What's the difference between a Siky and Yorkie?

[FryFry]

To me Silky Terriers and Yorkies look identical. Is there a size difference or something?

[Fritz n Sophie]

As far as I know the silky is bigger like a teapot yorkie and I think I read somewhere that there ears are higher up on their head. Oh, and I think their eyes are a little more almond shaped.

[Britster]

Yes there is a difference. The Yorkie, Silky and Australian Terrier are very closely related, but different. A Silky is somewhat an "in between" of the other 2 breeds. Still has the beauty and silky hair of a Yorkie, but a bit more robust and "terrier" perhaps like the Aussie terrier.

A good description of a Silky:

The Silky Terrier, or "Silky," is an energetic, curious, happy, busy, self-assured and loving dog who bonds every strongly with his owner and family. He loves attention and craves your companionship, and he wants to go everywhere and do everything with you. He is not a dog you can leave alone, either inside or outside the house. When bored or ignored he becomes mischievous, and especially loves to dig up your yard! He is a spunky, high-energy dog who is affectionate but doesn't necessarily like to cuddle or be fussed over. He prefers to romp and play with you, and loves ball games and chances to run and play outdoors. He has a great deal of stamina, and needs brisk, daily walks. When outside, he should always be leashed or in a safely fenced area, as he has very strong chase instincts and will run away after small animals. He can also be aggressive toward other dogs, and occasionally suspicious toward strangers. He makes an excellent watchdog because he is alert, suspicious, and intensely protective of his family and territory, and has a very keen sense of hearing. He will warn you with loud, high-pitched barks when he hears or sees something unusual. He can bark too much--in fact he loves to bark!--and must be trained not to do this. He will be barky and standoffish with strangers at first, then after a short while grow comfortable with them. He loves to go out into the world and makes a very good traveling companion. He is easy to train and a quick learner, although he may occasionally be obstinate, and doesn't always obey you. He can be difficult to housebreak. He needs firm and patient training with lots of love, praise and rewards. He is not good with small pets; he is much better at catching rodents than living with them! He can live with a cat if he is raised with it as a puppy. He gets along well with older, well-behaved children, but may not do well with those who are too young and rough with him. He basically doesn't shed, and so would be a good pet if you are a clean-freak.

The Silky Terrier was developed in Australia around the turn of the 20th century when native Australian terriers were crossed with Yorkshire Terriers in the hope of creating a beautiful, affectionate companion dog. A standard for the breed was first set in 1926, then refined in 1955, when the name "Australian Silky Terrier" was chosen for him. After World War II, soldiers who had been stationed in Australia brought the "Silky" home with them to America, and in 1955, the Silky Terrier Club of America was formed. His AKC popularity was 74th out of 157 breeds in 2007.

Silky's also tend to be larger, and longer than tall. But just because a dog is bigger doesn't automatically make them a Silky or vice versa.

[Maximo]

Silkies tend to be larger, although still in the toy group. The AKC page says they are more closely related to the Australian Terrier. They tend to have longer bodies, shorter legs, longer snouts, and larger ears. This is if you compare a Silky and Yorkie who are good representatives of their standards.

Yorkies have a superior coat in my opinion.

Silkies tend to produce larger litters than Yorkies.

[Princes mom]

Everything is different except the coloring. They are from two different countries, their size is different, their facial features are very different, they have a natural part down the center of their back, to name a few.

[Ellie May]

Yup, much different.

The faces definitely are not the same. I prefer yorkie faces.

[IrisJade]

I've looked a lot of pictures of yorkies and silkies just so I could be sure about it if I ever saw one, and from what I gather;

Silkies are more like dachshunds in that they have long bodies, short legs, and long snouts (at least compared to yorkies). Their ears also sit higher on their heads, whereas a yorkie's might sit more on the side of their head. Also, I've not seen it mentioned much, but I notice silkies often have a "bald" spot on the bridge of their snout. It's a black strip where it doesn't look like much hair grows (this may be the "natural split") and I don't really see it in yorkies.

At first, I thought they both looked a lot alike. But I would compare pictures very often for a few weeks and eventually I could easily spot the differences, especially in their faces. But that's really only if you're comparing the small yorkies to silkies. Some bigger yorkies can look like an in-between, to me.

[Marhcarter]

The silky terrier club of america has a good comparison with pics between silky, yorkie and aussie. Silky Terrier Club of America
You may think they look alike, but good representatives of each breed are actually very different. Where the confusion comes in is that there are so many byb producing poor representatives of the breeds or even half-breeds like mine (who I love dearly and is half yorkie, half silky) and this blurs the lines and makes it more difficult to distinguish.

[Marhcarter]

@Maximo:I am lucky that I got the best of both breeds. I love Huey's coat and his size is 8 lbs. He is very much longer than tall at 8" tall but 12" long. Very hard to find good fitting clothing. He does have the longer face and bigger ears.

@IrisJade:I've noticed that black strip on the nose in a lot of photos, but Huey doesn't seem to have it unless his nose is shaved along the bridge.

Silkys are also groomed differently than yorkies. The hair is not expected to touch the ground and they are groomed with "clean feet" which is where the feet are clipped close and the leg hair stops short of touching the ground...I liken it to wearing "highwaters"...you know, when your pants are too short? I actually keep Huey in more of a silky cut; I really like the clean feet, and he hates a topknot.

[sganow]

We recently got a silky puppy (on Father's Day). I can tell you that she is definitely longer than tall, her nose is different than our yorkies, and her ears are bigger and sit high on her head. Her coat feels a little different too, but she still has her puppy coat so we'll have to wait to see what her adult coat will be like. I'm no silky expert, but those are a few of the differences I have noticed. The silky breed was originated by crossing a yorkshire terrier with an australian terrier.

[Maximo]

Originally Posted by Marhcarter

The silky terrier club of america has a good comparison with pics between silky, yorkie and aussie. Silky Terrier Club of America
You may think they look alike, but good representatives of each breed are actually very different. Where the confusion comes in is that there are so many byb producing poor representatives of the breeds or even half-breeds like mine (who I love dearly and is half yorkie, half silky) and this blurs the lines and makes it more difficult to distinguish.

Originally Posted by Marhcarter

@Maximo:I am lucky that I got the best of both breeds. I love Huey's coat and his size is 8 lbs. He is very much longer than tall at 8" tall but 12" long. Very hard to find good fitting clothing. He does have the longer face and bigger ears.

@IrisJade:I've noticed that black strip on the nose in a lot of photos, but Huey doesn't seem to have it unless his nose is shaved along the bridge.

Silkys are also groomed differently than yorkies. The hair is not expected to touch the ground and they are groomed with "clean feet" which is where the feet are clipped close and the leg hair stops short of touching the ground...I liken it to wearing "highwaters"...you know, when your pants are too short? I actually keep Huey in more of a silky cut; I really like the clean feet, and he hates a topknot.

Love it, highwaters!

Huey has a beautiful coat.

A lot of people in my area ask if my boys are Silkies because they equate long, silky hair with Silkies, and puppy cuts with Yorkies. My boys are larger, so that might be part of it too.