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I have promoted Dazzle's breed the Silken Windhound before as they really are easy dogs to own and love. Here is a link to a little video talking to and owner/breeder that I thought anyone interested in the breed might enjoy.
Thanks for posting this. I've always thought the sighthounds to be a beautiful and elegant group, but I wasn't familiar with this particular breed until I started seeing your posts. They are a fascinating breed, and I hope to meet one in person some day.
"Silken Windhounds" were developed in the last 20 years by one breeder. For what purpose? There are already small, medium and large sighthounds with hundreds of years of history, bred for a specific purpose with centuries of history and use. "Silken Windhounds" were apparently bred for...well, what purpose? There is barely a need for sighthounds any more, as a group they are dying out except for owners who think they look cool.
What differentiates "Silken Windhounds" from Labradoodles, Goldendoodles, Chia-poos, Rotta-dors, and other designer breeds? What purpose do they serve? What unfilled-niche in the dog-owners' world does this dog type possibly satisfy?
And how does it possibly replace the Lurcher, which has centuries of history of actual use?
Or the Carolina dog, or many other sturdy and non-trendy types? Not to be rude but I am I guess. Scorn is generally and rightfully poured on other poo-type mutts on this forum, and I don't get the difference between any other poo-type mutts and "Silken Windhounds." It's a designer breed. Nothing wrong with designer breeds since there is apparently an active market for them, but it is what it is.
Billions of other mutts and purebreds alike are "easy dogs to own and love." Seriously, billions. Please don't fall for yet another designer breed!
"Silken Windhounds" were developed in the last 20 years by one breeder. For what purpose? There are already small, medium and large sighthounds with hundreds of years of history, bred for a specific purpose with centuries of history and use. "Silken Windhounds" were apparently bred for...well, what purpose? There is barely a need for sighthounds any more, as a group they are dying out except for owners who think they look cool.
What differentiates "Silken Windhounds" from Labradoodles, Goldendoodles, Chia-poos, Rotta-dors, and other designer breeds? What purpose do they serve? What unfilled-niche in the dog-owners' world does this dog type possibly satisfy?
And how does it possibly replace the Lurcher, which has centuries of history of actual use?
Or the Carolina dog, or many other sturdy and non-trendy types? Not to be rude but I am I guess. Scorn is generally and rightfully poured on other poo-type mutts on this forum, and I don't get the difference between any other poo-type mutts and "Silken Windhounds." It's a designer breed. Nothing wrong with designer breeds since there is apparently an active market for them, but it is what it is.
Billions of other mutts and purebreds alike are "easy dogs to own and love." Seriously, billions. Please don't fall for yet another designer breed!
I think unlike many " designer breeds" There was a ton of thought put into creating the Silken just as any of your other purebred dogs. All purebred dogs started out by bringing various breeds together but as I said these were well thought out. It is not like she said wouldn't these two breeds produce cute puppies. As good genetics and health were at the forefront unlike with most " designer dogs" The silkens you get now are bred from two Silkens not crossing two different breeds like many " designer dogs" as there are enough generations now that they are a true breed.They may soon be a recognized AKC breed which I would rather they not as I am not fond of the AKC.
They are the first breed to have the complete genome done which is on file at UC Davis as all Silkens born have DNA samples sent there and someday what they learn from that project may help many breeds with health issues. They are much more biddable then the other sighthounds as sighthounds do not tend to care if they please you but the Silkens seem to want to please you. I think they fill a great niche in the sighthound world and think more people may become fans of sight hounds as good companion dogs once they meet the breed. They are also fantastic lure coursing dogs which is a sport many people are enjoying.As I have said they are easy to live with and it runs true for the breed not just a few individuals of the breed and the fact they are not barkers will make even your neighbors happy. So sorry I disagree that they are just designer dogs as show me one designer dog that has had so much care and thought going into creating the original breed stock. This is how the pure bred dogs so many love come to be. I have nothing against mutts as I have owned and still do own them as Chaos is just some random mix of only God knows what. I also think so many breeds have been ruined so perhaps going with new healthy breeds may not be a bad thing as long as the genetics and health are kept in check as they should have been with any breed .
And face it in today's world most dogs no have a purpose to fill and many can no longer do what the breed was bred to do, most dogs are bred as companions and the silkens are great at that!
I recently read a long article about problems caused by breeding and remembered being asked what makes a Silken Windhound different then "other designer dogs" so I will post part of that article, hopefully enough that one can get what the article is saying right up through the mention of the Silken Windhounds. As I had stated they put a lot of thought into the breed as yes it is a breed and both looks and function were part of the equation. Someone said They were created 20 yrs ago like that is a sin and makes them just another designer dog that can not be considered a real breed well this article claims that 80% of the breeds were created in the last 100 yrs ....there will probably always be new breeds being created as all breeds start out the same way ...
The Many Problems Created by Breeding Dogs Only for Looks
I asked Wayne to discuss the narrowing canine gene pool and the idea that there’s only one way a dog should look, and any deviations are unacceptable.
He replied that these days, the only intact dogs are show dogs with show titles – not functional titles like obedience or agility. These dogs “look right.” They also look very similar.
Wayne explained there’s a desirable breed similarity that helps to identify what kind of dog you’re dealing with, and what types of behavior to expect.
The problem arises when dogs are bred identically strictly for show purposes. In contrast, dogs bred for obedience, agility and other talents, as well as for looks, are more balanced and will make better companions and pets.
One horrible example of breeding exclusively for a certain look is what has happened to German Shepherd Dogs in the last 10 years. Today’s GSDs are bred with a sloped back and lower neck, and the result is a grotesque perversion of what was once an animal built to function normally.
Fortunately, Wayne has rewritten the GSD standard and is retraining judges. The standard for the GSD is “straight back with a slope.” But in the world of ever increasing exaggeration, that slope has turned into an arch that is creating spine and hip problems in these beautiful dogs. What the UKC is doing is re-emphasizing the standard and the need for a “straight back.” They are instructing the judges that, “If these dogs are exaggerated to this degree, you can excuse them from the ring.” The UKC also requires judges to attend seminars where footage is shown of the suffering these dogs endure. The judges leave nauseated and with a better understanding of how these small, incremental exaggerations can destroy a dog’s health and quality of life.
The seminar the UKC judges are required to attend is two full days. It covers how to judge anatomy and structure from a functional and historical point of view. Breed standards are also reviewed from the perspective of what was intended when they were written.
The final part of the seminar covers the future of dogs, and it really hits home with the judges. It takes the approach of, “Hey, let’s look at what we’ve done.” If we don’t take a step back and realize how crazy standards have become, we’ll be carrying best in show winners into the ring on ice cushions.
I asked Wayne to explain the genesis of the ice cushions remark. He prefaces the story by saying he personally knows the man who bred and handles the champion dog in question, and there is no bigger dog lover. He is dedicated to the breed. But once again… exaggerations have slowly accumulated. He kept winning at shows, and with each win, the nose of his dogs got a bit shorter. Then one day, the nose was “pushed back,” as it’s called, which means it is inverted. No muzzle. Tiny nostrils. It actually became acceptable to use an ice cushion in the ring to keep the dog cool because he couldn’t pull enough air into his “pushed back” nose.
I think it’s strange to call a dog “beautiful” when it’s not functional. It can’t breathe. And as Wayne points out, so many Pugs must undergo breathing flap surgeries to correct stenotic nares. Maybe we should just let their muzzles be a little bit longer. He sees beautiful Pugs with a fold that doesn’t cover the nostrils, who look very breed-typical, running around at UKC events.
Wayne has received a lot of unfair criticism and been accused of radically changing breed standards, when all he’s trying to do is promote the breeding of functional dogs. He says, “We never want to lose the essence of the breed. We want you to look at it and say, 'Yes, that’s a Pug.'”
Wayne says since the changes in breed appearance are incremental and develop slowly, they can be undone the same way. He says he doesn’t think people realize that 80 percent of the breeds we see today were created in just the last 100 or so years. We’ve been in the midst of a genetic experiment. But it also means that we can change the way a breed looks very quickly – within a couple of generations. And that’s good news, because we’ve really ruined a number of breeds.
Creating New Breeds for All the Right Reasons
Wayne makes the point that many of the breeders of non-functional dogs are very dedicated and are doing most things right. They’re simply too close to the situation to see that a trait they are deliberately breeding for is causing pain. He says these people are not being intentionally cruel – they just have no “artistic distance” from the situation. However, when you’re producing a dog that’s destined to be sick her whole life, it IS cruel.
One of my frustrations as a veterinarian is hearing a breeder say, “It’s a flaw in the line. It can’t be fixed.” So instead, they’re going to perpetuate the flaw in future generations. They’re going to breed the epileptic poodle. They’re going to breed the fourth-generation autoimmune hypothyroid Tibetan Mastiff. Then I hear from breeders that, “All Tibetan Mastiffs are hypothyroid.” Really? Or, “All Dalmatians have high uric acid and will develop bladder stones.”
This just isn’t true. As Wayne explains, “One cross, simple recesses to a pointer, and the flaw is gone.” These crosses must be respectful and responsible of the essence of the breed – its history and function. Breed experts, responsible geneticists and veterinarians can present the cross they want to make. It has to improve health. It can’t be done on a whim. If it works, then it may be used to help future generations of that breed.
Fortunately, there are breeders and breeder organizations that are trying to create functional AND beautiful dogs. Wayne was approached by the International Silken Windhound Society. They wanted to create a smaller sighthound with the coat of the borzoi. They found a long-coated whippet with gorgeous, silky hair. They created the breed by mixing these breeds together with some Sheltie and other influences to make it healthier and more balanced.
So they created a smaller version of a sighthound. It’s not a small borzoi, and it’s not a large whippet with long hair. It’s truly a separate breed. And it can race. Every one has to pass all health tests and be DNA tested before he or she can be recognized by the UKC.
That’s really a very stringent breed standard right there. And in a created breed. Owners of the breed have their dogs compete in a variety of events in addition to racing. The dogs are using their instincts as a desert breed and a sighthound. The breeders want to hone that peripheral vision – they want their dogs to sight-hunt, not scent-hunt.
Wayne believes it’s really amazing what they’ve created. This breed could be very long-lived. It’s a great size. The dogs have a wonderful temperament. They’ve been selected for all the right things. They’re beautiful in the show ring. And they also hang out outside the ring, fetch Frisbees and have a good time.
and Dazzle says Yup we Silkens LOVE a good time! I stand by everything I have said about them being great dogs!
you've got a Silken who fetches Frisbees? Really? Outrace all other dogs to the Frisbee, yes, that I can see. But most Silkens will then keep on running, and leave the Frisbee behind
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