SILKEN
WINDHOUND
| ORIGIN
:
DATE
OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD
:
UTILIZATION
:
Hunting and coursing hound.
CLASSIFICATION
only SLOVENIAN KENNEL CLUB :
Group
10-Sighthounds;
Section 1
Long-haired or fringed Sighthounds.
Without
working trial. |
|
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. |
