Silken Windhound vs Cesky Terrier - Breed Comparison

The 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.

Known as the Bohemian Terrier and looking similar to a Scottish Terrier dog, the Cesky Terrier is a dog breed that has been created by Frantisek Horak, in the Czech Republic.

Horak wanted to breed a type of hunting dog, and in 1949, using both the Scottish Terrier ad the Sealyham Terrier, he bred the two, creating a new breed that would hopefully be a stronger hunting dog.

The Cesky Terrier was shown for the first time in 1959 and was recognized by the Federation Cynologique Internationale in 1963 and in 1993 by the United Kennel Club. It’s a rare dog this, and is the national dog of the Czech Republic.

The 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.

The Cesky Terrer is a longish dog, much like the Scottie and he also has short legs. He is roughly 29ck in height at the withers, is about 43cm in length and weighs anything from 5 to 10kg.

The coat of this dog is long, silky and quite wavy and can be in a number of different shades of gray or a light brown color. Puppies are born black. The soft coat can be kept groomed by clippers or you can take him to have his coat professionally trimmed.

This dog breed has natural drop ears, unlike the Scottie which has erect ears. The tail length is 18-20 cm and low set.

Temperament:

A loyal, quiet and loving family dog, the Cesky Terrier will get on well with children in the home and he is also friendly with other dogs. Just like with any other dog, it will be important to socialize the dog breed at an early age as then he becomes obedient, smart and relaxed. He is a breed which is also easy to train. He also makes a good watchdog.

Characteristics

1. 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.

The Cesky Terrier isn’t a small-dog yapper and he will adapt to life in the city or the country. He is a small dog, but he is feisty and sporty and will willingly join you with your jogging or when you go on a walk.

He is intelligent and playful and when you add in characteristics such as being courageous, loving, loyal and feisty, you can see that the Cesky Terrier is guaranteed to make a super family pet.

Most 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

The Cesky Terrier is generally a healthy dog, but this breed sometimes suffers from common dog ailments that other breeds also have to contend with.

Eye disorders, ear infections, pancreatitis, hip dysplasia and weight gain are just some health issues you might need to be aware of.

Remember that if you want to promote a healthier dog, feeding him a quality diet and taking him immediately to the vet when you suspect a problem can keep him free from common dog illnesses.

Pancreatitis for instances develops when the pancreas becomes inflamed, and this can be brought on by allowing your pet to become obese. There are other reasons for pancreatitis too such as infection. You will see diarrhea, fever and vomiting with your pet as well as discomfort from abdominal pain. It’s a disease which affects smaller dogs more often than larger breeds.

1.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.

Exercise:

Cesky Terriers may well be a little bit less active and quieter than other terriers, but they will still need a good dose of exercise. He loves to dig, and if he is bored and doesn’t have a plenty of exercise and games, he will want to dig more and cause the owner a lot of frustration. Take him for daily walks and give him some ball games in the garden.

Grooming:

Cesky Terriers will need brushing down at least twice a week and their coats will need to be trimmed into shape every 8 to 10 weeks or so. You’ll also need to check excess hair inside the ears.

As with any dog breed, you will need to check on his nails so that they don’t grow too long and also brush his teeth 2 or 3 times a week to avoid dental disease.