Silky Terrier Breed Standard

| home

Silky Terrier Breed Standard

The Standard for the breed is basically the 'blueprint' that breeders follow when trying to create the 'perfect' Silky. Dogs intended for the show ring must be as close to that ideal as possible.

GENERAL APPEARANCE

The Silky is a lightly built, moderately low-set, toy dog of pronounced terrier character and spirited action.

TEMPERAMENT

The keen, alert air of the terrier is characteristic, with shyness or excessive nervousness to be faulted. The manner is quick, friendly, responsive.

COAT AND COLOUR

Coat flat in texture, fine, glossy, silky; on matured specimens the desired length of coat from behind the ears to the set on of the tail is from 5 - 6 inches (13 - 15cm). On the top of the head the hair is so profuse as to form a topknot, but long hair on the face and ears is objectionable. Legs from knee and hock joints to feet should be free from long hair. The hair is parted on the head and down over the back to the root of the tail. Colour blue and tan. The blue may be silver blue, pigeon blue or slate blue, the tan deep and rich. The blue extends from the base of the skull to the tip of the tail, down the forelegs to the pasterns, and down the thighs to the hocks. On the tail the blue should be very dark. Tan appears on the muzzle and cheeks, around the base of the ears, below the pasterns and hocks, and around the vent. There is a tan spot over each eye. The topknot should be silver or fawn.

HEAD

The head is strong, wedge-shaped, and moderately long. The skull is a trifle longer than the muzzle, in proportion about three-fifths for the skull, two-fifths for the muzzle. Skull flat, and not too wide between the ears. Stop shallow. The nose is black. Teeth strong and well-aligned. Scissors bite. Eyes dark in colour, and piercingly keen in expression. Ears small, V-shaped and pricked. They are set high and carried erect without any tendency to flare obliquely off the skull.

NECK

The neck fits gracefully into sloping shoulders. It is medium long, fine and to some degree crested along its topline.

FOREQUARTERS

Well laid-back shoulders, together with good angulation at the upper arm, set the forelegs nicely under the body. Forelegs are strong, straight, and rather fine-boned.

BODY

Low-set, about one-fifth longer than the dog's height at the withers. The backline is straight, with a just perceptible rounding over the loins. Brisket medium wide, and deep enough to extend down to the elbows.

HINDQUARTERS

Thighs well muscled and strong, but no so developed as to appear heavy. Legs moderately angled at stifles and hocks, with the hocks low and equidistant from the hock joints to the ground. Feet small, cat-like, round, compact. Pads are thick and springy while the nails are strong and dark coloured. The feet point straight ahead, with no turning in or out. Dewclaws, if any, are removed.

TAIL

The tail is set high and carried erect or semi-erect but not over-gay. It is docked and well coated but devoid of plume.

GAIT

Should be free, light footed, lively, and straight forward. Hindquarters should have strong propelling power.

FAULTS

Shyness or excessive nervousness. A bite markedly undershot or overshot is a serious fault. Light eyes are a fault. A too-short body is a fault. White or flesh-coloured nails are a fault. Toeing in or out on the move is to be faulted.

No image or text may be taken off this site.