Silken Windhound: Elegant Sighthound Hunting Dog

The Silken Windhound is a hunting breed of dog that hunts by sight, therefore known as sighthounds. They are coursing dogs which my dictionary defines as the pursuit of running game by sight. Francis Stull who successfully bred top show and performance dogs of the Borzoi and Deerhound breeds created the Silken Windhound. She combined the traits from the Borzoi and Whippet bloodlines. These dogs are also referred to as “Silkens.”

· The first litter was in 1987

· Breed club started in 1999

· United Kennel Club recognized the new breed in 2011

· These dogs are now in the United States, Canada and Europe

· They can hunt by sight and course game in open areas at high speed

· They are graceful, small to medium size

The Dog Breed info Center describes them as”small, hardy, strikingly elegant…with sweeping lines and athletic build.”

Coursing is a form of hunting in which game is flushed, often with dogs, by finding them with sight rather than smell. The kind of prey includes hares, rabbits, foxes, deer, antelope, gazelle, and jackals.

Dogs used for coursing include, Greyhounds, Whippet, Borzoi as recognized breeds. Dogs of this type have been around for 4,000 years and their pictures are on the walls of ancient Egyptian tombs, according to the website, Sarah’s Dogs.com. The Silken Windhound is the result of breeding Borzois with the Longhaired Whippet to obtain a medium sized sighthound. He looks much like the Borzoi. It has an all-weather coat of long to very long silky hair. It also make a good family dog, easy to housebreak, trains easily with positive training methods but does not respond well to harsh methods. They have a short attention span and repetition would bore them, according to Sarah’s dogs.com. Since sighthounds are basically hunting dogs they have predatory instinct and therefore any owner should be cautious of trusting them with cats and other small pets. They should get along with the smaller animals with socialization.

The website Dog Breed Info Center describes the Windhound as “…a small hardy strikingly elegant sighthound… classic sweeping lines and athletic build.” It can run over various kinds of terrain, under various weather conditions They are intelligent and responsive and have a strong desire to please the humans they live with and love both adult family members and the children. The dog breed Info Center advises bringing the children with you when you choose one of these dogs so as to get one that will get along with children as some may be sensitive around noisy or excited children.

Standards:

· Height 18-24in male 18-24 in female

· Weight 33-55 lbs. male 22-45 lbs. female

· Life expectation 14-18 years

· coat solid white, red, blue, sable or brindled (obscure dark streaks or flecks of grey or tawny) and saddled

· moderately long head, narrow skull

· strong muzzle tapers

· almond shaped eyes

· dark colored eyes preferred

· strong straight forelegs

· padded and knuckled feet

Temperament:

· Intelligent and responsive

· Wants to please its owners

· Dignified bearing

· Expressive in displays of affection

· Sociable with other dogs

· Adapt to family life

· Not watch or guard dogs

· Easily bored

· Strong hunting instincts

· Adaptable to apartment living

· Love to run

The Silken Windhound was created in order “…to fill a niche…of a small longhaired sighthound,” according to dogbreedinfocenter.com

Resources for this article include Sarahsdogs.com, Dog Breed Info Center,

Copyright 2011 don Hoglund