MyDogBreeds
Both Shorkie and Catahoula Leopard are originated from United States. Shorkie may grow 44 cm / 17 inches shorter than Catahoula Leopard. Shorkie may weigh 41 kg / 90 pounds lesser than Catahoula Leopard. Both Shorkie and Catahoula Leopard has almost same life span. Shorkie may have less litter size than Catahoula Leopard. Shorkie requires Moderate maintenance. But Catahoula Leopard 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.
This working dog breed originates from America’s Deep South. In fact it was originally named after a small village in the state of Louisiana and was made the state’s official dog in 1979. The dog is believed to have come from the Mastiff and Greyhound.
Known as war dogs they were left with local tribes who crossed them with wolves, and French Beauceron blood was also included.
A number of Catahoula dog Associations were started and the Louisiana Catahoula Cur Association was formed in 1976, followed by others. These Associations work to promote the breed. In 1995 the United Kennel Club was the first national dog registry to recognize the Catahoula.
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.
Known as the Leopard dog because of the distinctive spotted patches on his short to medium length coat, this interesting looking spotted dog can have a coat of many colors such as solid colors, brindle and a blend of several colors including blue merle and red merle, black and tan.
He is a muscular and athletic dog of medium to large size with sturdy legs and deep chest. He stands at 56 – 68cm and weighs 20 – 50kg. Many of these dogs have webbing between the toes which gives them an advantage when running through marshy areas or when swimming.
With his floppy ears, the tail is long or bobtailed. An unusual aspect with the dog is his eyes – having what is known as marbled glass eyes which are blue or blueish-white in color.
The Catahoula Leopard Dog can be stubborn and he is also energetic, fearless and highly intelligent. You’ll want to have him trained and socialized early as then he becomes a more relaxed, obedient dog. He is an assertive dog but not aggressive by nature.
Catahoulas in general are even tempered and they are willing to share their space with children in the home as well as other pets. They are protective of children and of their entire human family, making good watchdogs.
The Catahoula makes a fine family pet but he is a dog which shouldn’t be left outside day after day. He is a companion dog and won’t thrive without the companionship of his human family.
He is highly intelligent and also energetic, and if you want him to be relaxed and amicable around other humans and pets in the home he will require training and socialization. For training and ownership, the Catahoula Leopard will require a strong, firm, confident personality and he’ll be an obedient, loving and loyal 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.
Your Catahoula Leopard is a healthy dog breed and with good care he can live to be 10 to 14 years of age. However, there are a number of reasons why some of the healthiest dogs can become ill.
Knowing about these illnesses means you can take action and minimize the pain and suffering your pet might have to otherwise endure.
You’ll notice your pet shaking his head and maybe even scratching his ears. Ear infections are more evident in dogs with floppy ears and there can be an ear discharge. When left untreated, the ears can become painful and then it is time to get him to the vet.
This is a common illness in dogs and can be terribly uncomfortable and debilitating for your pet as he tries to urinate all the time with no success. Signs of UTI can include this excessive urination with little urine coming out, lethargy and discomfort. Take your pet immediately to the vet to be checked over.
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 dog makes such a splendid pet, willing to give loyal and loving friendship to humans, even those who don’t treat him properly. When you think of the unconditional love your Catahoula Leopard dog will give you, surely you want to provide him with good food and shelter.
It can be devastating if your dog goes missing, and if he has no identification, to find him might only mean telling people what he looks like. Rather put a collar on him and an ID tag so that your chances of getting him back are just that much better.
You can also have him micro-chipped by your veterinarian and these chips have a unique code which can provide useful information on your pet.
Make sure that your pet is vaccinated as a puppy against diseases which could be deadly such as rabies.
If you have no intention of allowing your Catahoula Leopard to have puppies, rather have him neutered or spayed if its a female. It is better for them and they can live longer and be free of some ailments that at un-spayed or un-neutered dog may get.