We paid $550 for our Morkie pup, Louie. The breeder is a vet, and she gave us a one year health guarantee. He was 12 weeks, and up to date on all of his shots. We had a blood test done and it came out perfect. Now, at 6 months old, he's still a perfectly healthy boy.

I have to disagree that "reputable breeders will not breed mixes". I wanted a Morkie because I wanted a dog with the traits of both the Yorkie and the Maltese. Many other people also like the mix, hence why they are bred.

I would say $350 is a great price, as long as you get some sort of health guarantee, and the breeder seems to know what they're doing. Make sure the place is clean, and make sure you meet the parents!

\purebreed dog breeders don't breed mixes most especially if they are members of reputable clubs. The CKC in fact disallows purebreed breeders from breeding mixes.


I sincerely don't know how anyone would know what you get when you cross X dog with Y dog. You have no idea what that kind of mix will throw in terms of coat, health, and temperament.


Many dogs will be fine and do well - who knows? We don't have health registries for the mixes.


I think that if you want a mix go to a shelter or a rescue, and roll the dice. Get Pet Insurance that covers everything. Well these days I recommend Pet Insurance for everyone.


Meeting the parents I hear all the time here - and really what does that tell you? Many times with show breeders the sire will not be there as the sire was not owned by the breeder of the female. You can tell somewhat the temperament and look of the female but usually folks are so focussed on the pups they pay little attention to the parents. You can't tell if the breeder has screened for health problems by looking at the parent(s). You tell this by doing your homework up front and seeing if the breeder has posted their results on the various health databases.

You are kidding right ??you expect a health guarantee with a price of $350 that would not even cover the cost of championing and Health testing the two parents! Not to mention the vetting and feeding and caring for a small litter of puppies.


Your breeder happens to be a vet so maybe she would donate free her vet care for any of her puppies should they come up with an issue. Most breeders are not vets and do not have that option.

All I see here is hate for people who breed and/or buy mixed breeds.

Why does it matter if someone who breeds purebred dogs also breeds mixes? For example, say a person breeds both purebred Yorkies and purebred Maltese. Somewhere down the road, they decide they want to have a Morkie litter. I see absolutely nothing wrong with that. It is not ruining the breed by somehow degrading the quality of the parents. It is not hurting the parents or the pups by mating two different breeds, as long as both parents are healthy.

I did not want to go to the shelter to get a dog because 1) it would be extremely rare to even find a Morkie, 2) I wanted a puppy and, 3) I wouldn't really know anything about the pup's background, and that bothers me. I think adoption is a wonderful thing, but it's certainly not for everyone!

Of course there is going to be some randomness when it comes to coat color, tail type, ears, etc when mixing breeds. I am not looking for a show dog, or a "breed standard" dog, so I DO NOT CARE. Many others also do not care! If you know the personality of both parents, you'll have a pretty good idea of what the pups will be like. I love the personality of both breeds. I love the history behind both breeds. I love their small size. Also, both breeds are prone to similar health issues. If my dog ends up having terrible dental issues down the road, for example, that's something that I should have expected. If my mixed breed dog ends up with an issue that is, say, common in Yorkies but not in Maltese, that is something I should have expected to begin with!

You can't tell if a breeder has screened for health problems by looking at the parents, no. You can, however, get an idea of their overall health and personality. If the parents look sickly, or you are not allowed to see the parents, obviously something is wrong. Even though just looking at the parents would not show underlying conditions, you can certainly ask about it!

Not hate for goodness sake you buy what you like - but to say you should get a health guarantee from a puppy priced a little bit above a rescue is unrealistic to say the least.


Health tests are posted for all to see - you don't need to ask the breeder about them just ask them for their registration information and you can go look and see if the minimum of pre breeding tests have been done.


Pure breed breeders breed to the standard that is why they are purebred breeders. Simple really. WE don't breed mixes. As I said before many clubs disallow their breeder members from breeding mixes. Of course an oopsey litter could happen but it is not planned for.


And once again you don't go to a show breeder as a pet owner to get a show dog - because you won't qualify for a show dog. You go to a show breeder to support a breeder who breeds true to the standard and stands behind their dogs often for the lifetime of that puppy.


So let me ask you; did your breeder do BATS testing on the parents. As you should know Liver Shunt and other liver diseases are at high risk in both these breeds. Did she post on the CHIC database the results? Luxating Patella results, offa on hips and elbows, Eye certifications?


And because I do the testing I do know how much it costs and I will tell you that testing as above not to mention other screenings would add up to a lot more than $350 per puppy.


And a one year health guarantee is better than nothing (I suppose) but many many health issues do not show up until 3 or more years down the road.

A reputable breeder breeds to better the breed and morkie is not a breed.

It sometimes can be hard to swallow and it's not an attack on you personally but reputable breeders do not breed mixes.

I don't know about any testing on the parents. Like I said, my breeder was a veterinarian. She said the parents did not have any issues at all, and said to call the hospital she works at if we had any questions, because they have the records. I saw the parents and they looked great. We got shot records, a health certificate, and a health guarantee for the pup. Regarding the parents' health, I took her word for it.

She is not a show breeder/purebred breeder. They are just her pets, and she breeds them on occasion.

The person asking if $350 is a good price for a Morkie could end up with a perfectly healthy puppy. The parents could be of great health, with no issues, yet the person who bred the dogs may not have done extensive testing. That does not mean the puppies will be unhealthy.

If a person breeds HEALTHY parents to produce HEALTHY puppies, has experience breeding, and offers health guarantees, I would consider that person reputable. Maybe not by your definition, but by the actual dictionary definition.

A reputable breeder breeds to better the breed!

"REPUTABLE
adjective
1.
held in good repute; honorable; respectable; estimable:
a reputable organization."

Okay, how about I say a "trustworthy, experienced" breeder, then? Does that work for you? I bought my puppy from a trustworthy, experienced breeder.

I find it hard to trust a vet who breeds, and mixes at that. A vet would know more than the average person how many pets are euthanized every year due to lack of good homes. A good vet should always promote spay and neuter.

As for your dog. He's only six months old. Most conditions start showing up after a few years. One of mine seemed totally fine until she was three years old and she has LP which is a genetic issue she got from her parents. Come back here when your dog is at least a few years old and hopefully he's still healthy. I mean if you get a pup that so sickly to get sick within the first year that's terrible. But most issues come up after a few years.

Also I'm curious as to what your guarantee entails. Is it only if a life threatening condition arises? Or you can bring him in for anything?

We can bring him in for any genetic condition, period.

I'm not even going to bother to discuss this further. It's clear that many of you believe that there is only one right way to breed which, quiet frankly, is ridiculous. There is more than one way to do something, I guess you could say, "effectively".

that's a good way to put it, and while I know some will disagree, I know it is possible to find people that are honest and trustworthy and care about their pups that breed mixes. But keep in mind this is a yorkie website where the aim is to protect and educate about the breed so it is understandable that many here are Yorkie purists so it is not easy for them to understand that there are many people wanting a mix or breeding a mix.

I believe that you and I knew what we were looking for and made educated choices when selecting our pups and were willing to accept the risks. But not everyone goes about getting a new puppy that way. It's just my opinion but the person that just posted might not be that knowledgeable about buying a puppy. The dog she is thinking about has no shots so to me that would indicate the seller is either cutting corners or selling a dog that is quite young. So the buyer could be taking on a bit more of a risk than we did and it is good that people are willing to point that out. Of course it would be ideal if everyone was kinder in their method but we all have our own style of posting.

I think about this a lot when this subject comes up, while it would be ideal if everyone that bred a puppy health tested, it really is rare, many but not all show breeders do it but only a small percentage of non show breeders do, so probably for about 80% of the puppies being sold regardless if mix or purebred very little health testing is going on. If everyone that wanted a puppy could only buy from a breeder that health tested there would be very few pups for sale.

With all due respect, the OP asked if a morkie for $350 NO PAPERS and NO SHOTS was too much.


In my opinion, yes, it is.. why doesn't the puppy have shots yet and why is someone trying to sell a puppy without shots regardless of the breed?

Let's not make this subject an US and THEM when it was never about that...


No need to be defensive about YOUR choices which were not in dispute on this thread..thanks.

For up to one year. What genetic condition shows up in under a year. The only one that I know of is liver shunt. Have your dog tested for LP now. I would be proactive on this. As you said, maltese and yorkies share a lot of the same conditions. If you can get your vet/breeder to admit or find LP in this dog, then he should be covered. LP surgery is at least $1000 per knee.

Of course, I don't see why the vet would diagnose the dog as anything other than 100% healthy, seeing as if she did say she found something, she'd have to treat it for free.

I also agree that the fact that the pup doesn't have shots is rather concerning. Unless maybe the pup just went up for sale at 8 weeks, and the breeder wants to avoid paying for the shots if possible. If that is the ONLY downside to the breeder/the pup (i.e. there is a health guarantee, parents are in good health, the place is clean, the breeder is experienced, and so on) I wouldn't necessarily turn it away. If there are other issues, though, I'd buy a Morkie from someone else.

Because you told her to go the shelter if she did not care about what breed she got and that it would cost less, while I know a morkie is not a purebred breed to many people it is a type of mixed breed and that's what they want. It's also next to impossible to find a healthy morkie puppy in a shelter and even in a rescue organization and if there is there is a fee and the younger they are the more costly.

My friend got a maltese mix at the shelter. The mom was pregnant and had the litter while at the shelter. She got her pup for $80. Sadly lots of pregnant mommies end up in the shelter.

Fwiw a reputable breeder won't seperate the pup from the Dam and siblings prior to 12 weeks. Ppl will sell at 8 weeks because thats the legal age in all but three States in the USA.. Not because its th right age.. Vaccines on puppies start at 6-7 weeks. if some one want to spend $350 on a pup and its worth it to them. Then thats a good price. But a reputable breeder with have the first set of shots. A health check and wait 12 weeks.Theres a code of conduct Reputable breeders go by. Not dictionary definitions all the time. They exceed them.

A Maltese mix. The person who posted wants a Yorkie/Maltese mix. No matter how you look at it, it would be extremely rare to find a Morkie at a shelter. And on top of it all, you have to hope that it's a puppy and not an adult.

It must vary by vet, then, because the vet I use will not vaccinate puppies until 8 weeks of age. I wouldn't consider it a terrible thing to take a dog home at 8 weeks old, either. I'd wait until at least 10 weeks, personally, for social development, but I wouldn't hold it against someone if they let a puppy go home at 8 weeks.

What some people here seem to fail to realize is that there IS a gray area. There are bad breeders, decent breeders, good breeders, excellent breeders, etc. There are not only bad breeders and excellent breeders. A breeder can be trustworthy and experienced, and breed healthy pups, and that makes them the dictionary definition of reputable. A good breeder. An excellent breeder would take all of that a step further.

Keeping the pups for 12 week and first set of shots would be the least I expect. Other wise I would rescue. I wouldn't by a pup from someone to promote there breeding habits. Everyone has there own opinions. If I was buying a purebreed I would expect a higher standard. My good friend MOM breeds Yorkies. Shes a homebreeder. She want $1k for her pups. She takes care of them does what she thinks is right. She also bought a purebreed Maltese and started breeding selling them Mokie pups for $2k. I asked her why would she do that?? She said ppl will pay. She does vet checks, and all the ther good stuff. Still to me she's not reputable. She's not bettering the breed. She's a greeder in my book. Pretty much I can go find a $800 Yorkie a $800 Maltese or less and breed them. Sell them for $1500+ easy. Do the necessary puppy care. But that doesn't make me reputable. I'm not bettering the breed. Some just see it different.

What is a fair price to pay for a dog is really the question; and of course we all have our own opinions on that.


We also have our own opinions on what makes a reputable breeder.


A Morkie as a mixed breed can't have papers from any registry that means anything as registries are for purebred dogs.


I truly don't know how one evaluates a breeder that does not breed for health and improvement of the breed standard. What benchmarks do you use?


The mere fact that the house is clean? What about how the breeder develops over time those pups? Do they know what to do? Do they even care? How will they support over time their puppy owners? Seemingly healthy parents do not guarantee healthy pups. What vet care have the pups had?


And \I find it a crying shame that many well what shall I call them? At home just breeding my personal pets are so prolific here in North America. No knowledge, no passion, no desire or wherewithal to actually breed healthy progeny.


I bow out now from this conversation.

Are you joking? Please tell me that you're joking. There are PLENTY of ways to tell if a person is taking good care of their dogs, and if they're breeding ethically vs being some sort of puppy mill/only-cares-about-the-money jerk.

Look, all I'm going to say before I ditch this thread is that I've noticed that some people on this forum often call each other out for no good reason. A member may just be posting their opinion, or an experience, only to find that other people end up attacking them and/or dictating to them. Whether or not it is meant that way, it comes off as snobbish and rude the vast majority of the time. I'm getting tired of seeing it, and experiencing it. You can have your opinions, but that does not mean you need to go out of your way to try to invalidate mine, or anyone elses'.

You need to remember this is a Purebred forum. You can go to another purebred forum ppl will have the same ideas. If you go to a general dog forum they will still have another opinion. But really why can ppl sell Mokies for $2k when you can get a puppy from Champion lines for less? Onces the first Mokie is born you can't follow the genetic history anymore. 3-4 generations down you are subjected to whatever the breeder says. Money value mean nothing. Its what your willing to pay and if you think its a good price. But Dog clubs will set a certain guideline of rules for breeders to follow. Its just not made up. Rules that are suppose to be better for the dog..or not.

:thumbup::thumbup:

It's bc this is America and "I should be able to do whatever I want with MY dog" mentality. And those are the people who contribute to the millions of perfectly good dogs and cats that are put to sleep every damn year. All they care about is themselves, not the bigger picture. I want this, I want that. I want a puppy, I don't want an adult dog with issues. I find that one the most silly bc getting a pup that was taken from mom too early will definitely have issues.

BTW don't be surprised if your pup ends up looking different than what you expected. Even within a litter, the pups will look so different when matured. A friend's bf's family had a litter of morkies and all four looked totally different. One looked full yorkie. The mixed looking ones were still all different. At least with pure bred dogs you can try to breed for a certain trait or look. With mixed breedings it really is a crap shoot.

How far back did she know the lines if the dogs? What health testing did she do? In my personal experience I have yet to come across a breeder who bred mixes that does all the things reputable breeders do.