Silky Terrier Dog Breed

The Silky Terrier is a member of the Toy category of dog breeds, and was originally developed in Australia to be a companion pet. These spunky little dogs normally have quite domineering personalities, and are best suited for singles or families of any size--but owners will probably need to provide a good deal of training and socialization to instill proper behavior in their Silky Terriers.

Some Silky Terrier facts: they're small-sized (weight averages 10 pounds, and height at the shoulders is about 10 inches), with long, smooth fur; Silkys have a relatively long lifespan of 12-15 years. Here are some good (and not so good) qualities of the breed:

PROS:

• Affectionate
• Sheds minimally
• Intelligent
• Good watchdog abilities
• Easily trained
• Hypoallergenic
• Active and inquisitive
• Excellent health
• Adapts well to apartment life
• Great travel companion
• Fairly easily groomed

CONS:

• Tendency for bossiness
• Obedience training and socialization usually required
• High barking tendencies
• Can develop Small Dog Syndrome
• Due to high prey drive, will chase and be aggressive towards cats and other small pets
• May be difficult to housetrain
• Does not normally socialize well with small children and other pets
• Moderate to high maintenance required
• Can be expensive to purchase

A small-sized breed; weight for both males and females is 8-11 pounds, and height is 9-10 inches at the shoulders.

This breed utterly epitomizes the "alpha personality"-type dog. Silkys are confident, personable, sometimes domineering animals that enjoy spending time with their human families – often on the dogs' own terms. A Silky may exhibit bossy behavior with children and other pets that will require consistent training and early socialization.

A fair amount of care is required for this breed, particularly in the area of behavior training; moderate grooming will be necessary. Their small size can be misleading, they need at least a nice daily walk and some play time; they especially enjoy games like tug-of-war with you.

The Silky Terrier was first developed in the late 19th century in Australia. There, numerous breeders crossed the native Australian Terriers – rough-coated dogs that themselves descended from various terriers brought from Great Britain in the early 1800s – with imported Yorkshire Terriers. Historians believe the breeders' objective was to create a smoother-haired breed that could serve as a good household pet. (Most other Australian breeds at that time were working dogs.) Interbreeding of the Yorkie and Australian offspring continued until the puppies had complete traits of the new Silky Terrier breed. While Silkys were developed to be pets, they naturally retained the high prey instincts common to all terrier breeds.

In the early 1900s, breeding of these purebred dogs continued in Australia, particularly in Sydney, where in 1906 fanciers published a breed standard that named the breed the Sydney Silky; meanwhile in neighboring Victoria, breeders published a separate standard in 1909 that didn't quite match the one from Sydney. After some debate, the two breed standards were combined, and a new standard was published in 1926.

Silky Terriers first appeared in the U.S. after World War II, when servicemen who'd been stationed in Australia brought dogs of the breed home with them. In 1954, Silky Terrier popularity skyrocketed in the States when photos of the breed were published in several newspapers and magazines; though this breed is known as the Silky Terrier in the U.S., it is called the Australian Silky Terrier elsewhere in the world. Today, the breed is recognized by every major official kennel club on the globe.

As the Silky Terrier's name suggests, its coat is long, sleek, and silky-smooth. This breed's body is a little greater in length than in height. The head is the shape of a long wedge; the eyes are small, almond-shaped, and dark, giving the Silky a piercing expression; the medium-sized ears are triangular and carried erect. The Silky's neck is of medium length and graceful, its chest is moderately wide and deep, its legs are straight and fine-boned, and its feet are compact, catlike, and forward-facing. The tail is relatively short, is straight or slightly curved, and is either level or pointing upward.

The Silky Terrier has no specific sub-types within the breed.

As to coat varieties, this breed is exactly what its name suggests: a silky-haired terrier. There is a bit of variation in the coat texture of these dogs, in which the fur is a bit rougher than silky, but these instances are rare. Some owners choose to give their Silky Terriers short haircuts which make the dog's fur appear to be much shorter--but this is a personal preference, and is not an actual coat variation (the Silky Terrier is naturally long haired).

Silky Terriers are pretty consistent in size as well. Due to demand for "ultra-small" dogs, some designer dog breeders will use selective breeding techniques (whereby they will breed successive generations of smaller and smaller dogs) to eventually produce what they call "Teacup Silky Terriers" Toy or "Miniature Silky Terriers." And while these dogs are indeed smaller--as tiny as 5 inches in height, 5 pounds in weight--their size is due to the selective breeding and again, not a breed sub-type.

Spunky, intelligent, personable, and independent, the Silky Terrier is a powerful, commanding, often stubborn personality in a tiny package. This breed is very "pack"-oriented, and will prefer spending time in the company of its owners rather than alone. As active, inquisitive terriers, Silkys are prone to habits like digging and barking. Experts suggest gentle but consistent discipline, along with positive reinforcement, when a Silky is a puppy to teach it proper obedience, and to help it learn its proper place in the family pack; if a Silky is not taught to respect and obey humans, it may develop Small Dog Syndrome, in which a dog is selfish, aggressive, and disrespectful to humans and other animals. Professional trainers also suggest early socialization with children and other pets – particularly larger dogs – to instill a Silky's gentle behavior around them. As with most toy breeds, housetraining may also prove difficult.

This breed's scrappy personality, though, has its advantages too: due to its intelligence, a Silky is very easily trained, and is in fact eager to learn. And because of its noisy, frequent bark, a Silky makes an excellent watchdog.

Life expectancy is 12-15 years. Silky Terriers are healthy overall, but may suffer from common issues like epilepsy and diabetes; occasionally, this breed may have more serious issues including Legg-Perthes Disease (a hip joint condition that requires surgery) or tracheal collapse (a weakening of the cartilage in the windpipe).