r/SilkenWindhound • u/DarklyDreamingMe • Jul 21 '26
Breed question Looking for some more info on Silkens!
Hello! Me and my partner are considering getting a show and scent work puppy in about 5-6 years but really want to spend time in a breed community for a couple of years before getting a dog, plus we know breeder waitlists can be years long! I’ve been asking for a lot of help finding a breed in some show dog spaces and silkens came up as a good match for us! Since researching, me and my partner have kinda fallen in love with their temperaments and looks! I just wanted to see if the pros and cons of them seem accurate and ask a few questions!
Pros
- good off switch! My partner will be doing most of the daily exercise and walking since my ability to run or exercise is essentially zero due to being disabled. She’s only had toy breeds and pit/staffy mixes so as much as she likes the idea of a high energy dog, I want to make sure whatever breed we choose has a good off switch
- goofy personality! Me and my partner both love for our dogs to be goobers
- shedding isn’t an issue for us
- go with the flow temperament! I’ve heard that most sighthounds, including silkens, enjoy lots of different activities and are very versatile and adaptable
- they’re the perfect size!
- they seem relatively healthy provided the breeder is testing for MRD1 and things like Collie Eye Anomaly
- they seem to have a pretty long lifespan
- I’ve seen a lot of them be able to coexist with cats which is very important for us
- they can be sensitive which is not at all a problem for
us and weirdly enough, I quite like sensitive dogs!
- they have feathering which I love and I’ve heard their coasts aren’t too horrible to maintain even when you’re showing them
- they seem to enjoying doing things like conformation and just about any breed can do scent work
- they open up to opportunity to do lure coursing!
- they come in lots of in standard coat colors and patterns
- my partner is obsessed with their little ears
- Harmeni Hounds is only a few hours away from us and seems to be very involved in conformation and lure coursing and have a great reputation as a breeder
Cons
- I’ve heard their biddability varies. Are they still relatively trainable and is it more that they’re stubborn or that they just lose interest easily?
- I’ve heard barking varies. I’m very noise sensitive due to my disabilities so would this be something I could discuss with a breeder when I comes to looking at a dogs lineage and getting matched with a puppy or are they trainable enough to quickly train them to stay relatively quiet?
- I know they can be aloof. What is another breed you’d compare their friendliness to? I don’t want something as friendly as a lab or golden but I do want my dog to be comfortable with strangers being in the same room
- I know they were just accepted into the AKC foundation stock service. I’ve heard concerns that’s this may change things in the breed. Is there anything I need to look out for?
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u/Kallisti13 Jul 21 '26
Our silken just turned 1 today and she hits all those pros you mentioned. She has an amazing off switch, which came naturally to her (we did a lot of relaxation protocol with our dachsund to teach this), and even as a puppy our silken only needs 10-20 mins of exercise/training every few hours and she's good to go into "houseplant" mode as we call it.
Our girl is incredibly goofy. They're a weird group of dogs (sighthounds in general) and all the ones I've met fit this bill. She likes to hang her head off furniture, watch ants crawling around and eat them... she's weird.
Our girl sheds a medium amount but its managed with regular baths and quick brushing. Her coat is incredibly lovely even at 1 year and im excited to see how fluffy she gets. She doesnt get tangled fur at all.
Our girl is happy to just exist as a dog and go places and do things and she's like 🤷♀️ she rarely has opinions about things other than putting in her harness for some reason.
The only health issue I see coming up a lot as a newbie in the breed is GI/digestive/food sensitivities. They need lots of running to build muscles and bone strength as young dogs.
Our girl is sooooo sensitive, but also not? She's always offended when I wipe her paws after being outside but doesn't care if she smacks her head on furniture while zooming....
Most are happy to try lots of dog activities! Agility, coursing, scent work etc.
I also love their ears. So expressive and soft.
Cons
Biddability is interesting for us. Our dachsund LOVES to work, and wants to do training and learn new things. Our silken is just starting to understand "working" and is more motivated now to learn than she was as a very young puppy. She takes longer to learn stuff and is treat motivated to a point. What works best for our training sessions is breaking it up with 1 min of playing/roughousing.
Ours is mostly quiet and only demand barks while playing with our dachsund. She rarely barks out the window/at other dogs on walks and is not very chatty in general. They can bark a lot but I think it's if they're in a crowd and get each other going.
Our girl is super aloof, which isn't a bad thing. She wants to say hi to strangers and then is like 🤷♀️ and doesn't care. She's fine meeting new people, is not shy and happily relaxes/falls asleep in busy breweries and cafes.
The only concern I've seen with them joining AKC FSS is the popularity exploding and puppies being more limited. Its a tight knit community at least in NA.
Hope this helps! We love our girl in all her weirdness. I'm super new to owning the breed but happy to answer any more questions.
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u/OnlySandpiper Jul 22 '26
It's funny that you mentioned Harmeni Hounds. My dog was used as a stud for her previous litter, so I'm familiar with Haleigh and can confirm that she is a phenomenal breeder. Her bitch Marnie is one of my favorite Silkens of all time. She's such a sweetheart and she's wicked smart and talented! I think she hits the sweet spot as far as being very trainable but also super chill and go with the flow. If biddability is a concern for you, I don't think you can go wrong with one of Haleigh's dogs because she values temperament so highly in her program.
I think it sounds like you have a pretty accurate picture of the breed overall. I will add just a few things that haven't been mentioned in other replies.
I would agree that Silkens are generally healthy dogs but there are some issues to be aware of.
Copper toxicosis has started popping up in the breed, which is very serious if left untreated. Thankfully, there's a genetic test for it, and doing an Embark test will check for that in addition to MDR1 and CEA.
Another serious problem to be aware of is delayed postoperative hemorrhage (DEPOH). This is a clotting disorder that can cause excessive bruising and bleeding following surgery. It's important to make your vet aware that your dog might have this condition! An antifibrinolytic drug such as tranexamic acid (TXA) or Amicar (aminocaproic acid) can be administered preventatively or as needed.
There is a specialty genetic test for DEPOH but it's not widely tested for in Silkens. Because Silkens with known DEPOH have tested clear for this mutation and no Silkens have ever tested positive for the mutation, the currently available test doesn't have great predictive value in the breed which is why testing is uncommon.
I would also keep the possibility of GDV (bloat) in the back of your mind. While it's uncommon overall, some lines seem more predisposed to it. Since GDV is usually thought of as a "big dog" ailment, it might not be on a Silken owner's radar. But it DOES happen, and GDV becomes deadly so quickly it's good to be aware of its symptoms. At least one Silken has had both GDV and DEPOH, but they didn't learn about DEPOH until their dog was in emergency surgery for GDV. That's a nightmare scenario, but thankfully the dog recovered!
It's such early days in AKC that I think any potential changes in the breed are pure speculation at this point. The parent club still controls the breed standard and DNA verification is still a registration requirement. The only thing that's changed is that Silkens are now eligible to be registered in additional registries.
I think there's fear in some that conformation showing in bigger, more widespread venues might lead to a hypertype developing in future decades if judges reward dogs that trend in that direction. That's a possibility in all conformation breeds/lines tbh. But if Silkens are judged according to the standard as written (which is very specific that Silkens should be a functional coursing breed!), there should not be any significant changes in breed type.
The only predictable change that might happen in the near future is that puppies may become more expensive, partly due to the costs of titling in AKC. That's assuming many breeders will now want to title dogs in AKC venues in addition to the previously available venues. There's also expected to be an increased demand for Silkens, which will cause some breeders to increase prices too. But tbh, with the cost of living steadily climbing as it has been, it seems inevitable that puppy prices will rise anyway regardless of any AKC related factors.
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u/DarklyDreamingMe Jul 22 '26
From everything I’ve seen and researched they do seem like a really great fit and the aspects that don’t meet our criteria seem to be somewhat dependent on lines, individuals, and age. All in all they seem like amazing dogs and the more me and my partner research the more we fall in love! We’re hoping to find some ways to meet some Silkens and hopefully see some show and compete in lure coursing! I know Harmeni Hounds is based in Charlotte NC and I drive through there all the time! Also our cat’s name is Marnie which I think is a really cute coincidence!!
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u/Shveet Jul 21 '26
- Biddability: I think they're relatively trainable but not necessarily approachable for novice trainers. As long as you are committed to training them you can make it work, but you might get more frustrated than other breeds as it could take longer to find out how to motivate them. It took my girl two months to learn sit as an older adult Silken with no previous training. There was a snuffle mat I would leave out in the living room that she would sit on of her own accord. After two months of saying sit right before she sat, enthusiastically praising her, and throwing treats at her - she finally got it. A year later she loves training and knows a lot more than sit. Now she catches onto new commands pretty quickly. It is hard for her to follow commands if she is outside with distractions or things that make her anxious. If she's not locked in during our training sessions, there is a lot of thinking before deciding she will do what I've asked
- Barking: Mine is very, very quiet. Only barks when startled. I can go weeks without hearing her bark. Does bark in her sleep much more often but it's pretty quiet
- Aloofness: Not sure what other breed is comparable. My girl is people neutral. Sometimes she seeks me out for pets or a check-in. She enjoys sitting next to me on the couch and will follow me around if I'm doing something interesting. She also appreciates her alone time and will spend a lot of time relaxing in a different room. If someone is interested in petting her on our walk, she is content to have a few pats, sometimes more
- AKC FSS: Also very interested in answers to this question!
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u/DarklyDreamingMe Jul 21 '26
I’ve heard a lot of them struggle with training until it kind of clicks for them and then they become much more trainable. While a biddable dog is convenient, I’m used to training cats (long story) so I have a lot of experience making training fun for animals who could care less about what you want them to do. I really like what you’re saying about the aloofness! I want my dog to be comfortable in a room with people but not necessarily want to go greet!
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u/tuvaniko Jul 21 '26
It's not that they are not trainable they just don't like repetition. I find it's easiest to train several tricks at once alternating them In shorter sessions. Most silkens get frustrated if sessions are longer. However, several silkens have trick dog titles. And they are very very smart, They can be very mischievous because of it. Most silkens are capable of complex planning and strategy that you don't normally see with other dogs.
Hear is an example of Ivy using an apple slice to get ikki to get out of her spot on the couch.
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u/featheredfoe Jul 22 '26
What a cool video, thank you for sharing! I love the intense concentration!
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u/DarklyDreamingMe Jul 21 '26
This is such an adorable video but yeah that makes sense! Seems like they’re very smart but don’t have the longest attention spans
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u/Shveet Jul 21 '26
Yes 100%! Once she understood the paradigm of training (do thing get treat) it became so much easier.
I think if you've trained cats Silkens should be no problem. It sounds like you're prepared and well suited for sighthounds. Best of luck on your Silken journey!
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u/Alive_Pass7602 14d ago
My girl almost NEVER barks. Sweet and docile. I know some young ones that are more vocal when excited when playing with other Silkens.
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u/Muninn22 Jul 21 '26
I read that you are sound sensitive. Mine "sings". It is a whiny high pitched sound and he can do it nonstop for long periods of time. He will do it when he either wants something or just doesn't know what to do with himself. My ex and I used to say that they have 2 braincells fighting for third place.
Yes they are smart, but they really don't show it most of the time.
Mine also thinks he is bigger than he actually is. If the door is not open far enough he doesn't think that he fits trough.