MORKIE CARE
The basicsIf you’re like me, you want your Morkie to live a long and healthy life. Genetics matter of course, but you can increase your Morkie’s lifespan through good care, plenty of dog walks and the best dog food for his size and activity.
The average lifespan of a Yorkshire Terrier or a Maltese dog is between 12 and 16 years. Some live longer, to 17 or 18 years of age. With outstanding care, your Morkie could live that long too. Read more below.
The four building blocks that make up great care:
♦ Optimum Nutrition
♦ Routine Exercise
♦ Dental Care
♦ Love & Respect
The building blocks to your Morkie’s health and well-being.
An AWESOME list of puppy care tips
Check out MySweetPuppy.net and the 30 Awesome Puppy Care Tips here. Lots of good stuff.
Optimum nutrition
Vital for a healthy dog
There are so many choices today, it’s hard to know what food to pick. The best dog food is the one that meets his nutritional needs, with minimum additives and other chemicals.
Do you give your Morkie quality commercial food? Raw? Holistic food? Make a homemade diet yourself?
Did you know that popular brands like Purina, Cesar, Beneful, Alpo, Kibbles & Bits, Pedigree, Iams and others are NOT recommended for the health and longevity of your Morkie? In my view, these brands are not the best dog food. Far from it in fact. Some of these well known brands are the WORST in nutrition.
On these pages, you’ll read more about commercial foods and why it’s more important than ever to understand what goes into this food.
Routine exercise
Yes, for small dogs too.
Lots of people choose a small dog because they can’t or don’t want to walk him. But even the smallest of dogs needs plenty of dog walks.
The average dog needs20 to 60 minutes of exercise a day. Every day of the week. That can be good news for owners, since we can all benefit from more cardiovascular exercise. Plus, if your dog is overweight, this is a great way too get him back in shape.
Nothing beats a brisk, leashed walk. If you just put your dog out in the yard, it’s unlikely he’ll keep up a healthy pace for any length of time.
Below, more reasons it’s great to walk your Morkie on a leash.
Dental Health
It’s more important than you might think.
Your #1 goal is to keep the clear film called plaque from building up and turning into hard, yellow tartar.
You can’t get tartar off with a toothbrush; your Vet has to remove it while your Morkie is under anesthetic, with all its associated risks. AND it’s a lot of money.
If you just ignore tartar, you are literally—
- shortening your Morkie’s life
- because the ugly bacteria of dental disease eventually can make its way into the blood stream
- there, it causes permanent damage to vital organs like the heart and kidneys
- that means pain and suffering from bad teeth for your Morkie — pain he can’t even tell you about.
Love & Respect
Never forget, your dog lives for YOU. He counts on you for everything in his life.
Download a printable copy >
10 Things Your Dog Would Tell You
- My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years. Any separation from you will be painful: remember that before you get me.
- Give me time to understand what you want of me.
- Place your trust in me- it is crucial to my well being.
- Do not be angry at me for long, and do not lock me up as punishment.
- You have your work, your entertainment, and your friends. I only have you.
- Talk to me sometimes. Even if I don’t understand your words, I understand your voice when it is speaking to me.
- Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget.
- Remember before you hit me, that I have teeth that could easily hurt you, but I choose not to bite you because I love you.
- Before you scold me for being uncooperative, obstinate, or lazy, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I might not be getting the right food, or I have been out too long, or my heart is getting too old and weak.
- Take care of me when I get old; you too will grow old. Go with me on difficult journeys. Never say “I cannot bear to watch” or “Let it happen in my absence.” Everything is easier for me if you are there, even my death. Remember that I love you.
Why walk your dog on a leash?
If the weather is too hot, or too cold, you may have to delay your walk since Morkies, like their Yorkie parent, can be VERY sensitive to weather extremes.
More exercise = better health
Without enough exercise, your Morkie could suffer from hip dysplasia and arthritis. If he is overweight, his joints, ligaments and tendons can be stressed. Being overweight is a big factor in dog diabetes, respiratory disease, and heart disease. (More about The Porkie Morkie)
Psychological benefits of leash walking
Plus, with walks, your Morkie will be better-behaved and calmer. Morkies need plenty of dog walks for both
Just like big dogs, small ones need exercise for a bunch of reasons. While you can’t be in total control of your Morkie’s health, walking and exercising will help him live a longer, healthier life.
Even very small dogs need daily exercise for both physical and mental health. Daily exercise will keep your Morkie physically and mentally healthy.
Without enough physical activity, dogs have excess energy that may end up burned off through:
- destructive behaviour like chewing, digging and barking too much
- behavioural problems like separation anxiety
A tired dog is a good dog
Is your Morkie acting up? Before you blame her, ask yourself if she’s had her daily walks recently. It’s amazing to see the correlation between exercise and good behaviour.
Just a brisk walk around the block a few times, for a total of 20 minutes a day can help your Morkie maintain stable blood sugar levels, which is really important for a teacup, and a great way to keep any Morkie from getting Porkie!
“Um, Mom this leash might be a bit heavy.”
How long do dogs live?
Click on this infographic to enlarge it and read more.
"A tired dog is a good dog."
