Dog Breeds > Silky Terrier

The Silky Terrier

The Silky Terrier is a pet that enjoys daily walk with its master. This beautiful hairy pet is very active and popular among dog breeders and pet lovers as well. It also like to play games with children and family friends.

Energy Playfulness Intelligence Grooming Popularity

Fascinating Facts

The Silky Terrier, also known as Australian Silky Terrier, Silky Toy Terrier or Sydney Terrier was developed in late 1800’s using Australian Terrier and Yorkshire. The intention was to greatly improve the existing coat color of the Australian Terrier. Many years ago, the Silky Terrier and the Australian Terrier was considered as the same breed until it was decided to identify them as separate breeds. The Silky Terrier made its way to the United States when American servicemen decided to bring it home with them.

Physical Appearance

The Silky Terrier’s height and weight is about 9 – 10 inches and 8 – 11 pounds respectively. It was duly noted that the bitches relatively are smaller in size than the studs. The size of the body is longer than it is tall. The head is wedge-shaped and flat between the ears. The muzzle is shorter than the skull. The nose is black with wide nostrils.

The dark colored almond shaped eyes are set in a dark eye rims. The erect ears are V-shaped. The front legs are strong and straight with cat-like feet. There are Silky Terriers in the United States that have docked tails. However in Europe, docking the tail of an animal especially the dog is considered illegal. The single long and silky coat grows up to 5 inches. This breed’s coat color is black when born but grows into different color as they grow older.  

Grooming

Grooming a Silky Terrier requires extra attention because the coat is always prone to matting and tangling. Daily bathing is needed in order to maintain the coat’s top condition. After bathing, make sure that the coat is thoroughly dried. In addition, regular trimming and removal of dead hair should be done to make the Silky Terrier lovelier.

Mood

This small and cute breed is an alert and intelligent dog. Most owners/trainers/handlers find the Silky Terrier an affectionate, cheerful and very social dog. It can be trusted around small domestic animals such as cats, rabbits, hamsters and birds. This dog has plenty of energy and should have lots of exercise in order to become satisfied and happy. This dog is an excellent digger and would do absolutely anything just to fulfill its desire to do so.

This dog is a good watchdog in spite of its small size. This dog is prone to Small Dog Syndrome because many owners/trainers/handlers over pamper the Silky Terrier. This could lead to uncontrollable character problems such as being demanding, biting furniture, chasing other animals and even biting its own masters.

With Children

The Silky Terrier is normally good with children. It could play for long hours without showing signs of getting tired. Just make sure that whenever you let this dog play with the children, have them warned not to spoil this breed because it might snap at them in any given time.

Training & Exercise

The Silky Terrier needs a lot of exercise. This dog has plenty of stamina and would do almost anything just to spend that energy. It would be best if you let the Silky Terrier walk, run or play for at least 2 hours a day.

Training a Silky Terrier is easy because it is an intelligent dog. It likes to gather audience and it would try to hypnotize you with its funny tricks. However, this breed could be easily distracted by sounds, moving animals or other dogs. You can use food reward challenges to improve its focus.

Health & Life Expectancy

The normal lifespan of a Silky Terrier is around 12 – 15 years. This breed generally lives healthy for the rest of its natural life. However, there are minor health issues that need to be addressed with such as patellar luxation, elbow dysplasia, tracheal collapse and sometimes epilepsy.

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