The LaLa Project: Stage Two

Metamorphosis of a Silky

It is unique to be Australian Silky Terrier.

For those who are not familiar with the Silkies, the juveniles do not look one bit similar to the adults. It is like they belong to separate breeds. 

Perhaps the confusion lies in the difference in hair colour.

All Silkies are born with dark, raven hair, including parts of their faces. Yet the hair colour change even as they grow past adulthood.

While most of the raven hair will morph into a mixture of light blue and grey, hair in the face and chest area can turn into shades of silky white and gold, rendering them one of the most beautiful breeds in the canine family.

Breeds, Subspecies and Species

It is most confusing, but technically, a breed is not equivalent to a species.

In some cases, a breed may also be a subspecies, but not in the dog’s case.

A breed is, perhaps a term used to distinguish different (variant) “looking” domesticated dogs.

To name a few, Shih Tzu, Border Collie, Corgi, Jack Russell Terrier are different breeds.

Yet, they are the same species (Canis lupus), and same subspecies (Canis lupus familiaris), all descended from the same ancestor - The Gray Wolf (Canis lupus).

Basically, all domesticated dogs and dingoes are the same species as the gray wolves. Despite the vast differences in their physical appearances, they are all classified under the species, Canis lupus.

And domesticated dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) and dingoes (Canis lupus dingo) are different subspecies of the gray wolf (Canis lupus).

Hence taxonomically, they can be distinguished by the subspecies (third) name. For instance, familiaris = domesticated dog, whereas dingo = dingo. 

The temperament and behaviour of domesticated dogs (familiaris) can be best described as the frozen "Juvenile Phase" of the gray wolves. Research shows that humans tend to be attracted to "baby-faced" creatures, and hence, very likely, submissive and friendly traits of certain gray wolves were selected to breed with each other repeatedly over thousands of years ago, resulting in today's modern dogs. 

As the domestication process were underway, slightly different characteristics emerged. For example, some gray wolves have shorter tails or hair while some are smaller in size or possesses longer hair. People who preferred long hair will continue to interbreed individuals with such characteristics. This is known as selective breeding.

Therefore, I would say that a breed is like a morph (form) or variant. And no matter a Shih Tzu, Rottweiler or a German Shepherd, they are all dogs (same species and subspecies), but just in distinct forms. 

It is something like race when we describe human beings (Homo sapiens). We are all humans, and we all look like one. Yet, some of us possess fairer skin while others may have yellow, copper or dark complexion; some of us have black eyes, whereas some have green, blue or brown orbs.

Stage Two of Little LaLa

Back to the star of my story, about a month later when we welcomed Lacus to our home, we see physical change beginning within her. The most obvious change was her growth in size. What used to be a plush doll size became not so plush doll size. Her once adorable floppy ears became erect, and her baby hair just looked awkwardly spiky. Her coat "shed" (but not really shedding) into one of brighter and shiny quality. Even her pretty face turned a shade of gold. 

This was an awkward phase for Lala as well for us. She became very active in learning her surroundings and about herself. And frustratingly, she also showed signs of developing unwelcome habits. 

Lala had finally mastered the “art” of stairs climbing. When she was only two months old, she fell from the steps a lot, resulting in her being climacophobic (The fear of climbing stairs). She refused to go up and down on her own. Perhaps it was when she had grown bigger, she could brave herself to conquer her fear. And fast forward a month later, she did it better than the rest of the family. 

Picking up tricks fast, Lala had learned and understood the basic vocal commands of “hand hand”, “sit”, “up” and most significantly “walk”.

Clad in a red leash with a huge “smile” on her face (Well, dogs don’t smile. They lack facial muscles and would usually hint their emotions through their eyes), we allowed her for the first time to venture into the outside world.

Prior to Lala's daily walks, her paw pads used to be soft and unscathed. Yet, her routine sniffing and peeing (probably leaving scents behind to let other dogs get to know her) about seems to be much more important than scaring her paws.

Barking is believed to have evolved in domesticated dogs as a means of communication between human owners and the pet canine. And Lala barks a lot at this stage. Apparently, she is a good watchdog as she barks at anything that seems out of place.

And out came the nasty habits. She became extremely picky when she tasted her first real “meat”. Prior to that, she was having dog biscuits and puppy formula. She rebelled hard, refusing to eat anything except meat. As days went on, she continued to ignore all her “dry food” and the situation escalated from bad to worse when she started puking. We were anxious about her health, and hence we gave in to her demands. We bought her “wet food” and she ate like an elephant. In trying to control her choosy behaviour, we bought several brands of dog biscuits for food rotation, but to no avail. This unpleasant behaviour resumed for a very long time.

The worst habit she developed was the affinity to chew on things. She was constantly chewing off most of the things she could find on the floor. And later on our fingers too! 

Things reached a climax when she "unintentionally" bit and hurt one of us. She was punished for the first time with a rolled-up newspaper, and after that, she learned not to bite and hurt us.   

A Profile of Lacus, The Silky

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Canidae

Genus: Canis

Species: C. lupus

Subspecies: C. l. Familiaris

Breed: Australian Silky Terrier

Breed Groups: Toy (instead of terrier, due to their size)

History: A cross between Yorkshire Terrier and Australian Terrier.

Name: Lacus

Other names: Darling, LaLa, LaBaby, LuLuLa

Temperament: 

• Loving, alert, stubborn and active.
• Known to bark at things that seemed out of place or at strangers and other dogs.
• Very attention-seeking. Loves to be in the company of humans. Though a little antisocial when mixing with her own kind. 
• Seems to be very in tune with our emotions, providing us with support and comfort. 
• Requires constant praising, reassurance and petting. When no one pays her attention, she will scratch lightly at our calves and whimper to get our sympathy and attention (Like a baby). 

•   Loves to be cradled like a baby for some time.

• Known to be stubborn. For example, when we ask her to go to her cage, she would simply ignore us and idle at the same place. 

Care: 

• Hair is susceptible to tangles and matting and requires constant grooming and shampooing. 
• Prone to tracheal collapse, so will have to watch out for the leash used. 
• Susceptible to ear infection and require constant ear cleaning. 
• Known to chew cotton toys, so avoid them. 
• Best to brush their teeth and encourage dry food diet to prevent teeth and gum infection. 
• Nails have to be trimmed from time to time (long nails cause her to slip and obstruct proper walking).    

Habits:  

• Loves Piano and hates Guitar. This has solid proof. When we play the piano, she would rush down to the piano room to listen. However, for guitar, she would start barking even before we strum it. 
• Gets overly excited whenever she hears the word "W-A-L-K"! 
• Known to lose self-control when excited and will start peeing and jumping up and down the sofa. 
• Always try to bite her leash when we try to put it on her. 
• Very picky and choosey with her food! Where got dogs rather puke than have their meals? 
• Known to pee on my bathroom carpet. 
• Deathly afraid of rolled-up newspaper and will come to us immediately for petting and reassurance. 
• Known to dream. She would whimper and she dreams. 
• Known to show her emotions through her whole being. Whether it is her eyes, ears and body language. We can tell she is happy or emo. 
• Known to enjoy the breeze. She likes to sit at the rooftop and feel the breeze. 

• Known to tolerate hamster and fishes. Odd, as her breed should be good at ratting. 
• Hate felines and passing birds. 
• Prefers to poop on the grass than at home. We know when it is time for her to poop when she circles a few times at the same spot and displays her pooping posture. 
• Prefers to sit and eat on carpeted area. Also like to beg to be on our soft, comfy beds.

• She likes to rest her head on something - pillow, plush toy, sofa bed.

•  Known to take refuge in her sofa bed when we mention “Sleeping Time” at night.

Favourite Food: Durian, Cheese, Frozen Yoghurt, Egg, Meat (roasted pork belly). Occasional fruits like Apples.