Here are some fun and fascinating facts about the Silky Terriers that will surely surprise a lot of people!
As the Silky Terriers were developed in Australia and they were mainly found in the Sydney city, there were initially named as Sydney Silky Terriers. But, in 1955, the name of this breed was officially changed to Australian Silky Terriers in Australia. Later, the members of the Sydney Silky Terrier Club of America decided to change the name of the club to just Silky Terrier Club of America and thus the name of this breed was finally changed to Silky Terriers in the United States.
The Silky Terriers have a gorgeous shiny coat that is fairly long and has a silky texture to it. This pretty coat is one of the most distinct and eye-catching features of these canines and it eventually became the inspiration for the name of this breed also as it was dubbed as the Silky Terrier.
The grooming requirements to keep the long and flowy coats of the Silky Terriers might be a little high, but one practical positive aspect about their coat is that it rarely ever sheds. These pooches are known to be minimal shedders and as they don’t produce a lot of dander as well, they are considered to be a hypoallergenic breed which means these canines are great for those people who are easily triggered by dog hair which can cause an allergic reaction.
With the aim to improve the color of the coat of the blue-and-tan Australian Terriers, breeders started a breeding program in the late 1800s in which they crossed the Australian Terriers with the Yorkshire Terriers. And, this cross-breeding eventually led to the formation of the Silky Terriers. For several years, the Silky and the Australian Terriers were considered the same breed, but in the end, these two finally got recognized as separate breeds.
While most Australian breeds were created for work purposes, the Silky Terriers were bred to be a faithful companion and an urban pet. These pooches were only seen as family dogs but some people believe that before becoming a popular household pet in Australia, these canines were given the role of rodent hunters and they were used to eliminate various kinds of pests and vermin. Some people also believe that these pooches were employed to hunt down snakes in various parts of Australia as well.
The members of the American Armed forces brought some of the Silky Terriers back with them to the United States of America during the Second World War. This breed became highly popular in the U.S. in no time and within a few years, the Silky Terrier Club of America was founded.
The American Kennel Club recognized the Silky Terriers as a distinct breed in the year 1959 and only three years after that, the standard for the Silky Terriers was established. It was later amended in 1967.
The Silky Terriers are immensely playful and fun-loving in nature and they always remain extremely happy and jolly as well which helps in creating a positive atmosphere wherever the Silky Terriers go. They love to spend most of their time with their family members and the people they trust and they are always ready to play numerous light-hearted games with their friends and close ones too.
Silky Terriers are very intelligent and clever canines who can learn a lot of difficult commands and tricks from their owners. In a survey that included 91 small-sized canine breeds, the Silky Terriers came in the top 20 in learning new things the quickest.
Due to their extremely small size, the Silky Terriers are placed under the Toy Group by the American Kennel Club. These canines only weight around 4-5 Kilograms and they have an average height of 9-10 inches, thus they are considered to be a Toy breed by the AKC. But the United Kennel Club (UKC), on the other hand, has placed this breed under the Terrier Group only.