- Preferred: All shades of blue and tan are acceptable, the richer these colours and more clearly defined the better.
- Silver and white not acceptable.
- Blue on the tail to be very dark.
- Preferred: Silver blue or fawn top- knot
- Distribution of blue and tan as follows : tan around the base of the ears, muzzle and on the sides of the cheeks
- blue from the base of the skull to tip of tail, running down the forelegs to near the wrists and down the thighs to the hocks
- tan line showing down the stifles and from the wrists and hocks to the toes and around the vent.
- The blue body colour must be free from tan or bronzing.
- Tan markings must be free from smuttiness.
- Permissible: Black colouring in puppies, blue colour must be established by 18 months of age
About the Australian Silky Terrier
Origin: Australia
- Size
- Small — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 3.5-5 kg
- Height
- 23-25 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Terriers
- Origin
- Australia
- Also called
- Terrier Sedoso Australiano
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Australian Silky Terrier?
A small, spirited toy terrier with a refined but substantial build, characterized by its long, straight, glossy blue-and-tan silky coat that is parted down the middle and lively, alert demeanor
Australian Silky Terrier history and origins
Developed in Australia in the late 19th century by crossing Yorkshire Terriers with Australian Terriers to create a small companion dog with a long, silky coat, combining hardiness with refined features and vermin hunting ability
Australian Silky Terrier appearance and size
Typically 3.5-5 kg and 23-25 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.
Australian Silky Terrier temperament and personality
Generally described as friendly, intelligent, alert, energetic and confident.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Toy Terrier / companion dog
Quoted from FCI standard n°236. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Small
- Exercise needs
- —
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Australian Silky Terrier
What you get with the Australian Silky Terrier
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Toy Terrier / companion dog”
- Commonly described as: “Friendly, intelligent, alert, energetic”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “The length of coat must not be so long as to impede the dog’s action and should allow…”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard; The Dog API. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Australian Silky Terrier
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged preferred and permissible.
Coat
Must be flat, fine and glossy and of a silky texture.
The length of coat must not be so long as to impede the dog’s action and should allow daylight to be seen under the dog.
The front and rear feet to be free from long hair
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°236 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
Temperament
Friendlyintelligentalertenergeticconfident
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Australian Silky Terrier in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Australian Silky Terrier
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Australian Silky Terrier on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Australian Silky Terrier owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Australian Silky Terrier breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.