What Is a Teacup Morkie?

Teacup Morkies are mixed-breed dogs that are crosses between a Maltese and a Yorkshire Terrier (or any further combinations of those breeds). They are very small dogs with lots of hair, beady little eyes, and a tiny black nose. While they can be affectionate and charming, these dogs can also be quite high maintenance as far as the attention they require. They do not do well being left alone and can be prone to letting you know how they feel about that by barking and making messes.

Basic Morkie Information*

General Miniature Morkie Description

Morkies are small dogs who are almost toylike in their appearance. They are actively sought out for this permanent puppy look and have become very popular in recent years. They are under 10 inches with small black eyes and a black nose. This size does make them less suitable for small children as they can be easily hurt by even the gentlest toddler.

Teacup Morkie breeders usually list their puppies depending on their sizes. There is the miniature Morkie, toy Morkie, teacup Morkie, and micro teacup Morkie. As this is a hybrid breed, there are no true “breed standards” that you would be able to find on any AKC-registered dog. It seems that as the size of the dog goes down the price tag goes up. Generally breeders have their own size requirements that help them put a title on the dog. One teacup Morkie breeder’s idea of a toy may be a teacup to a different breeder; again, as this is a mixed breed there are no universal breed standards.

Some teacup Morkie breeders also will market this dog as being hypoallergenic. No dog is 100% hypoallergenic even as a purebred, and even less so as a mixed breed, since you never know what genes are going to be passed on. That said, both the Maltese and the Yorkshire Terrier are known for being well tolerated by many people with allergies so this gives Morkies a higher chance of being well tolerated versus a dog with one or both parents who shed.

Morkie Temperament

The well-bred and raised teacup Morkie puppy is an intelligent, happy-go-lucky dog that excels at tricks and agility. They do well with gentle children and want to be with you constantly. They can be quite needy and should be taught correct expectations and limitations early to prevent confusion as they age.

The smallest teacup Morkie has been bred down over the years from dogs who generally do not meet the AKC or other recognized breed organization breed standards. These dogs, such as teacup Yorkshire Terriers, teacup Poodles, etc. are generally bred from the runts, or other dogs that do not carry the ideals of the breed. Very few, if any, ethical breeders would breed these dogs as they are more prone to health issues, shyness and defects such as an under or overbite. As such, these dogs are prone to being nervous, possibly leading to fear aggression, have smaller bladders and therefore require more frequent bathroom breaks and tend to be very high-strung.

The other issue is that because of their size a lot of people do not see the point in spending the time to properly socialize and train their dogs, leading to small dog syndrome. This must not be allowed. Teacup dogs of all breeds also are at risk of falling into the phenomenon known as the “Handbag Dog.” These dogs get carried everywhere and are usually permitted to have despicable manners.

Caring for a Morkie Puppy

Caring for a teacup Morkie puppy is significantly more work than caring for a larger dog. As their stomachs are smaller than regular dogs they require feeding at least four times a day as a puppy and at least three times a day for the rest of their life.

These dogs also require significant grooming and it is best to find a groomer who is familiar with such a small dog as they have special grooming and handling needs.

Teacup Morkies are not free from the genetic faults of their parental lines; therefore, Morkies are prone to oral health issues as well as eye and ear problems. They are also prone to collapsed trachea, hypoglycemia, patellar luxation and other genetic issues, making it imperative to be sure the parents have been checked for genetic abnormalities.

As teacup and toy Morkies are so small, they do very well in apartments and have very few exercise requirements.

Training Your Teacup Morkie Puppy

Morkie Teacup puppies can be a handful to train. Despite their small size and intelligence, they often don’t take well to training because they are prone to being very stubborn and vindictive. These dogs require constant gentle, yet firm training to ensure a happy, healthy adult is in their future instead of the terror they could become.

One easy way to do this is to get past his sweet eyes and to imagine your little 2 pound puppy as a much larger dog. Do not allow any behaviour from your Morkie that you would not allow from a 50-pound Labrador Retriever. Once these training basics have been mastered, you can relax and have fun with your Morkie, training them plenty of tricks which they will in turn use with their playful antics to entertain you for hours.

Questions to Ask Teacup Morkie Breeders

The Parents: Asking about a dog’s parents is incredibly important in all breeds but especially when dealing with such small dogs prone to genetic issues. Ask things like:

• Are the parents registered?
• Have the parents gone through genetic testing to rule out genetic issues?
• Can I meet the parents?
• What are the parents’ temperaments like?

The Vet: Asking about what experience the puppy has had is also incredibly important. You need to know:

• Have they had their shots?
• Have they been dewormed?
• Has any other puppy in the litter been treated for an illness?
• What is the overall health of the puppy?

Children: Even if your family doesn’t have children at the time you purchase your teacup Morkie, you should take it into consideration as you never know what your future holds. You may have children of your own or there may be children that enter your life that the dog would need to interact with. Early exposure to well-behaved children is never a bad thing and can only benefit your puppy.

Other animals: Unless you plan on your dog never having contact with other dogs, which is a whole issue on its own, your dog should know how to behave politely around other dogs and this requires constant socialization. Lack of socialization can lead to potential fights if your dog does not know how to behave politely and, considering their size, they will more than likely not be on the winning end.

* All attributes of the Morkie are approximations only as the Morkie is a mixed-breed dog and can take on any combination of their ancestral breeds, in this case the Maltese and the Yorkshire Terrier and any combination thereof. For more information please see Yorkshire Terrier and Maltese.