Silken Windhound

A Silken Windhound, pictured next to the larger-sized Borzoi.

The Silken Windhound is a rare American breed of dog, a member of the sighthound family .

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Appearance

The Silken Windhound is a graceful, small to medium-sized sighthound with a moderately long silky coat. This breed owes its unique appearance, elegant build, and the athleticism of a true coursing dog to champion Borzoi and Whippet ancestors. The Silken Windhound can be any combination of coat colors and markings, from spotted to solid, black and tan , saddled, brindle and sable, pure white and reds to deep black and blues , and a rainbow of colors in between.

Temperament

Silken Windhounds are as comfortable in the sporting fields as they are on the couch at home with their humans. They are generally affectionate and playful, and make ideal family companions and good playmates for gentle children . They are unsuited as guard dogs due to their trusting and friendly nature . Like all sighthounds, Silkens excel in racing or lure coursing but have also proven to be intelligent and responsive enough to also enjoy less typical sighthound activities. There are successful agility, therapy, flyball and obedience Silkens, as well as those that perform as assistance dogs. They do well with smaller household pets indoors if socialized to them properly, but their sighthound nature means that many small, fast running animals in the field may be chased.

Training

The Silken Windhound is a gentle, intelligent breed, they train easily and most effectively using reward and affection based training in short, positive sessions . Using positive training methods , Silkens will work eagerly and form strong relationships with their owners . Harsher training based on corrections do not work well with this breed, and will often create a fearful Silken rather than an obedient one. Like many in the sighthound family, most Silken Windhounds can slip out of a standard buckle collar, and the collar most often used with these hounds is a martingale dog collar, or a semi-slip collar .

Health

With proper care, many Silken Windhounds will live into their late teens, with some living until they are 17 to 20 . Bone and joint ailments like Hip dysplasia are generally not a problem, nor is bloat. However, some dogs in this breed are sensitive to Ivermectin and related drugs, and there have been some cases of cryptorchidism and also deafness and cataracts in geriatric dogs.

History

Breed founder Francie Stull showing off a Silken.

The Silken Windhound was created by Francie Stull, a successful breeder of top show and performance AKC Borzoi and Deerhound who utilized her decades of experience with AKC hounds in the formation of this breed, combining the best aspects of some of the top performance Borzoi and Whippet bloodlines in the Americas . The first Silken Windhound litter was whelped in 1987, and the breed club was formed in 1999. Silken Windhounds now are located all over the US, Canada, and Europe . Silken Windhounds were bred to be a small to medium-sized sighthound , and like other members of their group, they hunt by sight, and can course game in open areas at high speeds.

Event Venues

A "straight race."

Participating in a lure coursing event in Finland.

In addition to specialty shows that held worldwide, in the US, Silken Windhounds are welcome to show in the rare breed show venues Rarities, IABCA, and NCA, competing as part of the Hound groups. In Slovenia, the Silken Windhound is an accepted part of the Slovenian Kennel Club, member of the FCI, and also participates in the Hound group. Silken Windhounds are also able to participate in sighthound performance sports, and in addition to competing alongside other sighthounds in Finnishlure coursing and straight racing events, the ISWS has an established straight racing program that enables Silkens to race and win points towards their straight racing championships(SRC)in race events around the USA .

External links

• Silken Windhound Breed Club
• Breed Standard
• Finnish Silken Windhound Club
• UC Davis Silken Windhound research project
• Rarities & North American Kennel Club
• International All Breed Canine Association
• National Canine Association
• International Silken Windhound Racing Association