Toy Schnauzer vs Silken Windhound - Breed Comparison

Toy Schnauzer is originated from Germany but Silken Windhound is originated from United States. Toy Schnauzer may grow 25 cm / 9 inches shorter than Silken Windhound. Toy Schnauzer may weigh 11 kg / 24 pounds lesser than Silken Windhound. Toy Schnauzer may live 3 years less than Silken Windhound. Toy Schnauzer may have more litter size than Silken Windhound. Toy Schnauzer requires Moderate maintenance. But Silken Windhound requires Low maintenance

History

The Miniature Schnauzer was actually a distinct breed as early as 1899. It is believed that the dog came from breeding the smallest Standard Schnauzers with Affenpinschers, Black Poodles, and the gray Spitz.

Miniature Schnauzers were registered as a separate breed in 1926. The Toy Schnauzer is registered as a Miniature Schnauzer but is actually a little bit smaller.

The Miniature Schnauzer was developed as a farm dog with the purpose of killing rats.

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.

Description

The Toy Schnauzer is a small dog standing at between 33–35cm tall and weighing about 4 to 9 kg.

He has medium length hair which is hard and wiry and which requires minimal grooming. These low-shedding dogs make the ideal family pets for those people who have allergies.

Colors of the coat are essentially black and silver, chocolate or a salt and pepper look. You'll find they have a beard and bushy eyebrows, giving him an almost human-like expression.

These dogs were brought about to be all-around farm dogs and ratters and they are tough, muscular, and fearless without being aggressive.

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.

Characteristics

The Toy Schnauzer is spunky, strong-willed and confident. They all have different personalities and while some people report they are aloof, stubborn and uppity, others say they are playful, friendly and amicable.

A lot depends on the owners as dogs often develop the temperaments of the owners.

With this range in temperament, you can’t say with certainty how your Toy Schnauzer will turn out. Most of them just want to be involved with their human families and they make great family pets.

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.

Health Problems

Your Toy Schnauzer has a life expectancy of 12 – 15 years if you care for them properly. They can, however, suffer from some health problems that so many other dogs might also have to contend with.

Some of these are -

Cataracts:

You’ll notice your pet's eyes taking on a filmy look. Most times these cataracts emerge in older dogs and they can be surgically removed.

Entropion and Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA) are other eye diseases that may affect your dog. Most dogs are able to adapt well to their limited vision and can even adapt to lost vision.

Bladder Infection:

A bladder infection can be terribly uncomfortable for your pet and occurs when bacteria gets into the bladder. Females are more likely to get a bladder infection, but male dogs can pick up the infection too. Having a bladder infection increases the pet’s urge to urinate even when there is no urine to come out.

The little bit of urine that does come out may be cloudy or even have some blood in it. It is imperative to get your pet urgent veterinary attention. When you see your pet trying to urinate all the time with nothing happening, then this is the sign to get your dog to the vet for a course of antibiotics.

Congenital Megaesophagus: 

This is when food and liquid are retained in the dog's esophagus so that you find him regurgitating his food. This can lead to pneumonia.

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

Caring The Pet

Most people have their Toy Schnauzers professionally groomed on a regular basis. He is a double-coated dog with a wiry coat. Some people, looking to maintain the wiry texture do hand-stripping, certainly if the dog is used for show purposes.

Diet:

No dog deserves to have dry kibble served up to him day after day. However, there are some excellent commercial dog foods on the market and you can choose the best one.

These foods provide a lot of convenience for the dog owner. Dogs also need to have their share of home-made food. It doesn’t have to be all complicated as dogs like simplicity.

Wholesome foods such as boiled chicken, brown rice and some nutritious vegetables such as sweet potatoes, spinach and carrots can do him the world of good. Schnauzers are also prone to pancreatis so you want to avoid giving him food that is high in fat.

Exercise:

Toy Schnauzers love an active lifestyle. They don't like sitting around inactive for too long.

Your Toy Schnauzer can adapt to life in the country or the city but he will certainly need to be well exercised. Walking your dog each day will be essential as will ball games and just generally giving your pet some of your attention,

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.

Basic Information

Group:
Toy dog
Hound dog
Origin:
Germany
United States
Height Male:
33 - 35 cm
12 - 14 inches
47 - 60 cm
18 - 24 inches
Height Female:
33 - 35 cm
12 - 14 inches
44 - 55 cm
17 - 22 inches
Weight Male:
4 - 9 kg
8 - 20 pounds
10 - 20 kg
22 - 45 pounds
Weight Female:
4 - 9 kg
8 - 20 pounds
7 - 17 kg
15 - 38 pounds
Life Span:
12 - 15 Years
15 - 18 Years
Litter Size:
3 - 8
1 - 4
Size:
Toy dog
Medium dog
Other Names:
Miniature Schnauzer
Silkens
Colors Available:
Black and silver, chocolate or a salt and pepper look
tuxedo marked or solid colored , white to black with brilliant brindles and solid red, in between. They can be spotted
Coat:
Medium length, hard and wiry
silky coats of middling length longish to very long, with feathers. Some are straight, some are very curly
Shedding:
Minimal
Minimal
Temperament:
Affectionate, Alert, Cheerful, Courageous, Curious, Energetic, Friendly, Gentle, Independent, Intelligent, Lively, Loving, Loyal, Outgoing, Playful, Protective, Quiet, Responsive, Social, Stubborn
Affectionate, Gentle, Intelligent, Outgoing, Playful, Stubborn
Grooming:
Moderate maintenance
Low maintenance
Trainability:
Easy
Moderate
Hypoallergenic:
No
No
Kids Friendly:
Yes
Yes
New Owners Friendly:
Yes
Yes

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. Toy Schnauzer vs Yorkshire Terrier - Breed Comparison
  27. Toy Schnauzer vs Chihuahua - Breed Comparison
  28. Toy Schnauzer vs Morkie - Breed Comparison
  29. Toy Schnauzer vs Havanese - Breed Comparison
  30. Toy Schnauzer vs Chorkie - Breed Comparison
  31. Toy Schnauzer vs Pekingese - Breed Comparison
  32. Toy Schnauzer vs Chinese Crested Dog - Breed Comparison
  33. Toy Schnauzer vs Chiweenie - Breed Comparison
  34. Toy Schnauzer vs Chug - Breed Comparison
  35. Toy Schnauzer vs Affenpinscher - Breed Comparison
  36. Toy Schnauzer vs Brussels Griffon - Breed Comparison
  37. Toy Schnauzer vs Chipoo - Breed Comparison
  38. Toy Schnauzer vs Chiapom - Breed Comparison
  39. Toy Schnauzer vs English Toy Terrier (Black & Tan) - Breed Comparison
  40. Toy Schnauzer vs Long Haired Chihuahua - Breed Comparison
  41. Toy Schnauzer vs Bichon Bolognese - Breed Comparison
  42. Toy Schnauzer vs Russian Toy Terrier - Breed Comparison
  43. Toy Schnauzer vs Franzuskaya Bolonka - Breed Comparison
  44. Toy Schnauzer vs Phalene - Breed Comparison
  45. Toy Schnauzer vs Bugg - Breed Comparison
  46. Toy Schnauzer vs Cockachon - Breed Comparison
  47. Toy Schnauzer vs Shih Tzu - Breed Comparison
  48. Toy Schnauzer vs Silky Terrier - Breed Comparison
  49. Toy Schnauzer vs Snorkie - Breed Comparison
  50. Toy Schnauzer vs Toy Bulldog - Breed Comparison

View/Compare Breeds

Popular Dog Breeds