Petzlover
Both Shorkie and Treeing Tennessee Brindle are originated from United States. Shorkie may grow 37 cm / 14 inches shorter than Treeing Tennessee Brindle. Shorkie may weigh 16 kg / 35 pounds lesser than Treeing Tennessee Brindle. Shorkie may live 3 years more than Treeing Tennessee Brindle. Both Shorkie and Treeing Tennessee Brindle has almost same litter size. Shorkie requires Moderate Maintenance. But Treeing Tennessee Brindle requires Low Maintenance
The Shorkie is a mix between a Yorkshire Terrier and a Shih Tzu. This little dog actually thinks he’s quite big. He is a great watchdog and a barker, and he is a loyal and loving member of his family. He will let you know if he thinks something is going on that shouldn’t be.
This hybrid combines two breeds known for their good looks, cuteness and personalities. Shorkies get their watchdog instincts and their loyalty to their people from the Shih Tzu and their personalities and good looks from the Yorkie. This designer breed has no known standard and every puppy is different, but traits from its founding breeds will remain. Both breeds have great personalities.
Regardless of the differences within the litter, because the personalities and adorableness of the two founding breeds are equal, all of the puppies will have those characteristics. They will all be energetic, playful and think they are big dogs. They will all love people and especially kids – playing and watching over them.
The Shorkie is intelligent, trainable, and snuggly. They will also have the stubborn trait that the two founding breeds can show at times. Developed in the United States, this crossbreed is extremely popular even though they have been in existence for only ten years or so. Breeders in the U.S. began to mix these two breeds in order to develop a cute, friendly and intelligent little dog that will cuddle on your lap – perfect lap dog.
Even if we already have breeds similar to the Shorkie, its development allows breeders to diversify and improve the genetics of the dogs. It is important that these be responsible breeders whose intentions are not financial but to legitimately improve the positive traits of each breed while sorting out the undesirable or weak traits. This is the positive side of the new designer breeds.
Even though it is still being developed, at least the Shorkie seems to be a success story for designer breeds as a loving, popular little dog. It will take a lot more time and a lot more development before the Shorkie becomes an actual recognized breed. At the moment it remains a hybrid, a crossbreed, a so called designer dog.
It will be at least 7-10 generations of careful and quality breeding before the Shorkies are potentially recognized as its own pedigree breed. It is important to breed Shorkies to Shorkies in order to develop a standard that could be accepted for a new breed by the AKC and UKC. Over time the puppies must become more and more standardized in their conformity to that new breed standard. Their physical appearance and their temperament will be standardized. At this stage the second generation of Shorkies is rare. Their popularity is rising in the United Kingdom. Both Britain and Ireland have a growing interest in this hybrid.
There doesn’t seem to be 100% clarity on how the dog came about but it originated in USA. It appears as though it was only since 1995 that records have been maintained through the American Kennel Club's Foundation Stock Service Program.
A Reverend Earl Phillips, who was a writer for a hunting magazine became aware of a Brindle Cur with a brown coat and tiger stripes. In fact ‘treeing’ is a type of hunting, where the dog chases an animal into a tree to escape. He heard about the dog’s amazing hunting skills.
In the early 1960s, he later formed The Treeing Tennessee Brindle Breeders Association, designed to protect the breed. It was in 2013 that the dog got foundation stock status with the American Kennel Club, but isn’t registered with the American Kennel Club.
The Shorkie, being a cross between the Yorkshire Terrier and the Shih Tzu, and as such has physical and temperament characteristics from both breeds. They could be 50-50 but most likely each puppy will be more like one of the founding parents than the other. Because there is a lot of similarity between the founding breeds there is a lot of similarity between the Shorkies.
Their hair is either wavy or straight, but it is soft. It can be a wide variety of colors and usually they have a darker mask on the face. Usually they have the eyes of the Shih Tzu – large -but not protruding. Their muzzle is short, and the skull is round with triangle ears. Their bodies are compact, small with plenty of muscle for their size. They also have fine bones and short legs, with a thin curled tail.
The Treeing Tennessee Brindle is a medium sized, deep chested breed of Cur, descending from the Old Brindle Cur dog.
These strong dogs have a short, smooth brindle coat that is fairly soft to the touch. The coat's color is a mix of tan, black and a little bit of white.
He stands at between 41 and 61cm in height and weighs between 14 and 23kg both male and female. The Treeing Tennessee Brindle has a loud bark and it is best that this dog lives on a farm or in the suburbs as opposed to living in a small space in the city.
The Treeing Tennessee Brindle is a friendly, social dog and this is why he doesn’t make a particularly good watchdog.
He gets on well with children in the home as well as other dogs, not showing any aggression towards them.
They’re intelligent dogs and it will be a good idea to have them trained and socialized to make them well balanced and well behaved.
This brindle-colored cur dog is brave, intelligent and lively and his temperament allows him to be a good companion for his human family.
Even though they are friendly around strangers, they still make good watchdogs and will alert you to all kinds of visitors to your property. They do best in a home with large grounds and an active family where they can explore and sniff around. At the end of the day, they love to lie contentedly at your feet, a loyal, loving companion.
Many hybrids are in better health at least genetically than their parent breeds. Responsible breeders will breed any genetic issues out of their puppies. Still there are many health issues that the Shorkies are prone to. These include:
• Brachycephalic Airway Syndrome – “smashed face” causes problems with breathing, heat, flying and more.
• Glaucoma – Yorkshires have this, and it can be secondary to the lens Luxation.
The Treeing Tennessee Brindle is a robust, healthy breed. You’re not likely to battle with too many health issues with him.
Watch out for ear infections which are more common in floppy eared dogs. Other common dog diseases that you need to know about -
This is a viral disease which is highly contagious and with no known cure. It’s why there is a vaccine against it. Coughing, lethargy, high temperature and loss of appetite with vomiting are symptoms of this disease.
This is another highly contagious respiratory viral infection transmitted between dogs in close proximity to each other, like in kennels for instance.
Symptoms include coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, breathing difficulties, lethargy and loss of appetite. It’s important to get veterinary assistance as pneumonia could set in.
1.Feeding the puppy - The Shorkies need a high-quality, well-balanced dry kibble. Make sure it is a formula for small, active dogs. It should have lean meat and essential minerals and vitamins. Make sure it is puppy food not adult. The puppy needs 300 -550 calories a day in 3 meals.
2.Feeding the adult – Obesity is a problem for the Shorkie as it is for many small dogs. Don’t overfeed your adult but give her the same kind of high quality small breed dog food, only for adults. They need about 200-300 calories a day in 2 meals.
4. Games and Exercises – These are very active little dogs and need exercise every day. They needs walks, games, and time with you. They also love to cuddle with you at the end of the day. They love squeaky toys and playing fetch outside or inside.
A brush once or twice a week will be sufficient for this dog. Look inside his ears for signs of redness which could indicate an ear infection. Make sure his eyes are still bright and not red and with a pus discharge. Trim his nails too.
The Treeing Tennessee Brindle is a high energy dog and he is going o want more than just a walk every day, although he will love that and rely on you for this daily outing.
He will also want ball games and hide and seek games.The breed needs an active owner who will take him on long walks and hikes.
Whenever you opt to give a dog commercially manufactured dog food, you need to check that the dog food is made with high-quality ingredients which are mostly made up of protein or meat.
Certainly a puppy will need protein in his food for proper growth and he will require 4 bowls of food a day. An adult dog will require 2 bowls of food a day.
The type of commercial dog food you buy will depend on the age of your dog as well as his activity levels. If your dog has a known allergy or illness, there are dog foods manufactured with that in mind.
Try and in include some homemade food into his diet. Nothing spicey and exotic as this can cause stomach problems. A good guide is boiled chicken, brown rice and vegetables.