Understanding Teacup Shorkie Traits: What Makes Them Unique?

The Teacup Shorkie is a small miniature mixed breed that is created from the cross of the Shih Tzu and Yorkshire Terrier as it is the fluffiest, small pup enriched with the attitude of a bigger dog. Irrespective of reaching about 11 inches in height, the Shorkies stand fearless, aggressive and never scared to face challenges if they have a dog twice their size in front of them.

Apart from the bigger-than-life personality, the Shorkies are extremely affectionate as they form the ideal companion for the outgoing families. The Shorkies would often inherit the highly recognized silk, soft coat of the Yorkshire Terrier or the dense and long fur of the Shih Tzu. Whenever you plan to adopt a Shorkie, it remains important to know more about the temperament, care, and energy needs of adding a Shorkie puppy to your home. Today, we are going to cover the various tips that aid in deciding whether Shorkie is the ideal pup for you or not.

Shorkie Traits That Make Them Unique

Following are the traits that make Teacup Shorkie a unique breed

History of Shorkies

A Teacup Shorkie mainly existed a hundred years earlier with the aim of cross-breeding Yorkshire Terrier and Shih Tzu, which happened at the onset of the 2000s. It is often feasible for the designer breeders who hoped to develop a bit more laidback version of the aggressive Yorkshire Terrier, who is notorious for a higher level of energy for small breeds.

Shorkie Appearance

As the Shorkies are a mixed breed, it is never seamless to predict the physical traits they can inherit from their parent breeds. Typically, the Shorkies are small-stature breeds with short muzzles, compact bodies, and long flowing coats. The colors of white, tan, gold, and brindle are the types of coats you will find in them.

Shorkie Size

The Shorkies normally reach around 11 inches in height, weighing between seven to sixteen pounds. The Shorkies inherit more traits from their Yorkshire Terrier parents, who are often smaller in size, standing at around seven to eight inches. The female and male Shorkies are identical in size.

Shorkie Coat Type

The Shorkies have the coat of their Yorkshire Terrier parent, while there are others with the Shih Tzu coat. They come in long, flowing, and double coats. But the kind of coat they have is hypoallergenic and never shed in massive volumes. Typically, the Shorkies have bi-color markings, with the common combination of colors being black and tan, black and white, and blue and gold. But, there are numerous other possible colors of the coat, including liver, brindle, red, and silver.

Shorkie Temperament & Intelligence

The Shorkie is the spunkiest, smartest pup. The mix is often stubborn and downright ornery, especially when their agenda is extremely different from yours. The Yorkies are known for their massive attitude, while the Shih Tzus are on the more relaxed side.

These are the riskiest little boogers who are often challenging, especially for novice owners whenever they share traits of their Yorkie parents. They do not have the features that will make them highly incompatible with first-time pet owners; however, you would have their hands full for the initial couple of years. These small-sized furry companions are the ideal companion pets since they would want you to think that they are tough as they are the biggest snuggle bugs you can ever find. 

Shorkie Personality

Most Shorkies' personalities are said to be rather large despite their size, as most of their owners expressed. Since their personality lies common to Morkie's traits, you should always know about the differences and similarities between Shorkie and Morkie. They are lively lap dogs. They require close physical contact to achieve relaxation, just as they do when they are playing, and they may seek to run errands with you.

This combination makes Shorkies easily distracted or prone to impulsive actions due to their short attention span. They are very susceptible to prey drive and may desire to hunt anything that moves, like birds, squirrels, other people’s cats, and so on. Another fun activity for this little pup is to bark. They definitely bark when there is anyone at the doorstep, and when the postman has delivered the post, they will not fail to let you know it through your Shorkie.

Food & Diet Requirements

Shorkie Tzus can be very demanding little dogs when it comes to what’s eaten in their food dishes. Perhaps you will discover that without moist and delicious food, plain dry kibble is not enough. 

Moreover, dental issues are common for Shih Tzu’s, and if inherited by the Shorkie, they are likely to affect the Shorkie. It may perhaps be advisable to try something softer for this breed—whether a tasty canned meat or a semi-moist food. It is even possible to pour special broths intended for dog consumption over the regular kibble all the time.

The Shorkie types are believed to be natural; you have a say on the kind of food your puppy will have. In this way, you can prevent fillers and artificial additives that can harm the health of your dog.

Exercise

Shorkie Tzus requires a good amount of playtime or exercise; otherwise, they frantically ram around the house. However, they are big cuddle bugs, too. Nonetheless, the Shorkie Tzu will be full of energy; they don't really need tough exercises throughout the day. It requires approximately half an hour for them to remain healthy and happy. This time can be divided into morning and evening walking sessions, or the kids can be taken outside to play physical games in the yard.

Training

While considering training your Shorkie, they are considered medium adaptable, but they are highly stubborn and easy to train most of the time. The major problem associated with this breed is housetraining as is typical with most toy and small breed dogs. These pups can be talked to with quite some understanding they deserve, but what they need most is discipline in the form of a schedule. Training Shorkie requires repetition and consistency to ensure that the commands and other instructions given are understood effectively. These little ones are geniuses and can quickly learn new things, and the feeling they get from a pat on the back is enough motivation to make them learn.

Grooming 

Like the parents, Shorkies owners should expect their dog’s coats to be long and consist of silky hair. Thus, due to the specifics of their fur, they need to be brushed every day and taken to professional grooming at least once a month. Most of them require trims and cuts over and over again, and this gives them ample time for pampering. Similar to other canine breeds, these pups will require a regular bath, which ought to be done after 4 to 6 weeks. One thing that we should understand is that Shorkies might be super sensitive and might have problems with allergies; therefore, it is better to use shampooing without any fragrance.

Health and Conditions

As is typical with this crossbreed, the Shorkie is prone to the ailments of both parent breeds. This can create some peculiarities as they grow older. However, with proper screening and correct breeding, the majority of these complications should be prevented.

Your pup’s first year of life is the time when they will meet the veterinarian numerous times. They will include annual physical examinations, vaccinations, spaying and neutering, microchipping, and additional services. Then, they undergo annual physical examinations unless they come across another issue or event again.

Breeds Similar to the Shorkie

Still in an ambiguity about the fact that a shorkie is best suited for you? Even if you are, it will be good to spend some of your time on research and thinking about other similar breeds. Here are a few to get you started:

Toy Poodle: Toy breeds are popular breeds, and if you are a lover of toy breeds then you will definitely love the toy poodle – it is a fun little dog just like the shorkie. They’re also referred to as hypoallergenic bedding or hypoallergenic products and, therefore, can be used by people who have an allergy problem.

Maltese: Like the shorkie, the Maltese has long, silky fur that will make you want to pet it for hours. They are attributed to the island of Malta, where artists developed an artistic fascination with their beauty to the extent that they were incorporated into paintings and ceramic art pieces.

Conclusion

If you are considering a joyful Velcro dog that will go wherever you go, then the Shorkie is going to suit you. However, they love barking, they can still be good apartment dogs and they affiliate with almost any lifestyle possible. Well, if you really want one of these pretty babies, you can always go to your local rescue shelter and take one home. If you have intentions to get a pup, always ensure that you are dealing with a good breeder so as to avoid wrong breeding backgrounds.

Frequently Asked Questions

Let us discover a few of the most commonly asked questions answered for you.

What Breeds Make Up a Shorkie?

Shorkies are a mix of Yorkshire Terriers and Shih Tzu. They were recently bred in the United States as small companion dogs.

Do Shorkies Bark a Lot?

Yes, shorkies are very vocal and make lots of noise, which helps them attract their humans’ attention to everything that is happening on the street or could be a threat to them, be it people passing by, visitors, or other animals. More training sessions would be required to help minimize the number of barks they deliver.

Do Shorkies Have Health Problems?

Some of the diseases that Shorkies are susceptible to include Obesity, dental diseases, and patella luxation. The same health disorders are also present in their owners, the Shih Tzu and the Yorkshire Terrier.

Are Shorkies Good for People Allergic to Dogs?

It is impossible to have a hypoallergenic dog breed since all dogs produce some amount of dander, which triggers allergic reactions in people; however, shorties can be considered a suitable breed for those with dog allergies because they shed very little.

How Much Exercise Do Shorkies Need?

It is essential to note that even though shorkies are full of energy, this breed is relatively small and requires a lot of rest. This breed of dog requires at least 30 minutes of exercise per day in order to fulfill their physical requirement.