A cross of the Maltese and Yorkshire Terrier.

The Terriers family. Bred mostly in Britain and Ireland to go to ground after foxes, badgers and rats. Expect courage, persistence, a love of digging and a big personality in a small body.

This mix combines the Yorkshire Terrier and the Maltese. Mixed litters vary, so a puppy can take after either parent in size, coat and temperament.

Affectionate, playful and confident.

Voice

A vocal dog that will announce visitors and noises.

With kids

Friendly with kids and usually patient.

Other dogs

Usually fine with other dogs when socialized.

Home

A natural apartment dog.

Exercise. Moderate: daily walks and active play, such as a game of fetch. Puppies do better with several short sessions than one long walk, and older dogs need gentler outings.

Training. Trains at an average pace. Reward-based methods and a regular routine work best.

Floor-length coat: daily brushing, or ask a groomer for a shorter trim that's easier to keep up. Light shedding.

For every dog: trim nails when you can hear them click on the floor, brush teeth daily if you can (a few times a week still helps), and clean ears about once a month, drying them well after baths and swims.

Daily calories

About 180–270 kcal for a healthy adult

Dry food

Roughly 0.5–0.75 cups a day at ~400 kcal per cup

Puppies eat four small meals a day at 6 to 12 weeks, drop to three somewhere between 3 and 6 months, and move to two meals a day from about 6 months.

Tiny breeds can be prone to low blood sugar, so keep young puppies on regular small meals.

Keep treats, including training treats and table scraps, under 10% of daily calories.

Calories use the resting-energy formula from the Merck Veterinary Manual (70 × body weight in kg^0.75) times a maintenance factor of 1.4 to 1.8, so very active or working dogs may need more. Cups assume about 400 kcal per cup; check your food's label. Treat any feeding chart as a starting point and adjust to body condition.

Typical lifespan is 11–15 years. Conditions reported in the breed:

Ask breeders for health-test results from the parents (hips, eyes, and DNA tests where relevant), and schedule yearly vet checkups.

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• PetMD: Morkie (opens in a new tab)
• AKC: Puppy feeding fundamentals (opens in a new tab), bloat (opens in a new tab), treats (opens in a new tab) and grooming (opens in a new tab)
• Merck Veterinary Manual: Nutritional requirements of small animals (opens in a new tab)

Ratings for energy, shedding and the like are our own summaries, informed by these sources. Breed facts were checked in October 2026.