Quick Links: Table of Contents
- Silky Terrier Breed Overview
- History of the Silky Terrier Breed. Where Silky Terriers came from
- What the Silky Terrier Looks Like
- How Much is the Silky Terrier Puppy?
- Best Silky Terrier Breeders
- Adopting or Rescuing the Silky Terrier
- What Colors do Silky Terriers Have?
- The Temperament of the Silky Terrier
- Silky Terrier Litter Size
- How Fast Silky Terriers Can Run
- Good Names for Silky Terriers
- How Intelligent are Silky Terriers?
- How Popular are Silky Terriers with New Dog Owners?
- Health Problems in Silky Terriers and How to Prevent Them
- Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Silky Terriers
- Other Things to Know About Silky Terriers
Silky Terrier Breed Overview
The Silky Terrier is a tiny-sized dog.
The adult Silky Terrier stands 9 to 10 inches tall at the shoulder.
The Silky Terrier belongs to the Companion Dogs group.
Dogs in the Companion Dogs group, like the Silky Terrier, were bred to be companions for humans. Their main goal in life is to be with people, and they will be very sad if left to themselves for long hours day after day.
The fact that the Silky Terrier belongs to the Companion Dogs group is one of the reasons why Silky Terriers have the personality and temperament that they have.
The temperament of the Silky Terrier is generally described as:
- Alert
- Friendly
- Inquisitive
- Joyful
- Quick
- Responsive
History of the Silky Terrier Breed. Where Silky Terriers came from
Silky Terriers have been a popular breed of dog for many centuries.
The Silky Terrier is believed to have originated in Australia, where it was used as a hunting dog.
Silky Terriers were also popular in England, where they were known as the Yorkshire Terrier.
Silky Terriers were first brought to the United States in the late 1800s, and they quickly became a favorite among American dog lovers.
Silky Terriers are known for their playful personality and their Silky coat, which doesn`t require much grooming.
Silky Terriers make great companion dogs and are well-suited for families with children.
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What the Silky Terrier Looks Like
Silky Terriers are small, compact dogs with long, silky fur.
They have wedge-shaped heads and pointed ears, and their tails are usually docked.
Their fur is usually blue and tan, although some may have all-black or all-blue coats.
Silky Terriers are active, playful dogs that enjoy being around people.
They are devoted to their families and make great companion animals.
Silky Terriers are relatively easy to train and do well in obedience competitions.
They require moderate amounts of exercise and should be brushed frequently to prevent mats from forming in their fur.
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How Much is the Silky Terrier Puppy?
The average price of a Silky Terrier puppy is $2040. The price of a Silky Terrier puppy ranges from $1800 to $2738.
A lot of factors determine the price of the Silky Terrier. These factors include what health records the Silky Terrier puppy has, the lineage of the Silky Terrier puppy, the US state the breeder is located in, etc.
To estimate how much you can expect to pay for a puppy Silky Terrier based on the many factors that determine the price of the Silky Terrier puppy, check out our calculator that lets you estimate how much you should expect to pay for the Silky Terrier puppy based on what you want in the puppy.
When looking to buy a puppy, look at buying a puppy only from well-established breeders that breed puppies primarily for the love of the Silky Terrier breed, and secondarily for profit. Do not buy a puppy from a puppy mill. Puppy mills mass-produce puppies in bad living conditions for maximum profit.
You may also consider adopting instead of buying a puppy. Adoption costs are very low compared to the price of a puppy.
Best Silky Terrier Breeders
We have researched reputable Silky Terrier breeders that you can buy a puppy.
Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Silky Terrier breeders in various states in the United States.
On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.
A few of these breeders are listed below.
Silkstone Silky Terriers
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Pam Rakis
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
A Place For Grace
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Maile Kennels
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Prairie View Companion
Puppy Price: Check with breeder
Adopting or Rescuing the Silky Terrier
You may consider adopting a dog instead of buying a puppy. Many dogs, Silky Terriers included, are currently available for adoption in your local dog shelters.
These helpless but adorable dogs are waiting in dog shelters hoping that someday someone will rescue them. Dog adoption costs are lesser than the cost of a new puppy. Dog adoption costs are usually around $300 or even less.
In addition to your local dog shelter, another good place to find dogs that are available for adoption is petfinder.com.
Below is an adorable Male Silky Terrier named Chewy that is currently available for adoption on Petfinder.com. You can find other lovely Silky Terriers like Chewy on pefinder.com.
Mitch is the name of another Silky Terrier (Male) on petfinder.com that is looking for a new forever home.
You can find more Silky Terriers that are available for adoption on petfinder.
What Colors do Silky Terriers Have?
Silky Terriers come in the following beautiful primary colors:
- Bicolor
- Red / Chestnut / Orange
- Black
- Gray / Blue / Silver
- Yellow / Tan / Blond / Fawn
- Apricot / Beige
- Golden
- Sable
- White / Cream
- Brown / Chocolate
The Temperament of the Silky Terrier
The temperament of the Silky Terrier based can be summarized as in the table below.
The table shows the scores of the Silky Terrier for 13 important dog behavioral factors.
We obtained these scores by analyzing raw data from the C-BARQ dog personality survey tool. The higher the score of a dog for a factor, the worse the temperament of the dog regarding that factor.
The C-BARQ tool was developed by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, and it is a scientific tool that is used worldwide for reliably measuring the temperament of dog breeds.
See our complete analysis of the temperament of the Silky Terrier here.
| Factor | Score |
|---|---|
| Attachment Attention Seeking | 89.7 percent |
| Separation Related Behavior | 81.3 percent |
| Energy Level | 76.5 percent |
| Touch Sensitivity | 75.6 percent |
| Dog Directed Aggression | 74.9 percent |
| Stranger Directed Aggression | 74.1 percent |
| Dog Rivalry | 72.7 percent |
| Owner Directed Aggression | 66.0 percent |
| Stubbornness | 65.9 percent |
| Prey Drive | 61.5 percent |
| Stranger Directed Fear | 59.0 percent |
| Dog Directed Fear | 53.6 percent |
| Nonsocial Fear | 100.0 percent |
| Excitability | 100.0 percent |
Silky Terrier Litter Size
Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 19 different Silky Terrier birth litters.
From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Silky Terriers can have is 3 puppies. Also, the Silky Terrier can have as few as 2 puppies per litter and as many as 5 puppies per litter.
The number of puppies that the Silky Terrier will have depends on factors such as the age of the Silky Terrier, the method of pregnancy, etc.
Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Silky Terrier will have and how the litter size of the Silky Terrier compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.
How Fast Silky Terriers Can Run
How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.
Based on our analysis of the speeds of 10 different Silky Terriers, the average speed of the Silky Terrier is 17.5 mph (28.1 kmph).
The fastest speed on AKC record that the Silky Terrier ran in a race is 23.84 mph (38.4 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Silky Terrier is 3.64 mph (5.9 kmph).
Click here to see how the speed of the Silky Terrier compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.
Good Names for Silky Terriers
Here are some really good names that are typical for the Silky Terrier ranked by popularity:
- Chewy
- Buddy
- Buster
- Ronnie
- Benji
- Mookie
- Whit
- Preston
- Shimmy
- Ralph
How Intelligent are Silky Terriers?
| Silky Terrier | |
|---|---|
| Intelligence Rank | 37 out of 130 dog breeds |
| Trainability | Tend To Learn New Commands After 15 To 25 Repetitions |
According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:
- Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.
- Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.
- Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.
Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.
Prof. Coren found that the Silky Terrier has an obedience intelligence rank of 37 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Silky Terriers in the `Above Average Working Dogs` category.
This means that Silky Terriers tend to learn new commands after 15 to 25 repetitions.
However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.
See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:
| Breed | Intelligence Rank |
|---|---|
| Border Collie | 1 |
| Papillon | 8 |
| German Shorthaired Pointer | 17 |
| Weimaraner | 21 |
| Vizsla | 25 |
| Cardigan Welsh Corgi | 26 |
| Airedale Terrier | 29 |
| Border Terrier | 30 |
| Samoyed | 33 |
| Norwich Terrier | 38 |
| American Water Spaniel | 44 |
| American Foxhound | 46 |
| Rhodesian Ridgeback | 52 |
| Akita | 54 |
| Norfolk Terrier | 56 |
| French Bulldog | 58 |
| Chinese Crested | 61 |
| Chow Chow | 76 |
| Basenji | 78 |
| Afghan Hound | 79 |
How Popular are Silky Terriers with New Dog Owners?
Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.
The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Silky Terrier.
The popularity of the Silky Terrier averaged over the years is Number 105 out of about 200 dog breeds.
Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.
Health Problems in Silky Terriers and How to Prevent Them
Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.
The Silky Terrier is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.
From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.
Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.
If you want a Silky Terrier puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Silky Terrier breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.
The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Silky Terriers for:
You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Silky Terriers here.
Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Silky Terriers
If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Silky Terrier.
We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Silky Terrier:
- American Hairless Terrier (81 percent match with Silky Terrier). Learn more about the American Hairless Terrier here.
- Australian Terrier (79 percent match with Silky Terrier). Learn more about the Australian Terrier here.
- Glen of Imaal Terrier (79 percent match with Silky Terrier). Learn more about the Glen of Imaal Terrier here.
Other Things to Know About Silky Terriers
Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Silky Terrier that you need to know about the Silky Terrier breed:
