Chorkie, Yorkshire Terrier and Chihuahua Mix

A Chorkie is a hybrid dog made up of a combo of two different pure breeds. It’s a cross between the Yorkshire Terrier and the Chihuahua. This breed is a small dog with a lively attitude as well as an interesting coat.

As a matter of fact, these dogs are considered homely because of their cuteness. With this breed’s adorable personality, they simply win a lot of hearts. If you are looking for the best indoor pet available, the Chorkies are definitely among the best ones for you to get.

Chorkies can live a life that goes beyond 10 years. They typically grow between 6 and 9 inches in height and weigh between 8 and 15lbs. These dogs are also known as Torkiechi, Chiyorkie, Yorkie-chi, Yorkchi, York-chi, Chiorkie, and York Chi.

Quick – Pros & Cons of a Chorkie

Chorkies are very loyal, adorable, friendly, and energetic dogs. They are the perfect addition to a family. But the best thing about them is that they adapt to live pretty much anywhere, from a small apartment to a big house that’s crowded with people and pets.

Their loyalty often makes them very aggressive towards strangers they never met before. This is because they are overly protective of their family. Having a very social Chorkie might take a bit of training and patience.

Pros

Very loyal

Intelligent

Great with other pets

Thrives in apartments

Very sweet with the family

Cons

They tend to get aggressive towards strangers.

Chorkies can’t stand being left alone at all.

Temperament

Both the Yorkshire Terrier and Chihuahua are bright and energetic dogs. They are also active, intelligent and they love to do everything. More than that, Chorkies are playful, lively, and entertaining. They definitely love to cuddle, but they could also be fearsome. You might have to train them early when it comes to socialization with other pets.

They are the types of dogs that are the sweetest angels with you and a complete nightmare with someone they don’t know or like. Chorkies are widely known to have the “tiny dog syndrome”, which is a dog that has a very high sense of self-importance and will become chaotic and aggressive if something doesn’t go its way.

Is it good with children?

Chorkies love their family very much, and this includes your little child that tugs on its ears a bit too hard. But sadly, they are just too small and fragile to be able to withstand the abuse of an excited small child that just wants to show them how much she loves them.

This is why they prefer playing with older kids that have learned how to treat a dog. But if you take the time to teach your very young child how to treat the Chorkie properly, they will immediately become best friends.

Behavior towards strangers

The sweet, innocent, and loving Chorkie can turn into a very good guard dog when it sees a stranger approaching you. They don’t take their size into consideration and will actually put the intruder on the run. This is because they are very protective and loyal of you, your family, and your home.

If you want a very social Chorkie, you will have to take some time to teach it how it all works. This includes strict obedience training and early social training. Despite their incredibly small size, a Chorkie can definitely do some damage to some ankles if left untrained.

How it does with other pets/dogs

Chorkies love playing with other pets. If you can raise them all together it would be perfect. But they can get used to new pets all the time. They are very active and love having someone their size to play with. More than that, Chorkies hate being left alone. They can get so lonely and depressed that it’s just better to get another type of dog if you don’t have the time for one that needs someone always around.

Having a few more pets in the house can make a very big difference while you are out and the Chorkie needs to stay home. It will find something mischievous to do with your other dogs or cats but it won’t bark and cry all they for you to get back.

Aggressiveness of a Yorkshire Terrier and Chihuahua Mix

Chorkies are actually widely known for being incredibly sweet and innocent. They want lots of attention and will give you all the love they possibly can. However, this also makes them very loyal and protective of you, which makes them quite aggressive towards strangers.

They won’t ever get aggressive with a family member unless they are getting abused. But if the dog never met a stranger before and you know how sweet it is, you should still keep it on a leash. You will get shocked about the 180-degree shit in attitude they can make.

Does it bark a lot?

Chorkies are known to be quite mouthy as they are very alert. This makes them excellent watchdogs as they will let you know every time someone gets near your home. And if you plan on keeping one of these dogs in an apartment, take the time to train the dog that barking at home is a very big No-No.

They might struggle at times with keeping quiet but they are smart creatures and will learn to keep their barking under control with the necessary training.

Appearance and Grooming

This breed’s physical appearance has subtle alterations compared with those contributing genetically, but overall it depends on the genetic contribution of the parents. However, when it comes to their sizes, they are small and are also considered as toy pets. Due to genetics, Chorkies could come in different colors, with ears that could be either pointy or droopy.

You shouldn’t worry much about grooming as it doesn’t take more than a few brushes a week to have a dog with a perfect coat. They are very small so you won’t spend much time grooming them.

How big does it get?

They are considered toy pets because of the weight, which is only around 8 to 10 pounds. These dogs also remain somewhere around 9 inches tall, which is why they are incredibly adorable. They are like miniature teddy bears that want lots o playtime and attention. But that it can also attack a few ankles from time to time.

The size of the Chorkie is not what should worry you, but the possibility of it becoming more and more aggressive as it grows older. These dogs are excellent for the apartment life but they need their fair share of training.

What does a Chorkie look like?

Chorkies typically have a rectangular body shape and the Chihuahua parent’s longer tail. Their heads, on the other hand, are often shaped like the Yorkie parent. But there are cases where Chorkies have the typical apple-shaped head from the Chihuahua’s side.

When it comes to their ears, they’re typically picked but they can also be dropped. The underbite is formed by some impressively strong teeth, and the small, black nose is very adorable. The eyes are bright, large, and are either clear black or a dark brown.

Appearance and color

In terms of the coats, Chorkies have any sort of color combination possible, most especially with the Chihuahua heritage. The only thing is that most of these dogs wind up a bit grizzled in color because of their Yorkie heritage. As Yorkies reach maturity, they tend to lighten out in a gunmetal gray color.

A Chorkie will always look like the most innocent little creature in the world. But you need to be careful around it as it still owns the Chihuahua’s very aggressive temperament. Not all Chorkies are aggressive but it’s best to not try your luck.

Type of coat

The coat could be of medium length, long, or a mix of both. It all depends upon whether the Chihuahua parent was a long– or short–coat specimen. Typically, the texture is silky or soft, but some specimens are still a bit rough.

They generally have a long coat but this doesn’t mean that they can withstand winter temperatures. These are the types of dogs that are better kept in the apartment, next to the heater. They get cold very fast and they get scared and start shivering until they warm up again.

How easy it is to groom?

When it comes to shedding, the Chorkies are light shedders and the coats have to be brushed and detangled regularly. A good brushing session a week or every other week is also needed to keep them neat. Watching out for excessive hair growth within this dog’s ear is needed, as it could cause them infections.

If the dog is a bit too active during the grooming process, you can use a few of their favorite treats to keep their attention on you. But be careful of the treats you’re giving your dog as they are very small and can get fat very fast.

Care Guide – Diet, Exercise & Health Issues

Chorkies are more prone to different allergies and skin problems. Although it’s been said that the cross–breed dogs are healthier than their purebred parents, they still tend to inherit the hereditary ailments affecting either breed. Beyond that, Chorkies are not prone to most of the critical ailments like other breeds have.

It’s very important to talk to your vet about your specific type of dog. You should ask what it can eat, how much it needs to exercise and keep going back every six months for a health checkup. This will help you make sure your dog is always healthy and it gets to live a happy and healthy life.

Diet Tips: What does it eat?

Chorkies are energetic dogs, so feeding them good and high–quality dry kibble will be necessary to supplement all of their vitamin and nutritional necessities. The food you’re giving your Chorkie should be a well-done formula that is specifically made for small dogs with a medium level of energy.

If you notice that it starts eating a bit too fast, you should invest in a slow-eater. This is a bowl with lots of segments on the bottom, which makes the dry food harder to eat in a hurry. Small dogs also develop teeth problems over time, so only feed your Chorkie dry food and brush its teeth daily.

Exercise Requirements: Keeping the dog in shape

The Chorkie is a dog that needs a moderate amount of exercise each day. And one of the best things about them is that some of these exercises can happen in your living room. The dog is very small and having a few hours of playtime in the living room is more than enough for a day.

If the weather is really bad, you can stick to getting the dog out just to do its business. But you should be ready to do so a few good times a day as they have small bladders.

Common Health Issues for a Chorkie

Chorkies are pretty healthy dogs but allergies and skin problems are quite popular with this breed. This is why it’s very important to only feed it vet-approved and high-end quality food. Other concerns are eye problems, ear infections, and hypoglycemia.

It’s highly recommended to go to the vet at least twice a year for a regular body checkup. And make sure your vet does an eye examination, ear examination, skin evaluation, a few x-rays, and a blood test.

Training a Chorkie

Training Chorkies will never be a hard thing. Just like their parents, they can be trained easily. However, there will be times when they can be stubborn, so patience, calmness, and assertive leadership are needed here. Since they are an indoor kind of breed, they should be trained with the proper housebreaking at an early age.

Obedience Training

Obedience training needs to start at a very young age for Chorkies as they can develop the “small dog syndrome” and cause various diva-like problems. This includes getting aggressive and even trying to dominate you. They can be extremely sweet but if they are not trained, they can easily turn into a nightmare.

If you find your Chorkie to be a bit difficult to train, you should look for a professional. Some dogs just need different tricks for the training to be successful. Just by lots of treats and recharge on as much patience as possible.

Socialization

If you’re socializing the Chorkie from a very young age, you will most likely not encounter absolutely any problems. Their natural sweet personality will make the dog want to meet and greet everyone. Keep introducing it to as many new people and pets as possible and it will become a social butterfly sooner or later.

Exercise requirements

Since Chorkies are energetic and playful, they need a lot of play and exercise in order to have a balanced health and state of mind. Short walks every day needed for this breed in order to stimulate their mental wellness and make sure they have a balanced life.

Breeding & Puppies

The typical size of the litter is usually around 6 and you have to be very careful with them until they can eat and walk on their own. These puppies are very small and they need as much help as possible around the house. So make sure they don’t use the stairs or anything that could injure them until they are fully grown.

During the early life of Chorkies, they need to be trained on how to socialize and ensure that they do not develop any sort of behavioral problems towards strangers or even other animals once they have matured.

Finding a Chihuahua and Yorkshire Terrier Mix – Kennels & Pedigree

Chorkies are not recognized by the AKC or the American Kennel Club, but they are recognized by other clubs such as the Designer Dogs Kennel Club, American Kennel Club, Designer Breed Registry and the International Designer Canine Registry.

Even if the parents have pedigrees from their own breeds, the Chorkie is not classified as a purebred kind of dog and not recognized by most of the formal breed registries in the United States. Just like the majority of the hybrid dogs that are so popular these days, the Chorkie is still classified as a mixed breed and a non-pedigree dog

Sadly, some Chorkies were taken to shelters so you should check your local shelter before looking for a breeder.

How much does a mixed Chorkie cost?

The average price of a Chorkie is somewhere between $400 and $500. They’re quite pricey but not extremely expensive. These dogs are quite popular so more and more breeders appear all the time.

Be careful where you are taking your dog from as people that run puppy mills can be quite slick. Insist in seeing where the parents are kept and where is the rest of the litter. A good breeder actually appreciates the questions as it looks like you’re interested in your dog and won’t get upset by anything you ask.

History & Origins of the mixed breed

There is no official date concerning the moment when the first cross–breed of Chihuahua and Yorkshire Terrier has been recorded, but it is believed that the intentional breeding started in the early 1990s.

Both the Chihuahua and the Yorkshire Terrier have a quite long and rich history, but the mix between these two most likely began to be intentionally bred in the U.S.A. This is pretty much all the information available on Chorkies, which is nothing surprising taking into consideration that this is a designed dog.

Conclusion

Chorkies are some of the sweetest pets you can possibly have. More than that, they will try their best to protect you when they see any stranger coming too close. They need someone that has lots of time on their hands as they can get depressed if left alone. Chorkies also thrive with people that are always on vacation and travel around.