Silky Terrier

The Silky Terrier has its beginnings in Australia. In an attempt to improve their native Australian Terriers’ coat, the Yorkshire Terrier was imported to Australia at the end of the1800s. By crossing these two breeds, they hoped to change the undesirable color of the coat but keep the hardy attributes of the breed. The litters of these two breeds resulted in some yorkies, some Australian and a new breed, now known as the Silky Terrier. The Silky Terrier turned out to be the perfect balance between the two breeds, and from then on Silky Terriers were only bred to Silky Terriers, until an established breed of its own was developed.

The Silky Terrier was bred in two different parts of Australia, Sidney and Victoria, causing problems when trying to come up with a breed standard. One of the main things they couldn’t agree upon was the weight for the breed. This led to different standards for the breed being written in 1909 for the separate cities. In the Australian Silky Terrier’s name was changed in1955 to the Silky Terrier.

For awhile the Silky terrier was only found in Australia,but eventually started to spread to other countries. Soon after the 1955 name change, the AKC recognized it as a breed.

A loving, sweet dog the Silky Terrier is a fairly easy dog to train, and is generally good with other pets if socialized as a puppy. He has the inherent terrier instinct and is very independent and dominant. A very curious breed, devoted to his family and craving attention, he learns tricks easily.

Pros:

• An excellent companion
• Very light shedder
• Good watchdog
• Good for apartment if sufficiently exercised

Cons:

• Not recommended for novice owners
• Regular grooming needed
• Prone to elbow dysplasia, patella luxation, Legg- Perthes Disease and intervertebral disc disease

By: Linda Eastabrooks

Former AKC Breeder

Contributor, Web-DVM.net