Thank you Carmen for that essential info on Yorkie v Silky. A must read for everyone on this site, in my opinion.

OK...so I have not posted on this site a ton but have been very intently watching the posts here for a long time. I find it astounding how so many of you do not know if you have a Yorkie or Silky.

In fact, I would even say that a huge percentage of the photos that I see as avatars on this site are of mostly SILKIES. What I cannot understand is that some of you have thousands (upon thousands) of posts on this site, so you are obviously heavily invested in the “yorkie experience” or you would not be spending so much time on an internet site called YorkieTalk. If you are so into this then why are you asking strangers online what kind of breed of dog you have?? Even some senior members of this site are posting like they are the experts on yorkies, their traits/colors etc etc and completely seem oblivious to the fact that they have a Silky.

Here is a clue: if you spent under $600 from a backyard breeder (words quoted from this site, not my words), you most likely got a Silky or one with a lot of Silky qualities. Same goes if you got your dog from a ‘friend of a friend’. I am also astonished at how many people assume that if the papers from the breeder say so…it *must* be a Yorkie! Ah, no. Wake up.

My favorite line from this site is that your dog seems “all yorkie” to you. What does that mean, exactly? Are you so in denial that you cannot look plainly at your pup and see that it’s a SILKY? There is nothing wrong with that but you all seem so psychologically invested in the whole concept of having a YORKIE for whatever reason.

Sorry if this post doesn’t earn me a lot of popularity here, but I get the impression that some of you saw whatever celebutard in the media (Britney, Paris, take your pick) dress up their cute dog and you wanted a knockoff version, all while doing NO research into the breed AND closely associated breeds. I have seen past posts where members are being informed for the first time ever that a Silky even exists. WHAT???!!?

I am glad that you love your pups (whatever breed they are) and that is the most important thing. I just find it downright comical how many dimwits don’t even know what breed of dog they own or are completely blind to their pup’s obvious physical traits.

Your a very rude person! If you think we are a bunch of dimwits why are you here? My groomer has said that My male is a silkie because he is larger than my female. My female is 6 lbs and he is 11 lbs. They have the saame dad but different moms. His Mom was a small yorkie. Anyway people often think just because a yorkie is larger it is a silky. Even though yorkies have bigger ancestors

Thank you for the information on Silky vs Yorkie, once again the members of Yorkie Talk have taught me something.

Now for the person who posted the rude comment, you know I don't get involved in drama (intentionally) but WOW!!! Post number 3 and you fire off something like that.

Personally I like seeing the pictures and learning information from well informed members.

Well hello there and WELCOME :).

I am not entirely sure, but I would venture to guess that I can be a "dimwit" at times. :p

In any case, you seem very passionate in terms of Silkies vs. Yorkies, so perhaps you could kindly help those who are requesting further discussion, education, and knowledge in that area. I would bet some of the Breeders here would find this discussion interesting and lively.

Most of us here at YT do love to learn and we are all passionate animal lovers, so if that feels like a good fit for you - then I encourage you to continue to look around and get a feel for the people and culture of this board.

You may find a few things to learn here yourself. ;)

I apreciate you reading my post, which was intended to help people learn about the difference is not need for name calling or being rude, we love happy discussions and we do agree to disagree sometimes, but please if you can't keep your post nice, i appreciate you discussing our subject in a civilize matter..;)
now do you mind sharing a bit of your knowledge about silkie terriers, I breed them and my daughter plans to show, right now she is a jr.handler with a friend of ours.
looking forward to hear from you..
hugs,
cArmen in nj

I'm sure this post was directed to me in some way because I was one of the people who posted in this thread asking if my dog was a Yorkie or a Silky. Yep, I purchased by dog for under $600 from what you could call a backyard breeder, for sure... I didn't know any better. Just like so many people purchased their yorkies from pet stores. They didn't know any better.

However, going into the purchase, I never wanted a tiny dog that I could tote around in my purse. I was simply looking for a pet. I actually didn't want a tiny dog to begin with and I looked at reputable breeders and couldn't find one over 7lbs. I live out in the country so my dog fully enjoys a nice run in the 90 acres of farmland and he's not being carried anywhere.

So I could care less if I own a Yorkie or a Silky really, I was just curious of a Silky breeders opinion. Not everyone knows dogs, sorry! and to the regular person, a yorkie and a silky look very much alike. After doing some research, I'm pretty sure I've come to the conclusion he's definitely Silky or at least part Silky. Like I said, my aunt got a "Silkshire" Terrier from a pet store (:rolleyes:) and it looked identical to Jackson. But we will never know, will we? As for why I am on Yorkietalk and enjoy it... there is no "Silkytalk" and there are some people on this website who don't even own a yorkie. There's no saying who can talk on here and who can't. Besides the fact that Silky's come from Yorkies and they have the same decendts(sp?) so they're very closely related. I was sold a "Yorkie" so whether that was true or not, who knows and who cares but I will continue to stay on Yorkietalk as I enjoy it... :)

Please read the thread listed below:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/gen...d-respect.html

Whether or not a person knows if they have a yorkie or silkie is irrelevant.....they love their dog and are attempting to learn.

As far as paying under $600.00 for their yorkie from a BYBer being an indication that their dog is a Silkie, not always so. The fact maybe that the pup is from a BYBer that really didn't put in the time/effort into breeding that is required to breed good representations of the breed. We all have walked down the path that all we wanted was a yorkie and didn't know what we were looking for in a breeder and we bargain shopped. Not all of us have a trained eye in yorkies or silkies.....just simple pet owners that love their dogs.

I requested that CarmenNJ teach us and she is attempting to educate us in the differences, something I find very commendable.

The YT forum is a community of people that are here with a common bond....we all love our dogs....whether they be mixed breed, yorkie, silkie, etc.....If you are here to join in the bond, great, but it is not necessary to be rude.

Remember educating does not mean allienatating........

Wow!
Not a great way to introduce yourself to a dog-loving community :thumbdown

I wanted to add as well that many people have rescued dogs from the shelters on here so of course they don't 100% what they are... bad breeding can also make Yorkies not up to "standard" and that's why you may see Yorkies that look more like Silky's but they may truly be Yorkies. Yorkies USED to be larger when the breed first came about. And like I said, they're all related somehow and come from thhe Skye Terrier, among others.

Wow!
Not a great way to introduce yourself to a dog-loving community :thumbdown

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:Very well said.

Sorry for the double post, my internet keeps kicking out :mad:

Heck I posted something about my cat once, he is nether a Yorkie nor a Silky (however he is very soft).

That is why I like this site, the people I have posted with on this site usually have a variety of animals and are animal lovers regardless of the breed or pedigree.

Britster makes a very valid point, we have all followed the stories of Ella and Truman the rescues, prayed for little Yorkies who were either having surgery or a health crisis. I know along with offering my prayers I have learned a great deal about the breed which in turn makes me a better dog owner.

Bottom line, I may be a "dimwit" who at times has carried my Yorkie in a bag. My philosophy is she is my dog, my responsibility and I will do any and everything I can to make sure she is happy and healthy and THAT is where I lean to Yorkie Talk, the knowledge in this forum cannot be duplicate anywhere else.

You seem to be a very angry person. People are here to learn how to care for their dogs, talk about the dogs, educate, etc.. What I don't understand is why you seem to be so personally offended that these "dimwits" don't know what breed of dog they have? Instead of resorting to name-calling and rude behavior, it seems like you would do what the original poster did and post info to EDUCATE so people don't continue to make these mistakes.

I find it hilarious that you posted that novel about people not knowing the difference between Silkies and Yorkies when the two look similar. You would think from your thesis you were talking about the difference between a German Shepherd and a Yorkie.

:D:pI suppose you might call me a dimwit, but I just want to know how one can look at the avatars on this site and know for a fact that a huge percentage of them are silkies.

I can tell in an instant the difference in a well bred silkie and a well bred yorkie; but, with mixes, I believe there is no easy way to be sure......unless it is just the dimwit in me. :D:p

I rescued Molly when she was 2 years old. She weighs 15lbs, so could be either a big yorkie, or maybe even a silky. Under your rules, i will therefore own up to being a dimwit for not knowing!
However, i consider myself a loving, caring, compassionate dimwit.
I really don't care what breed or mix of breed Molly is, and i love her whatever...just as she appears to love me, however much of a dimwit i am!
Also, unlike you, I would never knowingly go out of my way to be rude and offensive to people I hardly know. :thumbdown

History and Weight
 

All are a mix in the end. Reading the AKC History of Yorkies it says back in Yorkshire England 1800s they originally weighed 15 lbs but were slowly bred over the years to be smaller toys averaging 7 lbs today. My Yorkie is AKC and weighs 12 lbs (not fat). The Silky came after the Yorkie. According to the AKC, the Silky breed began at the end of the 1800s when Yorkshire Terriers were crossed with the Australian Terriers (and Silky used to kill snakes in Australia).

As for mixing it up (Wikipedia): Up until 1929 the Australian Terrier, the Australian Silky Terrier, and the Yorkshire Terrier were not clearly defined. Dogs of three different breeds might be born in the same litter, to be separated by appearance into the different types once they were grown.

So that tells me w/o a DNA test and some historical DNA to boot, we may never know. Today's toy Yorkies are frail & small, and the Silky larger & more stout. Well my Yorkie is stout and can hike miles, but looks like a mix to me. The two breds are too similar and past bred in questionable ways.

My female Daisy is a 12 lb silky and was bred with very small yorkie males and sold as "yorkies". The "breeder" surenderer her to YTNR along with a male that were no longer breeding for her, I picked them up myself from her house, It was my first time I had seen in person for myself the horrible conditions of a mill situation but she had almost all silky females and small yorkie males, she told me she sells her puppies online and to local pet stores.

How did she register them as yorkie? Did she use APR or CKC. You could not register them with AKC unless they lied and used a AKC number from a yorkie male. It makes me sick all the deceptive things some breeders do.

I didnt ask but Im sure she would have no problem lying. She was a sleezy, greedy disgusting human being

Why would you assume that just because someone gets a dog from a backyard breeder and/or spends less than 600 they are getting a silky?


You are doing the same thing that you are accusing "less intelligent" people of doing. It's about being bred well, REAL pedigree. It's not only about being akc or a yorkie can look like a silky. It's important to go to a great breeder that knows the lines not just one generation.


You cannot judge a persons breed knowledge on the avatar that is posted on here. I'm probably not the only person with an avatar issue. I don't know how to make most photos small enough for an avatar.

I have been reading throught this thread (I apologize, I have skipped a little) and I am totally confused. I tend to prefer the Silky Terrier myself, and am considering learning to show now that my kids are grown and gone. The breed standard is 8 -10 lbs. That's it! The Silky Terrier is considered a true "toy" breed. Folks, a dog weighing 8 - 10 lbs. (I guess some books say 9 - 11 lbs.) is not very big! As with any breed there can be some bigger, some smaller, but it confuses me why people think that just becuase they have a Yorkie that is "bigger" it must be a Silky. In some countries, it was (don't know if it still is) acceptable to mate a Silky Terrier back with the Australian Terrier or the Yorkshire Terrier for an "acceptable" offspring of the Silky. So it is possible that some Silkies today resemble more the Yorkie or the Australian Terrier. I do agree however, that the Silky Terrier does have a distinguished look for the most part all their own.

My daughter is a jr. handler and is showing my silkies, I LOVE,LOVE the breed, and I can at this point tell a silky from a yorkie by just looking at them, but some people can't because the similarities in coat, they don't pay attention to the details that make each breed unique.. I just had a litter this past 22nd of november and I am in LOVE all over again..
my girl is such a perfect reflection of the breed that I justify every penny I spent getting her.. my boy is true to that also.
welcome to the silky breed and please if you have babies share some pictures with us.. my girl is 10.5 pounds and a gorgeous coat.. I felt so terrible when I had to shave her belly for the babies..LOL she is also a Fabulous mommy..:)
hugs,
Carmen in nj

Thak you Carmen. I am going to come out of the closet here and admit that my dogs are Silkies. I came here for information since Yorkies are their descendents. And thanks to everyone here, I have learned a lot.

I have Moka a 2 1/2 year old 8 lb. Silky Terrier, and just got Mylee, my baby. I have high hopes for my little Mylee. Right now she is 9 weeks old and weighs about 2.5 lbs.

I am an avid amature photographer and I can show lots of pictures of the same dog (Moka). At times in her development you would think she was a Yorkie, and at times you can tell she is a Silky. I personally think she resembles a Yorkie in her face/eyes, but she definitely has a Silky nose and body.

OH Cha Cha, a girl to my heart, LOVE LOVE Moka, is exquisite..
9 weeks and 2.9 right on schedule, I like my girls right on the line, if you want to see my pile of silkies go to the YT nursery and see under Chanel's babies..
hugs,
Carmen in nj

:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup::D