If there was ever a cute and adorable cross-breed dog that was capable of melting your heart with just one look, it’s the Yorkie Chihuahua Mix dog, also known as the Chorkie.
Chorkies come to life when a Yorkshire Terrier and a Chihuahua are cross-bred, a practice believed to have first been observed back in the 1990’s, back when small dogs started to greatly increase in popularity.
Ever since, the Yorkie Chihuahua Mix has grown to become one of the most popular cross-breed dogs of today.
Yorkie Chihuahua Mix Recognition
The Yorkie Chihuahua Mix dog is recognized by the following authoritative figures.
- The American Canine Hybrid Club
- The Designer Dogs Kennel Club
- The International Designer Canine Registry
- The Designer Breed Registry
Chihuahua Yorkie Mix Appearance
Before we get into the details about what the Yorkie Chihuahua Mix dog looks like, it must be said that when it comes to mixed-breed dogs, looks can vary between one offspring and another according to which of the two parents’ genes were inherited most by the cross-breed puppy.
With that being said, there are many basic physical traits and commonalities observed among most Yorkie Chihuahua Mix dogs, which we will be discussing below.
Size, Height & Weight
Much like their two parents, the Yorkshire Terrier and the Chihuahua, this mixed-breed dog is very small in size.
Generally speaking, the Yorkie Chihuahua Mix dog is one of the smallest dog breeds you will ever find, weighing anywhere from 5-9 lbs.
Head & Face
When it comes to the head and face of the Yorkie Chihuahua Mix dog, you often get a beautiful combination of the traits of its two parents.
Chorkies most often inherit the long and silky hair of their Yorkshire Terrier parent, while the form and shape of their head is most often inherited from their Chihuahua parent.
For example, Chorkies will most often have long, triangular ears just likes their Chihuahua parent.
Body
Again, depending on which of the two parents is dominant when it comes to genes inherited by this cross-breed offspring, the Chorkie can grow up to have fairly tall legs, or can live the entirety of its lifespan with short legs, just like its Yorkshire Terrier parent.
Coat
The Yorkshire Terrier usually comes in limited colors, with the most common ones being black, tan and grey.
The coat color of Chihuahuas, meanwhile, isn’t limited to a few options.
In this department, the Yorkie Chihuahua Mix often inherits this physical trait from its Chihuahua parent, meaning this cross-breed can come in many different colors.
The Chorkie’s coat is also a thick one, just like its Yorkshire Terrier parent.
Yorkie And Chihuahua Mix Temperament
Just like we talked about in the introduction to the section on the Yorkie Chihuahua Mix dog’s appearance about how it depends on the dominant genes this offspring takes from either parent, the same holds true when it comes to their temperament personality traits/characteristics.
Activity Levels
Much like their two parents, the Yorkshire Terrier and the Chihuahua, this cross-breed is full of energy and life and loves to play and get a decent amount of exercise.
If they don’t get their necessary levels of exercise and play time during the day, this adorable bundle of joy will very soon turn into a miserable, depressed version of its self.
With sky-high energy levels that the Yorkie Chihuahua Mix dog has built up inside them, they need a very-high quality diet [1] consisting of premium, nutritious dog food that can meet their needs for adequate protein, carbohydrate, fat, mineral and vitamin levels for the day.
Before we sign off on this section, just one word of caution must be said about exercising the Chorkie.
When taking this tiny dog out for something like a walk, it won’t be able to sustain walking the entire distance and time that a much larger, stronger dog could.
So, even though Chorkies are full of energy and love to get exercise and maintain high activity levels, just know that they will tire out much faster than larger, stronger dogs.
Training
The Yorkie Chihuahua Mix dog is a product of two parents that are fairly smart and are easier to train than other dog breeds, which means that they will be easier to train than other dogs/puppies as well.
With that being said, the stubborn Chihuahua side of your Yorkie Chihuahua Mix may sometimes be apparent when you’re training them, which means that you’re going to have to stick with the basics that help you out through such a stalemate.
These basics include techniques such as positive reinforcement, rewards, firmness, remaining calm and consistency.
If you’d like to check out a whole piece we’ve written on some of the best practices during training that would help out in such situations, head on over here and enjoy a good read.
One thing you should also keep in mind when it comes to training the Yorkie Chuhuahua Mix dog is that unlike many other cross-breeds out there, this cross-breed is actually much more fit for an indoor, apartment lifestyle rather than large spaces such as a backyard.
This means that since this cross-breed will be spending most of its time inside the house, you’re going to want to make sure that it’s properly potty-trained ever since a young age.
If you were to housebreak [2] this dog at a relatively older age, then it won’t be as easy as housebreaking them back when they were young puppies.
The earlier you potty train this cross-breed, the better your chances of success are and the easier it will be on you to complete.
In an ideal scenario, your Chorkie is properly trained and socialized to be around other humans and other pets/animals ever since they were still young puppies, which makes sure that they won’t act in problematic ways around either when they become adult, mature dogs.
Watchdogs
The ability of this cross-breed to be a good watchdog is very debatable, as we’ll be discussing in this section.
To start off, an excellent point that enables this cross-breed to be a very good watchdog is the fact that it inherits its barking capabilities from its Chihuahua parent, meaning that they will bark and bark loud and clearly when they sense any danger or anything fishy happening that you need to be aware of.
However, the negative point when it comes to this cross-breed’s ability to be a watchdog is their incredibly small size, meaning that if they needed to attack an intruder for some reason, they probably won’t be able to do much harm to them because they’re way too small.
A dog as large as the German Shepherd Husky Mix, on the other hand, has a size that allows it to easily take on any intruder.
Affectionate
Despite the fact that this mixed-breed dog is very active and likes to move around a whole lot during the day, there are still times that their Chihuahua side takes a little bit of rest and they decide that they just want to cuddle up with you and have a little bit of rest and “quality time” instead of playing.
Chihuahua And Yorkie Mix Health Problems
Even though it’s a widely known fact that mixed dog breeds tend to suffer from fewer health problems when compared to their purebred parents, there are however a few health problems that some mixed-breed dogs are more prone to suffer from than other dogs.
These health problems are mainly ones they inherit from either/both their parents.
The following list contains the most common health problems that the Yorkie Chihuahua Mix dog is prone to suffer from.
- Skin problems
- Allergies
- Hypoglycemia [3] (which is a very common issue among small-sized dog breeds)
Much like their Yorkshire Terrier and Chihuahua parents, the Yorkie Chihuahua Mix dog usually lives a lengthy life of around 10-15 years, which they will live happily and health-problem-free if given the necessary affection, care, exercise and high-quality diet that they need to thrive in life.
Yorkie Chihuahua Mix Care
As far as brushing and shedding are concerned, the Yorkie Chihuahua Mix dog isn’t known to be a heavy shedder, which means that you could perfectly get by with brushing their hair and coat around one time a day to make sure that it doesn’t get matted.
So, in case you or any other household member of yours is allergic to excessive-shedding dogs, this cross-breed is a perfect option because it barely sheds any hair.
As for bathing, you should probably give this mixed dog breed a bath around once a week and avoid excessive, un-needed bathing because of the fact that Chorkies have sensitive skin that could easily be irritated.
Moving on, as far as their ears are concerned, this mixed dog breed is a special case that should be carefully taken care of, due to the fact that they are very prone to developing hair real fast in their ears.
If left to grow, these hairs can ultimately lead to ear infections.
If you don’t have the necessary experience to properly trim your dog’s ear hair, please leave that task up to a groomer to complete on a frequent, scheduled basis.
And finally, it must be noted that Chorkies are known to have nails that grow fairly faster than other dog breeds, so you’re probably looking at a trimming session (whether done by yourself if you’re capable enough to handle such a task, or done by a professional groomer) around one time every 14 days.
Yorkie Chihuahua Mix Living Conditions
Given its very small size and the fact that it’s such an affectionate, loving and playful dog, the Yorkie Chihuahua Mix dog is perfect if you’ve got a child/children at home.
As long as the Chorkie has been properly socialized and trained, just watch it run around and play with your kids and have a blast while at it.
With a little bit of socialization to get on with humans and other pets, this mixed-breed dog will warm up to any other human family members or pet family members in no time.
Just make sure that YOUR kids are also very aware of the fact that they have to play around with this dog in a gentle manner, because it’s so small in size and so fragile that even the least bit of rough play could cause it to suffer from a serious injury.
What’s excellent about the Chorkie is that it feels very comfortable and happy living indoors, in an apartment for example.
The majority of mixed dog breeds we’ve talked about on this site are never comfortable nor suitable for living in apartments, and require properties with areas such as a large backyard so they can roam free, play and have fun in.
However, the Chorkie will do perfectly fine wherever you choose to have it live, whether that’s an apartment or a property with a backyard in it, the call is yours to make and both cases are perfectly fine with this mixed-breed.
Just make sure that you do what you have to do to minimize your Chorkie’s barking, or else your neighbors in the building won’t be too fond of the situation!
Resources
1. Your Dogs Nutritional Needs http://dels.nas.edu/resources/static-assets/banr/miscellaneous/dog_nutrition_final_fix.pdf
2. House Training your Dog https://www.brown.edu/Research/Colwill_Lab/CBP/Housetraining.htm
3.Hypoglycemia in a dog https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2657529/
