Afghan Hound

The Afghan Hound is an aristocrat, his whole appearance one of dignity and aloofness with no trace of plainness or coarseness.

Afghan Hound breed facts

The Afghan Hound was discovered by the Western world in Afghanistan and surrounding regions during the 19th century. The current breed was developed in Afghanistan's mountainous countryside.

Information you should know before owning an Afghan Hound

The Afghan Hound is covered with a thick coat of long silky hair that requires hours of grooming each week to maintain its beautiful appearance.

The Afghan Hound needs room to run in a fenced area under supervision.

Afghans can be very destructive when bored. The Afghan's independent disposition may not understand your displeasure with his destructive behaviour.

They may appear aloof and particularly standoffish with strangers.

The Afghan Hound was discovered by the Western World in Afghanistan and surrounding regions during the 19th century, with the first specimens brought to England in the latter part of that century. Of the breed's origin and its history prior to then, little is known for certain. It was once believed that the Afghan Hound existed in Egypt thousands of years ago, with a second theory that the breed evolved on the steppes of Asia representing the original sight hound. A great deal of research has not provided proof for either of these speculations.

As the breed developed in Afghanistan, two distinct types evolved. Hounds from the southern and western desert regions had a rangy build, were light in color and sparse in outer coat. The dogs from the northern regions were more compact in structure, darker in color and more heavily coated. These and other variations represented logical adaptations to the wide diversity of climate and terrain of the country.

The breed is primarily a coursing hound, pursuing its quarry by sight. The Afghan Hound was hunted singly, in dog and bitch pairs, in packs and combined with specially trained falcons. A tremendously versatile breed, its quarry included hare, wolves, jackals, marmots and snow leopards. Because of the variety of game hunted and the diversity of the geography, the Afghan Hound's most desirable traits were being sure-footed and agile to work the rugged terrain, strength and speed to bring down prey, plus the stamina to maintain a strenuous chase for a sustained length of time.

Is this a vulnerable breed? Yes, No	No
What size is this dog? Small, Medium, Large	Large
How much excercise is required? 30 mins a day, 1 hour a day, Over 2 hours a day	Over 2 hours a day
How long is this dog's coat? Short, Medium, Long	Long
How much grooming is required? Once a week, More than once a week, Every day	Every day
Does this dog shed? Does shed, Does not shed	Does shed
What area is this dog best suited to? Town, Country, Either	Country
What size house is required for this breed? Flat/Apartment, Small House, Large House	Small House
What size of garden is required? Small Garden, Large Garden, No Garden	Large garden

	General Appearance Gives the impression of strength and dignity, combining speed and power. Head held proudly.
	Characteristics Eastern or Oriental expression is typical of breed. The Afghan looks at and through one.
	Temperament Dignified and aloof, with a certain keen fierceness.
	Eyes Dark for preference, but golden colour not debarred. Nearly triangular, slanting slightly upwards from inner corner to outer corner.
	Mouth Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Level bite tolerated.
	Neck Long, strong, with proud carriage of head.
	Forequarters Shoulders long and sloping, well set back, well muscled and strong without being loaded. Forelegs straight and well boned, straight with shoulder; elbows close to ribcage, turning neither in nor out.
	Body Back level, moderate length, well muscled, back falling slightly away to stern. Loin straight, broad and rather short. Hipbones rather prominent and wide apart. A fair spring of ribs and good depth of chest.
	Hindquarters Powerful, well bent and well turned stifles. Great length between hip and hock, with comparatively short distance between hock and foot. Dewclaws may be removed.
	Feet Forefeet strong and very large both in length and breadth, and covered with long, thick hair; toes arched. Pasterns long and springy, pads well down on ground. Hindfeet long, but not quite as broad as forefeet; covered with long thick hair.
	Tail Not too short. Set on low with ring at end. Raised when in action. Sparsely feathered.
	Gait / Movement Gives the impression of strength and dignity, combining speed and power. Head held proudly.
	Coat Long and very fine texture on ribs, fore and hindquarters and flanks. In mature dogs from shoulder backwards and along the saddle, hair short and close. Hair long from forehead backwards, with a distinct silky ‘top-knot’. On foreface hair short. Ears and legs well coated. Pasterns can be bare. Coat must develop naturally.
	Colour All colours acceptable.
	Size Ideal height: dogs: 68-74 cms (27-29 ins); bitches: 63-69 cms (25-27 ins).