Other names/Nicknames:
- Sidney Silky
- Australian Silky Terrier
Country/Date of origin:
- Australia
- 19th century
Height:
- 9 to 10 inches
Weight:
- 8 to 11 pounds
Personality:
- A bundle of energy with a true terrier spirit.
- One-family dog.
- Does not like strangers.
- Noisy.
- Makes a good watchdog.
- Possessive of its people and territory.
- Likes to get its own way—and usually does because it is so insistent.
- Difficult to train.
History:
This feisty little terrier was created in Sidney, Australia by crossing Australian Terriers with Yorkshire Terriers. It got its diminutive size from the Yorkie and its ruggedness and spirit from the Aussie Terrier. It was first shown in 1907 as the Sidney Silky. The first representatives of the breed were imported to the United States in the 1950′s and it was accepted for registration by the American Kennel Club (AKC) in 1959.
Body Type:
- A small, terrier-type dog with a long, lightly-built body.
- Tail is docked and carried erect or semi erect.
- Small, prick ears are held erect and not altered.
Coat:
- The fine, silky, single coat (that gives the dog its name) is long on the body and head and short on the face, ears, and lower legs.
- Silky Terriers must be a blue and tan color. The blue varies from gunmetal to slate or silver-blue.
- Coat is parted on the head and down over the back to the root of the tail.
- Not much shedding but the coat mats easily.
Health and Wellness:
- Legg-Perthes disease.
- Tracheal collapse.
- Patella luxation.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Atlanto-axial sublucation.
- Periodontal disease.
- Color dilution alopecia.
- Mitral insufficiency.
What you should know:
- Wants to be boss.
- Very quick moving.
- Makes an excellent snake killer in its native Australia.
- This is a small terrier, not a Toy dog, in spite of the way the American Kennel Club classifies it.
- Sturdy, robust, and fiery in nature, there is nothing delicate about this dog. It is a lot of dog in a little package.
- The relative rarity of the Silky Terrier makes puppies hard to find.
