Silken Windhound vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison

Silken Windhound vs Abruzzenhund - Breed ComparisonSilken Windhound is originated from United States but Abruzzenhund is originated from Italy. Silken Windhound may grow 13 cm / 5 inches shorter than Abruzzenhund. Silken Windhound may weigh 25 kg / 55 pounds lesser than Abruzzenhund. Silken Windhound may live 5 years more than Abruzzenhund. Silken Windhound may have less litter size than Abruzzenhund. Silken Windhound requires Low maintenance. But Abruzzenhund requires Moderate maintenance

History

silken windhound - historyThe Silken Windhound is a breed intentionally developed by Borzoi and Deerhound breeder, Francie Stull. Although the first litter of the Windhoud was not born until 1995, their development began in discussions ten years later. Bred as a cross between her beloved Deerhounds and Borzoi, the first Society for the breed formed in 1999 and they were recognized by the UKC in 2011.

Ms. Stull wanted another breed for her kennel and decided on a smaller sighthound than her Borzoi. She wanted a long coat, a good temperament, good health, and possessing the same athletic abilities, grace and poise as the sighthounds that are larger. She developed the Silken Windhound based on this vision.

With this in mind, the kennel purchased the pick of a litter from the American and English Borzoi Champion bitch, Stillwater Virginia Reel. This puppy was eventually bred to Stillwater White Lightning and produced puppy that was a blue brindle. This dog, Stillwater Kristull Peacock, had the coat, personality and structure that Ms. Stull wanted for the new breed. She was bred to Deerhound Windsprite Autumnal Xenon to form the foundation for the Silken Windhound.

Over time champion Borzoi were bred with multi-generation Whippet based dogs and small Whippet from coursing and show lines. Finally, all of this work was rewarded with an incredible little sighthound to fit in the line of sighthounds between the giant and large breeds and the smaller whippet type breeds.

The Silken Windhound lives today in 24 different countries. They take their place in hound competitions all over the world in obedience, lure coursing, and racing. They are a Limited Stake Breed in the ASFA and competed with 40 other dogs in 2010. Then they were accepted by the NOFCA or National Open Filed Coursing Association, also in 2010. Finally, in 2011 they were fully accepted by the UKC.

The Silken Windhound is recognized in addition to the UKC, by the Dog Registry of America, the Rarities Inc., the American Canine Association, the Kennel Club of Slovenia, the American Pet Registry, Inc., the International Silken Windhound Society and the International, All-Breed Canine Association of America.

abruzzenhund - historyAbruzzenhund was established as an individual breed in the middle of the 20th century. They are descendant of the big, white Eastern sheepdogs which came to Europe 2000 years ago. Abruzzenhund is a mix of Turkish sheepdogs Akbash and Karabash, the Kuvac, Slovakian breed Hungarian breed, Komondor, and a French sheepdog Pyrenean Mountain Dog. Those dogs were much bigger than today’s breed. Abruzzenhund is still not very popular breed, but it is very common in Great Britain and Italy. They have been used as guard dogs, hunting dogs, and working dogs because they are very brave and strong.

Description

silken windhound puppy - descriptionThe Silken Windhound is a breed of beautiful, athletic medium sized dogs. They have the long coat, athletic build and classic lines of the sighthound/coursing dog. Just looking at them and you know they have strength, balance and grace in those medium sized bodies. Their running ability is exceptional. They perform well in the confirmation rings.

They are sine boned, balanced with smooth muscles – a sleek hardy looking dog. They have almond-shaped, large, dark eyes with small folded ears. Looking in their faces you see intelligence, friendliness and alertness. The head is long with a well balanced muzzle and a dark, slightly down-turned nose. Her lips are dark and full and her neck long and slender. The Silken Windhound must have a flexible loin because they have a gallop of double suspensions and are amazingly fast. A deep chest is also a must with a flexible, curving tail. Her legs are straight and long, as she is built for speed.

abruzzenhund puppy - descriptionA height of Abruzzenhund variates between 60-73 cm, males are slightly bigger than females. While the weight is 30-45kg, again, males are heavier than females.

Lifespan of Abruzzenhund

Abruzzenhund lifespan is between 11-13 years, but since these dogs don’t have any weaknesses and don’t tend to get sick, they can live longer with a proper care and adequate food and training.

Litter size of Abruzzenhund

Litter size of Abruzzenhund depends, but as any large breed, they usually have 6-9 puppies. And that is a very good considering size of the breed.

Abruzzenhund is not the only name of this breed. There are more names that you might hear. You can hear names like Maremma, Pastore, Abruzzese, Cane da Pastore, Maremmano- Abruzzese, Italian Sheepdog, and many similar names. Basically, they sound similar but there are differences.

Abruzzenhund is a friendly dog, but it is very powerful. Very strong jaw with a scissors bite makes them very strong. They have small but intelligent eyes, usually dark colored. The undercoat is dense, while the coat is white with segments of ivory to white yellow. Their long undercoat and coat make them winter resistant.

Characteristics

Characteristics

silken windhound dog - characteristics1. Children friendliness – they are great with children and would romp with them all day.

2.Special talents – speed and agility.

3.Adaptability Like most sighthounds they can be couch potatoes but being medium sized they can live just about anywhere as long as it is inside.

4.Learning ability - They are smart but their learning ability can be hampered by their stubbornness.

abruzzenhund dog - characteristicsAbruzzenhund is a very well-balanced breed who loves spending time with other animals and people. They have a very good temper. They love being around families, and they are very gentle with children. It is important to train Abruzzenhund properly because the dog of that size should be a leader. A human with a strong character should train this breed. Training is important because they tend to make their own decisions which can be bad sometimes.

Health Problems

silken windhound puppies - health problemsMost inherited diseases and conditions are rare. There is some drug related sensitivity, especially to ivermectin, and some dogs carry a MDR1 (multi-drug resistance gene) that is defective. Breeders are attempting to breed this out of the Silkens. A few other rare instances of concern include:

  • Cryptorchidism – a birth defect resulting in undescended testicles.
  • Lotus Syndrome – an occasional birth defect resulting in death.
  • Umbilical hernias – may require surgery.
  • Cataracts - may lead to old age sight problems
  • Deafness

abruzzenhund puppies - health problemsA great thing about Abruzzenhund is that they are very healthy dogs. They don’t have any chronical health problems, so if you are feeding your dog properly, with a lot of exercises they will not have any health problems. It is also important to check genetics of the dog.

Caring The Pet

silken windhound dogs - caring1.Feeding the puppy This is a medium sized, active breed. They need high quality dog food with plenty of protein. Feed them 3 times a day from a food made for high energy active medium sized breeds.

2.Feeding the adult - Feed them 2 times a day from a food made for high energy active medium sized breeds.

3.Points for Good - Exceptional agility and speed.

4. Games and Exercises The breed is active, and they love to run. They need daily exercise and they usually excel at flyball, agility, obedience and therapy. Obviously, they are very good at lure coursing and racing. They love to run or jog with you.

abruzzenhund dogs - caringThey learn very quickly, but it requires strong will and constant training to keep them happy. They are great working dogs, and with the positive training, they are amazing. It is very important that they follow rules and to keep them in balance with training.

Feeding Abruzzenhund

They can eat a lot of food, depend on their activity. High-Quality dog food twice a day for a grown dog is a must. While puppies should eat 3-5 times, smaller portions of food. The food is important especially for working dogs, they need up to 2000-3000Kcal per day. Abruzzenhund will enjoy eating meat with a lot of vegetables and oil.

They are not recommended for small house or apartment. They need big yard because they require a lot of space. During the winter they can be outside because of their coat, but during the summer they need to be in the shade with a lot of fresh water available anytime.

Grooming the Abruzzenhund

The coat should be brushed and groomed very often because they have a thick coat. There is a lot of dead and loose hair in it. During shedding, period takes even more time to groom your dog properly. They love and they need exercise. Mental exercise is important as physical. Every day walking, running, playing with other animals is an important part of dog's activity. When they get enough quality exercise, they will sleep in the house.

Basic Information

Group:
Hound dog
Herding dogs
Origin:
United States
Italy
Height Male:
47 - 60 cm
18 - 24 inches
60 - 73 cm
23 - 29 inches
Height Female:
44 - 55 cm
17 - 22 inches
60 - 68 cm
23 - 27 inches
Weight Male:
10 - 20 kg
22 - 45 pounds
30 - 45 kg
66 - 100 pounds
Weight Female:
7 - 17 kg
15 - 38 pounds
30 - 40 kg
66 - 89 pounds
Life Span:
15 - 18 Years
11 - 13 Years
Litter Size:
1 - 4
6 - 9
Size:
Medium dog
Large dog
Other Names:
Silkens
Maremma, Pastore, Abruzzese, Cane da Pastore, Maremmano- Abruzzese, Italian Sheepdog
Colors Available:
tuxedo marked or solid colored , white to black with brilliant brindles and solid red, in between. They can be spotted
Black, Cream, White, Grey and Brown
Coat:
silky coats of middling length longish to very long, with feathers. Some are straight, some are very curly
Profuse and Long
Shedding:
Minimal
Moderate
Temperament:
Affectionate, Gentle, Intelligent, Outgoing, Playful, Stubborn
Courageous, Independent
Grooming:
Low maintenance
Moderate maintenance
Trainability:
Moderate
Moderate
Hypoallergenic:
No
No
Kids Friendly:
Yes
Yes
New Owners Friendly:
Yes
No

Comparison with other breeds

  1. Silken Windhound vs Basset Hound - Breed Comparison
  2. Silken Windhound vs Pharaoh Hound - Breed Comparison
  3. Silken Windhound vs Basenji - Breed Comparison
  4. Silken Windhound vs Hungarian Wirehaired Vizsla - Breed Comparison
  5. Silken Windhound vs Afghan Hound - Breed Comparison
  6. Silken Windhound vs Hungarian Vizsla - Breed Comparison
  7. Silken Windhound vs Redbone Coonhound - Breed Comparison
  8. Silken Windhound vs Bluetick Coonhound - Breed Comparison
  9. Silken Windhound vs Norwegian Elkhound - Breed Comparison
  10. Silken Windhound vs Coonhound - Breed Comparison
  11. Silken Windhound vs Bavarian Mountain Hound - Breed Comparison
  12. Silken Windhound vs Basset Fauve de Bretagne - Breed Comparison
  13. Silken Windhound vs Santal Hound - Breed Comparison
  14. Silken Windhound vs Beagle-Harrier - Breed Comparison
  15. Silken Windhound vs English Coonhound - Breed Comparison
  16. Silken Windhound vs Anglo-Francais de Petite Venerie - Breed Comparison
  17. Silken Windhound vs Alpine Dachsbracke - Breed Comparison
  18. Silken Windhound vs Basset Bleu de Gascogne - Breed Comparison
  19. Silken Windhound vs Podenco Canario - Breed Comparison
  20. Silken Windhound vs Dunker - Breed Comparison
  21. Silken Windhound vs Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen - Breed Comparison
  22. Silken Windhound vs Chippiparai - Breed Comparison
  23. Silken Windhound vs Podenco Andaluz - Breed Comparison
  24. Silken Windhound vs Podenco Galego - Breed Comparison
  25. Silken Windhound vs English Foxhound - Breed Comparison
  26. Old English Sheepdog vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  27. Akbash Dog vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  28. Abruzzenhund vs German Shepherd - Breed Comparison
  29. Briard vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  30. Rough Collie vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  31. Bouvier des Flandres vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  32. East German Shepherd vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  33. Saarlooswolfhond vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  34. Estrela Mountain Dog vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  35. Huntaway vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  36. Czechoslovakian Wolfdog vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  37. Perro de Pastor Mallorquin vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  38. South Russian Ovcharka vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  39. Mioritic Sheepdog vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  40. Akita vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  41. Samoyed vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  42. Labradoodle vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  43. Cane Corso vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  44. Alaskan Malamute vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  45. Mixed vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  46. Bullmastiff vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  47. Dogue De Bordeaux vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  48. German Shorthaired Pointer vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  49. Bloodhound vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison
  50. Great Pyrenees vs Abruzzenhund - Breed Comparison

View/Compare Breeds

Popular Dog Breeds