Shorkie Information & Dog Breed Facts

Shorkie is not a purebred, it is a designed hybrid which was created in the 90s in the United States along most of the other designer breeds but now it appears to be in Britain and Ireland where it is most in demand. The mix was created by crossing Shih Tzu and Yorkshire Terrier and also known as Shorkie Tzu or Yorkie Tzu. Both parent breeds are a devoted small companion pedigree,  they are both friendly with an attractive appearance which is suitable for living indoors. Neither parent breed sheds heavily so that’s not a surprise that this is true for the Shorkie itself as well.

Although their history doesn’t date back for so long, since they just started to be purposely bred in the last two decades both parent breeds have an interesting and rich history. Shih Tzu is one of the oldest breeds in the world, originated in Tibet. This dog was deemed to be of royalty and lived in breath-taking temples. Presumably, the ancestor of the dog we know today had been given to an emperor of China around the era of the Qing Dynasty between 1644 and 1662. As time went by, China became known as the creators of this breed, more so than the original Tibet. Shih Tzu was often referred to as the Lion Dog as the Lion symbol played a large role in Buddhism, which is as we know the determining religion of the area since ancient times. As lions actually were not indigenous in the region but had traditional symbolic importance the Chinese tended to breed their dogs to look as similar to lions as possible. A  Chinese empress Cixi was the one who worked hard and carefully on breeding to get the result of the dog we know today. However, after the Communist Revolution, her large breeding facilities were destroyed, along with most of the dogs. Only a few Shih Tzus were saved and imported into England, where the breed was perfected in the early 20^th century. The AKC recognized the Shih Tzu in 1969 as an official breed in the Toy dog class and currently is among the top 20 most popular toy breed dogs in the world.

The Yorkshire Terriers' origin is only dating back to the previous century. This breed was originally created for the purpose of catching rats in mines and households and were also used for hunting to borrow underground after badgers and foxes. The breed was named after the region of England in which they originated; Yorkshire. Several small Terrier breeds were combined to create the Yorkie breed. One of the ancestors of the Yorkshire Terrier among others is the Waterside Terrier, which is a small Scottish breed with a long blue-gray coat. The Waterside Terrier was brought to Yorkshire, in the mid 19th century by the miners and workers from Scotland, who migrated to England during the Industrial Revolution. The Yorkie made its first official appearance in England in 1861 during a bench show. At this time they were known as the “Broken-haired Scotch Terrier”. The Yorkie kept this title for 9 years until during one show a reporter commented that the breed should be known as Yorkshire Terriers because the breed had improved so much since their arrival in Yorkshire. The Yorkshire Terrier is also a fully acknowledged and recognized breed by the AKC and other noted international Kennel Clubs.

However, Shorkies are not recognized by the American Kennel Club, since they are a designed mix breed they are recognized by the American Canine Hybrid Club and the International Designer Canine Registry.