Silky Terrier - Discover this curious race
When we see Silky Terrier or Australian Silky, We immediately think we are facing a slightly bigger Yorkshire Terrier, what is because this English race has a lot to do with Silky, although the truth is that they are two dogs that have some differences between them.
- Weight: 3.5 to 5 kilos
- Hair type: Long, fine and very soft
- Character: Curious, active and faithful
- Health: Strong, with some typical problem of small breeds
- Life expectancy: Around 15 years
Origins
We have to go back to the nineteenth century in order to know the origins of this dog, which was created in Australia and the reason differs according to where we look for information.
In some places, in the same Wikipedia, we see that their origins were like a dog to exterminate rodents, but in others they tell us that It originated from the crosses made by an English breeder who emigrated to Australia.
There he crossed some terriers with others such as Yorki and Australian terrier, obtaining the Silky which he liked a lot outside Australia, so much that in 1900 he had his first standard.
It seems that this breeder, called MacArthur Little, did not want to get a new breed, but be able to select a terrier with smooth and soft hair, instead of entangled and hard hair, characteristic of the group's races.
Right now the Silky Terrier It is one of the dog breeds recognized by the FCI, which classifies it as a working dog, although the truth is that its appearance is that of one more of the companion dogs that exists, something that can deceive us, since it is a working animal.
Characteristics
The characteristics of the silky Australian, another of the names with which this dog is known, do not differ much from those of the Yorki, so much that it is very difficult to distinguish it from it for an eye that is not an expert.
It is a small and very compact dog, since They do not usually exceed 26 cm To the cross in the case of males, as well as it is complicated that the 5 kilos exceed, the 4 kilos being one of the most common weights.
Seen from afar gives us the feeling of being a refined and elegant dog, something that is confirmed when we approach him. If we touch it, we realize that it has a strong musculature under that mantle and that its jaws are powerful.
His head is medium -sized with respect to his body, the eyes are oval and small, while the ears are shaped like V, they are erect and should never present long hair.
The eyes are one of the keys when differentiate it from Yorkshire Terrier, because those of this are round, those of Silky Terrier are oval. In addition, the body of the silky terrier is less elongated and stronger.
How is your hair?
Hair is very important in Silky, since It is one of its main characteristics. Thus, it is long as it lets you move and never covers your eyes.
In the ears, as we have seen and on the legs, the hair should be short unlike the mantle in the rest of the body.
There are few accepted colors, specifically any blue and fire, preferring intense and well -defined tones arranged as the standard dictates.
Finally, it must be clarified that it is not uncommon for the puppies to be born black instead of blue, which will change as the months pass. In fact, it is said that the maximum blue tone that a dog will have can be seen when it is 18 months.
Silky character
Although there are diversity of opinions, it seems that the race did dedicate some time to kill rodents, as well as to warn of the presence of intruders in order for larger dogs to take care of the threat.
If the silky terrier did not live this lifestyle, it was the way in which the races that created it for centuries were developed, so that instinct is always there.
What does that mean? Well, although it has all the appearance of the typical animal that spends its life sleeping in your bed, the truth is that It is a working dog that has a huge hunter instinct.
Therefore, it is not the best race to live with other pets, so that if we have cats, rabbits, small rodents, etc., perhaps we should think of another dog that gets along with them.
Despite this instinct hunter, Silky is an excellent company animal, it is very loyal with his family, so much that despite his small size he protects them from strangers whenever he has occasion.
Here we can talk about an excess of territoriality that must be treated from puppy, socializing it at an early age in order not to become an animal too aggressive.
We can take it to the parks so that it is with other dogs of its size once the vaccine cycle is fulfilled, which will help you know how to relate and live without fighting. Similarly, you have to try to expose it to cats and correct their reactions if they are not adequate.
Care
We begin with how obvious the maintenance of your hair is, which requires intense work that consists of combing it daily, coming to do it twice a day at the time of mute.
To do this, It is best to consult with a canine hairdresser, which will explain how to comb it and what kind of accessories use with the idea of preventing knots without breaking the hair, which is very fine.
When washing it, you have to do it with a long -haired dog shampoo, better if it carries conditioner, since it will comb it it will be easier. If possible, we will choose a sunny day, then dry it with a dryer can be a rather tedious process for both the dog and us.
Another fundamental part in the care of this breed has to do with the exercise. You must walk several times, because despite its size it is very active And you need the outdoors and run. Otherwise, obesity problems will soon appear.
With the exercise you also have to help you have your mind occupied, since this breed is very intelligent and restless. In this way, environmental enrichment games and even mental acuity can be practiced, in which it will surely surprise us.
Feeding
Food is not complicated whenever we keep in mind that It has a certain tendency to gain weight, so we will have to be careful with the amounts, although the exercise helps this not happen.
Of course, we will choose a I think for small breeds, since it is the one that best goes for the size of the croquette and its composition.
Any premium brand will serve us, although if we want we can buy a specific one for the Yorkshire Terrier, which is the breed that most resembles it in terms of constitution and weight, but it is not necessary.
It will be necessary to be attentive to the scale, so that we must respect the amounts that the manufacturer guides and check the weight of the animal, warning the veterinarian if we see that our specimen has a tendency to gain weight.
In this case, one of the solutions is to move on to a light or low -calorie feed, with a greater amount of fiber, thus getting the Silky commits and satiates, but without ingesting too much energy, something we will always do after talking to the veterinarian.
Silky Terrier health
Given its origin, the silky of Australia It is a very strong dog with an iron health. In fact, it is nothing strange that the copies of the race arrive at fifteen without too many ailments.
Of course, like every small dog, you will always have a willingness to suffer diseases of the type of kneecap and the problems associated with it, when this part of the joint moves.
It is a painful process and if it happens we will see how the dog comes to limp or cannot sustain itself on that leg, so that it will be necessary to go to the veterinarian, where it is usually cured with medications.
When the dislocations are repeated and more serious, it is possible that the dog has to go through the operating room, although this is not the most common.
Another disease of the bones, which has a certain incidence in the race, is that of legg-Calvé -perthe. Under this long name, he hides A pathology that attacks young dogs and that necrotas the head of the femur causing a accused lameness, although it has treatment.
Do not forget about alopecia, which also suffers from the Silky Terrier with some frequency, although there is only one cause here and it may be due to many such as environmental, parasites, food allergies, etc.
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