Silken Windhound Standard of the Breed
General Appearance
The Silken Windhound is an elegant, small to medium-sized sighthound, with a moderately long, silky coat. Its classic lines and athletic build are the hallmarks of a true coursing dog. When viewing a Silken Windhound, one has the impression of grace, balance and strength integrated with exceptional running ability.
The surrounding dogs are all nice representatives of the breed.
Notice what they have in common. In addition to the individual parts, like gentle rise over the loin, upper arms that come back under the dog, lovely heads and expression, they also have that unmistakable image of quality. The noble picture of a dog that owns the ground that it stands on.
Males
Females
The females above can be just as impressive as the males at the top. They are equally noble and elegant.
In proportion, they are approximately square or slightly rectangular. Silkens that are excessively longer or shorter than they are tall are to be penalized to the extent of the deviation.
A dog with too short of a loin will not be able to execute the double suspension gallop effectively. The length of the powerful loin is the hallmark of a good running dog.
The anticline is the point where the spines of the backbone change direction. One can find it as a small dip in the top of the spine behind the shoulder blades. The fastest dogs have at least two times the distance behind the anticline as in front of it.
Character and Temperament
The Silken Windhound’s expression is alert, friendly and intelligent.
Eyes are rather large and dark, almond-shaped and set somewhat obliquely. Pigment around eyes is full and dark. Ears are small and fine in texture, folded and lying back along the neck when in repose. When alert, ears may prick or semi-prick. Hanging, or drooping, houndy ears are undesirable.
Moderately long in head, the Silken Windhound has a fairly narrow back skull which, when viewed from above, tapers gradually through a full muzzle to the nose. The muzzle is in good balance to the skull. When viewed from the side, the top plane of the muzzle is parallel to the plane of the flat skull, with a barely perceptible stop between.
The head is well chiseled, skin dry and tight, with noticeable veining. The nose is dark, and may be slightly down-turned at the end. Lips and flews are tight, in keeping with the dry head. Pigment on lips is full and dark. Jaws are strong to accommodate the teeth, which are large for a dog of this size, with full dentition and scissors bite. Missing teeth should be penalized.
The Silken Windhound is an intelligent hound of balanced character. While this breed exhibits strong prey drive in the field, they are gentle, affectionate, devoted companion animals in the home. An unwarranted show of timidity or nervousness, or any sign of hostility towards people or dogs are to be penalized.