About the Silky
“His inquisitive nature and joy of life make him an ideal companion.” AKC Standard
What makes a Silky Terrier a Silky Terrier?
You could say, it’s how he acts!
He is a true toy terrier “of sufficient substance to suggest the ability to hunt and kill rodents.” (From the AKC Standard). And yes, “The keenly alert air of the terrier is characteristic, with shyness or excessive nervousness to be faulted. The manner is quick, friendly, responsive.”. (Also from the AKC Standard).
That is all true, but it’s only a part of the picture. As in any dog, you should be able to see the breed across the room and say… “that’s a Silky!” (Click to see the full AKC Standard here.)
Here are photos of real, quality Silkys that embody our standard.
None are perfect of course, because a perfect dog doesn’t exist, but each one LOOKS like our breed, per our Standard.
Tell Me More About Silkys!
The Silky Terrier is a bright penny of a dog, cheerful and always ready for the next adventure. They are a wonderful breed for families with older children and retirees, as their enthusiasm brightens everyone’s day. While they are in fact a small breed and can be carried about (the Standard wants them to be 9 to 10 inches at the shoulder) a Silky doesn’t consider himself small.
This Toy TERRIER has a high prey drive and limited tolerance for strange dogs. This is not a dog park dog, nor will he do well in a home where the neighbor dogs come over to play regularly. He is great with children who are old enough to respect him. He can be okay with other dogs, but it’s on his terms and at his discretion.
Check out here: Silky Terrier History.
However, when a Silky has decided, his heart goes out and he loves unreservedly. This is why most people never want another breed once they have a Silky in the house.
Silkys are often confused with their far more popular cousins, the Yorkshire Terrier. How to tell the difference? Check out this article: A Yorkie or a Silky?
Many Silkys make great Therapy Dogs, as they are empathetic and seem to know when someone is not feeling well and needs a gentle canine touch.
If you look at that long shiny coat and think “That must be awful to groom!” — not so. Silkys are the easiest “drop coat” breed to groom, usually requiring no more than a bath and a brush once a week, as they have very little undercoat. This also means that they have very little dander and are quite hypoallergenic.
They are a great choice for people normally allergic to dogs. Check out this article for a detailed how-to: Silky Terrier Grooming.
As a terrier bred to be an effective house watchdog and to be an independent hunter of mice, rats and snakes, it would be easy to think that the breed is difficult to train. This is not true.
Conformation training for an AKC Championship is relatively easy for most Silkys, as they just need to be charming and cheerful — both of which come naturally.
They can also be surprisingly good at the various Performance disciplines such as Agility, Lure Coursing, Rally, and Trick Training, as they are deeply interested in hanging out with their person. If you can show them that working on a discipline will increase the amount they can hang, they are all in.
Below are some videos — many thanks to Meredith Reeve — that showcase her putting her clever Silkys through their paces.
More Silky Owners About Their Dogs
“Harvey is a service/therapy dog in training. He may not be the best Silky yet, but I had to brag about him. Today was his first day of therapy with older adults. He slept quietly beside an elderly woman in her 80s for an hour, went outside to go potty, went to Sam’s Club, rode in a doggy stroller, and then spent an hour with a stroke victim. He whimpered as tried to hide when I took him away from the stroke victim. Harvey is amazing and only turned 10 weeks old yesterday. His mom is my medical alert service dog. She was NOT this amazing at 10 weeks. Silkys are amazing.”
“Jome is a great performance dog: champion tree climber, deer alert dog, Vizsla herder, people lover, and snuggler…he has also earned AKC titles but he is the Best Silky because he touched my heart like no other dog; helped me through a tragic loss and he leads by example every day – living in each moment with joyful optimism and True happiness! This tiny dog is one of my biggest blessings.”