7 days or less," and it really does work (YES! SEVEN DAYS!)

You can learn more when you click here, or click on the picture below.

Good luck - believe me, this is a great system!

Check out my lens on housetraining toy dogs - is it possible? here

f you're considering buying a Morkie, you'll need to be very careful where you buy him. Since a Morkie is a hybrid dog or designer dog, you won't find breeders approved by the national kennel club association. So you need to be extra careful you're not buying from a puppy mill.

Puppy mills are one of the most despicable things on earth.... exploiting, abusing and torturing dogs all in the name of making money. Just look at this poor Maltese breeding machine, before and after her rescue from a Quebec puppy mill.

So what are the warning sizes that you're probably dealing with a puppy mill? Thanks to Canadian and American Humane Societies for these tips:

1. the person selling you the puppy doesn't have either parent on site. That's weird. Where's the mother especially? And what about the father?

2. the person you're talking to, on the phone or by email, wants to meet you somewhere other than his or her place. That's probably because they don't even raise these dogs themselves, they're just agents in a long chain of animal abusers. Or, the person IS the puppy mill owner, so of course, you'd never get a look at their premises.

3. the person knows little or nothing about the breed or hybrid / designer breed. To tell the truth, most breeders and even just animal lovers, will talk your ear off when it comes to their "fur babies" People who are interested in dogs and raising dogs, really, really can tell you a lot of stuff about their own dogs, the breed in general, other people who are breeding the dogs, what "special food" they should eat, and on and on and on. Question the person trying to sell you the pup. If he doesn't know much, you can be sure he's part of the puppy mill conspiracy.

4. You do get to go to the premises of the breeder, but once you're there you see there are lots and lots of dog breeds - mostly designer dogs or hybrids. This is another huge signal that you're dealing with a scumbag. Again, breeders interested in dogs virtually always gravitate to one or two breeds only. And usually they are purebreds. And we've agreed, designer dogs or hybrid dogs can be great -- but they're also a great way for uncaring people to make lots of money fast.

5. There are too many dogs around, and nearly all are female. Bingo - puppy mill. The females are bred each and every time they come into heat, from a very early age until their early death. When you see too many dogs around, or a lot of female-only dogs, chances are you've come upon a puppy mill. So run, don't walk, away.