Shorkie: Shih Tzu Yorkie Mix

Bigger than a Yorkie, but smaller than a Shih Tzu. He is 11 lbs, but lean and muscular. In no way would I consider him a pocket pooch. It takes two hands to properly support him when being held. However, he is easily carried or lifted.

Mia is about 10 pounds. She has longer legs than you would expect though!

My Shorkie looks more Yorkie, even the colouring and evolution of the fur (started out Black and Tan, faded over time to grey and cream). A lot of people think he is pure Yorkie but I guess the only tell-tale signs that I see visually are his tail (sits high up curled back on himself) and his ears (floppy like Shih Tzu though I know some pure Yorkies have floppy too) and eyes (a bit rounder and further apart more similar to Shih Yzu than a pure Yorkie). Overall a cute, soft furred, scruffy looking dog with so many expressions.

Wilber is pretty fluffy when not groomed regularly, he’s like a little bear. He has some typical Shih Tzu features but a longer snout, mixed with the colours of a traditional Yorkie. He’s also very soft! His fur is quite thick and goes curly when wet!

Mia is sweet and sometimes sassy. She wants to be treated like a baby by me and my family. She is happy to be held by strangers but she is anxious around kids and dogs she does not know. She has never been destructive nor mean. She just wants to feel safe and loved.

Mia has a tendency to be a bit possessive. Mia is a rescue from a dog hoarding house and I think she had to fight for her place where she came from. Once she became our dog I think she was so happy so when a human baby came along that was difficult for her sometimes. We set boundaries with her and our toddler and try to create positive interactions between them. Training as always is important.

I think they do, they are very energetic, loves to play, and hardy. That said, my one is quite large but maybe smaller ones may be more delicate and easier to injure if you have kids (we don’t).

We take him out for 3 short walks a day. Sometimes runaround off leash, on weekends one longer walk a day.

Prince has separation anxiety and therefore, no he cannot be left alone (which is how we ended up getting another dog). Once we had another dog Prince was fine to be left alone. All the dogs at my Mums are fine to be left home alone as long as a single dog is not alone. This implies that Shorkies would prefer a companion. Now that Prince lives with me in my own house I am trying to train him and help manage the separation anxiety so that he may be able to be left alone eventually. I don’t want to get another dog as Prince is quite old and he seems to prefer the peace and quiet here, rather than being with all the other dogs at my Mum’s and friends’ houses (plus I don’t know if he’d be very welcoming to a new dog at his age). However, he does not wreck the house in any way when left alone, it is just that he will continuously bark and jump at the door the entire time I am gone (which seems a little unfair on the neighbours and causes him stress). He used to not even be able to be left in the house alone while i stood in the garden where he could see me from inside, whereas now, I can shut him in the house and walk around the corner where he can’t see me in the garden and he can handle it for a short while. So, I think with continuous training we should be able to get to a point where he can be left even if only for a short time.

Yes – but they need to be trained first. Bailey (my Shorkie) has lots of energy and can be very curious. I kennel him when I am gone for long hours to make sure he is safe. He loves his kennel and usually is in it before I ask him to get in it in the morning.

Mia wants to be by me 24/7. However, if I leave the house, she settles into her bed to relax until I get home. Then when I get home it’s non-stop barking and pawing at me until I pick her up. We have two other dogs that keep her company when we are gone, a Yorkiepoo and a DoxieYorkie.

Yes. He loves other dogs, especially small dogs. Bigger dogs are on a dog-to-dog basis because he was attacked at a dog park by a large dog. He goes to doggy daycare twice a week and plays with all the small dogs. He loves people, so much I had to train him to not say hi to everyone.

Wilber is very friendly, playful and loves other dogs. He also lives with cats, who he does sometimes try to play with and chase but he never hurts them. He can sometimes be a bit bossy with other dogs, play etc is on his terms but he’s not aggressive, just stubborn! When we walk on our local moorland he is fine off the lead around wild Ponies and Cows but is partial to trying to chase Sheep and Pheasants (that’s probably the Terrier in him) so he’s always on lead around them now! He will always chase and hunt squirrels but he gives up quite quick once they run up a tree.

Bailey only barks when his toy or bone is under the couch and he needs help getting it. Or if a stranger approaches the house. Otherwise he observes quietly our neighborhood.

Not randomly no. Shorkies, that I know, don’t have the yappy side of a Yorkie but, have a medium toned bark (as opposed to a deep bark or high pitched yap). Prince and my Mum’s dogs will not bark for no reason but, they do bark at loud noises such as fireworks. They also bark if someone walks past the house or if it sounds like someone is coming in the house (but once they see it’s you and say hello they stop barking).

One of the things I love the most is that he is naturally smart. Most other dogs have something like ‘wee wees’ as their command for going in the garden to go to the toilet. However, with Prince, if he needs the toilet and you haven’t asked he will go to the door closest to the garden as he can to signal needing to go. He also doesn’t have a command but rather we ask him, “do you need to go out?” if he carries on with what he’s doing it’s a no, but if he does need to then he will tilt his head and move towards the door. Although he has the command ‘bed’ to go to his dog bed, if i say “shall we go to bed?” he will go up to the human bed (yes, he sleeps with us). He also knows that once we’ve finished dinner and the program ends that it is time for his treat and he has picked up on small signals like saying “right” or closing my iPad to know that I am about to get up off the sofa. I could honestly say so much more on this but overall, yes Shorkies are very smart!

Bailey is very good at finding the things that I hide from him and he remembers everything. He was very easy to train. He’s off leash command trained and he rings a bell to go outside. He knows when I am leaving and is very in tune with what I am doing. Also, I swear he knows how to tell time. He demands breakfast, dinner and treats on a schedule.

Prince has always been very easy to train, I think the success of training a dog depends on the training as well but, he picked up the usual ‘sit’, ‘lie down’, ‘paw’, etc very easily. I’ve heard it can be hard to train older dogs but at 12 years old Prince has no problem, we’ve touched up on old tricks that haven’t been done in a while and learnt some new things. For example, I decided to teach him ‘other’ where after ‘paw’ he gives me the other paw and we did it a few times for a couple afternoons and he’s been able to do it ever since.

Jasper is extremely easy because he is food motivated so he can do nearly any trick for food. The most difficult part to train is to stay calm in situations. For example if we go to a dog friendly restaurant he is fine and calm. But as soon as another dog walks in he goes mental and barks etc. and loses his mind in crazy excitement which escalates until it sounds very aggressive! Might just be specific to him individually but overall I think Shorkies are not naturally a very calm/laid back dog. They can be calm but he is generally a very easily excitable dog. This is good because you always get enthusiastic greetings, but bad if you want them to stay calm in social situations! They are calm in familiar situations but it takes a LOT of practice for unfamiliar situations!

When I got Prince we used puppy pads and celebrated when he used them, tried to tell him “no” if he peed somewhere else and once he learned to use the puppy pad, we moved it closer and closer to the door to the garden and tried to let him out frequently so he would go outside and we could praise him if he did. Since then, we’ve never had an accident!

In terms of toilet training – well they are small dogs so have smaller bladders, so may have taken a tiny bit longer than a big dog to toilet train as a puppy, but overall he wasn’t difficult.

My husband has a slight allergy to some dogs but he has never had any issues with Mia. She has a gorgeous coat that is like velvet when it’s short. The top of her hair grows out beautifully and I can braid and style it.

Wilber is brushed daily and only a small amount of hair comes off of him.

Jasper is a non-shedder. Well not completely; they have light fluff here or there but not to the extent of proper shedding dogs. It’s more similar to us humans losing hairs (a few here and there). They need regular grooming because their fur grows and doesn’t drop off.

Wilber requires regular grooming. I have him groomed every 4-6 weeks as we like to keep him. Short due to our lifestyle and he gets quite hot and itchy if his coat is too long! Though I do see other Shorkies with longer coats, like Shih Tzus. Wilber requires daily brushing and eye cleaning.

Not at all! Of course bathing Prince helps to keep him clean and smelling nice but, even if he hasn’t been bathed in a while and we have some rainy walks in the park he still doesn’t smell bad, but of course I still recommend bathing (at the appropriate amount) for their hygiene and to help them smell even better! The only thing I have noticed is that as he’s gotten older (only in recent years) Prince’s breath has gotten a bit more smelly, although, that is common in most dogs. However, minty dentastix and similar treats are very helpful at freshening his breath (plus this is probably also due to me not keeping up with his oral hygiene as much as I should).

Wilber hasn’t had any health problems so far other than suffering with hot spots. He doesn’t have any skin conditions or breathing problems, due to being mixed breed and having a longer snout.

In terms of buying, no, I don’t think they’re that expensive maybe £300/£400.

They cost similar to other average dogs. Not sure if they are very sought after compared to other cross breeds or purebreds. That said, I don’t know what people are charging since lockdown, have heard crazy prices….

Any dog can be expensive if you spoil them lots, which I may be guilty of from time to time haha. We buy food that isn’t ridiculously overpriced, he has more toys than he needs because he doesn’t really play with them that much and as far as I can remember he’s never been massively into toys, he will play with them but only when he wants to. He hasn’t had any medical issues to cost money so the only extra is a couple of supplements we put on his food now, so no I’d say Shorkies aren’t expensive unless you make the decision to spoil them, as with any breed

While high energy, if owner is willing to do basic training or a puppy training course then the owner will be fine. While they are lap dogs and love to cuddle, they still need daily exercise. This could range from a simple walk to the 3 miles I run Bailey every day.

Wilber is so loving but also headstrong and independent. He’s definitely high maintenance but in a good way! He’s just the right size to do adventurous things with.

Bailey doesn’t eat a lot. He has a small breakfast and small dinner. He isn’t an over eater. Sometimes he can be fussy, but I just pick up his food and he eats it in the next meal. I sometimes think his fussiness is related to how hungry he is too.

I make a lot of his food. I crockpot chicken breast with a few veggies and chicken broth for taste. He gets it served with rice. Sometimes we will do a beef roast if he is getting bored with the chicken. For treats he gets freeze dried beef, chicken, or turkey. For chews he gets bully sticks or dehydrated beef/chicken.

Mia eats the Orijen brand. The pieces are a little big so we add water or beef broth to soften it a bit. It’s a high protein food so she gets a small portion. We wish the small dog version would be available in the US but it’s only available in Canada right now! Mia fortunately does not want table scraps, unless it’s a nice piece of steak!

Yes and no. Prince can have a funny stomach when changing his food so once we found something that worked, we stuck with it. But he can be fussy about which treats he likes and doesn’t like and when eating, he often picks his least favourite biscuits out of the food bowl and puts them on the floor next to it. Otherwise, he isn’t too fussy as he has a relatively cheap brand of dry dog food from Lidl (raw food and supplements, etc weren’t really a thing 12 years ago when I got him and as I said I don’t want to make him unwell by changing food). As he has gotten older, he still has his teeth, but he struggles with harder food/treats so he has pedigree meat in gravy pouches mixed into his dry food to soften it up (and make it tastier!). In recent years we have also added ‘anxious hound’ tonic from woof and brew to try and help with his anxiety, and within the last year I have added cod liver oil to his food as well to help with his sensitive/itchy skin and his joints.

There is so much I could say – Shorkies are very intelligent dogs and they each have their own unique personality, which I’ve never seen in any other dogs. They are loyal and protective of their human best friend and are very good at sensing when something is wrong and providing comfort. They aren’t the most playful dogs but they sure do love humans – and most other dogs haha! The main thing to know is that they are full of love! And although I never really had a dream breed in mind and my Mum picked the breed of Prince (I just picked him out of the 2 puppies left), I don’t think I could ever get a different breed now.

An emphatic NO. Jasper eats anything, literally. Including non food items. He has regular dog food but also eats veggies (carrot, Brocoli, cabbage, potato, cauliflower) chicken, sausage, any meat. Unfortunately this means he also eats random items found on the floor out in the streets so we have to constantly watch him. Benefits are that it’s fairly easy to give him any tablets – wormers, flea treatments and other medication.

He is a very fussy eater! Wilber went through lots of different brands and food types but he is now raw fed, a mixture of DIY and pre-made minces and has natural treats. He won’t touch any vegetables or fruits, he’s only interested in meat and the smelly treats.