- General
Appearance-The Silky Terrier is a true "toy terrier". He is moderately
low set, slightly longer than tall, of refined bone structure, but of sufficient
substance to suggest the ability to hunt and kill domestic rodents. His coat is
silky in texture, parted from the stop to the tail and presents a well groomed
but not sculptured appearance. His inquisitive nature and joy of life make him
an ideal companion.
- Size,
Proportion, Substance -Size -
Shoulder height from nine to ten inches. Deviation in either direction is
undesirable. Proportion
- The body is about one fifth longer than the dog's height at the withers.
Substance - Lightly built with strong
but rather fine bone.
- Head -The head is strong, wedge-shaped, and moderately long.
Expression
piercingly keen, eyes
small, dark, almond shaped with dark rims. Light eyes are a serious fault.
Ears are small, V-shaped, set high and carried erect without
any tendency to flare obliquely off the skull. Skull
flat, and not too wide between the ears. The skull is slightly longer than the
muzzle. Stop shallow. The nose is
black. Teeth strong and well aligned,
scissors bite. An undershot or overshot bite is a serious fault.
- Neck, Topline
and Body -The neck fits
gracefully into sloping shoulders. It is medium long, fine, and to some degree
crested. The topline is
level. A topline showing a roach or dip is a serious fault. Chest
medium wide and deep enough to extend down to the elbows. The
body is moderately low set and
about one fifth longer than the dog's height at the withers. The body is
measured from the point of the shoulder (or forechest) to the rearmost
projection of the upper thigh (or point of the buttocks). A body which is too
short is a fault, as is a body which is too long. The tail is docked, set high
and carried at twelve to two o'clock position.
- Forequarters -Well laid back shoulders,
together with proper angulation at the upper arm, set the forelegs nicely under
the body. Forelegs are strong, straight and rather fine-boned.
Feet small, catlike, round,
compact. Pads are thick and springy while nails are strong and dark colored.
White or flesh-colored nails are a fault. The feet point straight ahead, with no
turning in or out. Dewclaws, if any, are removed.
- Hindquarters -Thighs well muscled and
strong, but not so developed as to appear heavy. Well angulated stifles with low
hocks which are parallel when viewed from behind. Feet as in front.
- Coat -Straight, single, glossy, silky in texture. On matured
specimens the coat falls below and follows the body outline. It should not
approach floor length. 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. The hair is
parted on the head and down over the back to the root of the tail. The tail is
well coated but devoid of plume. Legs should have short hair from the pastern
and hock joints to the feet. The feet should not be obscured by the leg
furnishings.
- Color -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 elbows, and half way down the
outside of the thighs. On the tail the blue should be very dark. Tan appears on
muzzle and cheeks, around the base of the ears, on the legs and feet and around
the vent. The topknot should be silver or fawn which is lighter than the tan
points.
- Gait -Should be free, light-footed, lively and straightforward.
Hindquarters should have strong propelling power. Toeing in or out is to be
faulted.
- Temperament -The keenly alert air of the
terrier is characteristic, with shyness or excessive nervousness to be faulted.
The manner is quick, friendly,
responsive.
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