GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Silken
Windhound is a small, hardy, strikingly elegant sighthound.
Its classic, sweeping lines and athletic build are the hallmark
of a true coursing dog, which is evident beneath the, luxurious,
silky, yet protective coat. Its size, structure, and coat
enable the silken windhound not only to be a capable runner
over a wide variety of terrain and through unpredictable weather
conditions but also to be competitive in a variety of dog
sports.
Viewing the Silken Windhound from the side, one should have
the impression of remarkable beauty integrated with exceptional
running ability. Beginning with its chiseled head, a long
arched neck, dramatic depth of brisket and an extreme tuck?up
ending with the graceful sweep of the long, low carried tail,
the Silken Windhound is the embodiment of athletic beauty.
The moderately long silky coat complements the sweeping curves.
SIZE, PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE: The accepted measurements for
Sillken Windhounds are 18-23.5 inches (46-60 cm) at the withers.
One half inch above and below the extremes is permitted. The
Silken Windhound should have a slim, sleek build, through
a balanced combination of fine bladed bone and smooth muscle,
and should never look frail.
HEAD: 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. When viewed from
the side, the top plane of the muzzle forms a continuous line
with the plane of the flat skull with a barely perceptible
stop between.
The muzzle should be strong and in good balance to the skull.
Teeth should be large for a dog of this modest size and have
full, white dentition. Only a scissors bite is allowed, with
the upper incisors fitting closely over the lower incisors.
The eyes are rather large, almond-shaped, with a sparkling,
lively, inquisitive expression. Ebony-colored eyes with fully
pigmented eyelids are highly desirable. Dilute Silken Windhounds,
even the blues, have dark eyes. The ears are small, fine in
texture and held back tightly against the neck when in repose.
When the Silken Windhound is alert, the ears may be prick
or semi-prick. They fold back tightly against the side of
the neck when in repose. Hanging or droopy hound-like ears
are not allowed.
NECK, TOPLINE, BODY: The neck is long and slender. It is
slightly arched, well muscled, powerful, and free from dewlap,
widening gradually and symmetrically into the shoulder. The
topline is smooth, with no dips or bulges, and starts at the
withers with a scarcely perceptible arch that gradually reaches
its apex over the beginning of the loin and then gently falls
off over the long croup. A flat back with steep croup is not
a loin arch and should be faulted. For speed and drive the
Silken Windhound depends upon its back, which jackknifes open
and shut. The back must be wide, powerfully muscled, flexible
and long. Its deep brisket, firm abdominal muscles, and arch
over the loin create the dramatic tuck-up of the Silken Windhound.
When running at full extension during maximum effort, the
Silken Windhound should execute a double suspension gallop.
The shape of the deep brisket is of utmost importance to the
function and outline of the Silken Windhound. The brisket
is very deep reaching as nearly as possible to the elbow with
a graceful upsweep to the extreme tuck-up. The tail is long
and flexible falling in a graceful curve with fringe often
touching the ground. A tightly curled or gay tail is faulty.
FOREQUARTERS:
The shoulder blades are well laid back and should be long
and smooth with flat muscle. The forelegs are straight, strong,
and set well under the shoulders. Pasterns are strong and
straight but never knuckled over. Elbows and toes should turn
neither in nor out. The feet should be well knuckled with
tough pads and well curved nails. Both the hare foot, with
its longer middle toes and the cat foot with its shorter middle
toes are acceptable
HINDQUARTERS: The hindquarters are well angulated with a
long second thigh and well developed thighs and hocks bent
close to the ground. Viewed from the rear, the hindquarters
should be slightly wider than the front, well muscled, and
without any suggestion of cowhocks.
COAT, COLOR, MARKINGS: Soft, silky in texture, the hair has
sufficient undercoat for warmth and protection, but not so
much as to make the coat bulky. The coat may be slightly wavy
or even curly provided that feathering along the back of forelegs,
from the brisket, breech and tail is long enough to enhance
the beauty of the flowing movement. The distinctive hair that
frames the ears and face adds to the dog's expression. Hair
on muzzle, feet, front of forelegs and hocks should be short.
All colors and markings are acceptable.
GAIT: The Silken Windhound moves with a relaxed and level
gait, which has great reach in the forward motion and great
drive from the hind quarters. Constricted or excessive up
and down movement of the legs when viewed from the side are
faulty. When viewed from the front or rear, legs must move
back and forth with pendulum freeness and without any side
or inward motions. Feet seek a center of gravity beneath the
animal. Too narrow or too wide movement and crossing, interfering
feet are faults.
TEMPERAMENT This is an intelligent and responsive hound that
demonstrates a strong desire to please its human companions.
Though sometimes dignified in its bearing, the Silken Windhound
tends to be quite expressive in its display of affection towards
those it is fond of. Similarly, though the Silken Windhound
exhibits a competitive spirit in the field, they are generally
quite sociable with other dogs
FAULTS: Deviations from this standard shall be faulted, in
proportion to their deviation, especially in those areas that
govern the functioning of a running hound. |