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Afghan
Hound
This elegant-looking dog has
a fine noble head complemented by a luxuriant flowing coat and
a majestic gait. The extremely fast Afghan Hound is ideally
suited for racing across the open plains or quickly changing
direction in the rough terrain of mountainous regions.
History:
As its name suggests, the
Afghan Hound originated from Afghanistan, where it was bred as
a sight hound. It was trained to chase and knock down its
quarry, and then to keep it there until the handler could
catch up. Originally, the short-haired variety were bred for
the plains region and the long-haired dogs were restricted to
the mountains.
Nomads
found the Afghan Hound invaluable as a guard for their herds
and as a watch-dog for their camps. Historical evidence of
cave drawings suggests a similar dog existed as far back as
4000 years ago. In 1907 the Afghan Hound was shown in London
under the name of Oriental Greyhound, and in 1926 was granted
official recognition as the Afghan Hound.
Physical
characteristics:
A tall, refined-looking dog
with a springy gait. Height: for the adult dog 27 - 29 in (69
- 74 cm) Weight: 55 66 lb (25 - 30 kg). The skull and muzzle
should be long, with preferably dark eyes slanting slightly
upward. The long ears should be well-covered with silky hair.
Behavior:
Despite their elegant and
aloof appearance, Afghan Hounds are often very demanding of
their owner's attention. Generally, this dog has a gentle
nature and is very sociable with other dogs and people. Their
height gives them an air of superiority and confidence when
meeting most other dogs, yet their playful manner soon puts
other dogs and people at ease.
As
Afghan Hounds are intelligent animals, they require lots of
mental as well as physical stimulation. Considerate owners
should provide these noble animals with plenty of exercise and
attention. It is a sheer delight to watch an Afghan Hound race
across an open space and playfully gambol around. Although
Afghan Hounds are easy to train, a wise owner should be aware
that they are sight hounds and so have a strong chase-reflex.
They can simply take off, or at least be very distracted by
moving animals or objects such as cats or a windblown paper
bag.
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