The Silky Terrier, originally from Sydney, Australia, was developed by crossbreeding of Yorkshire Terriers and Australian Terriers in the 1890's. Though the resulting litters tended to be divided between puppies resembling the individual parent breeds, fortunately a precious few seemed to inherit the desired traits from both breeds, and these dogs were bred together to perpetuate the new breed, the Silky Terrier.
In 1926 a breed standard was reached and in 1932 legislation in Australia brought an end to cross breeding in the 20th Century. In 1955 the official name for the breed in Australia became the Australian Silky Terrier. The American Kennel Club recognized the Silky Terrier in 1959. Still known as the Australian Silky Terrier in its native land, the Silky Terrier continues to be very popular both as a companion and as a show dog.
