Because the hound often left the horse far behind, the Afghan Hound hunted “on its own” rather than relying on the hunter’s command, which trained it to think independently and became typical.
In modern times, the Afghan Hound has become synonymous with “aristocracy” due to its stylish retro appearance and noble temperament. In foreign countries, the Afghan Hound is the only breed that can enter five-star hotels. This breed has also become the favorite of celebrities, models, high-class clubs, fashion magazines, etc.
Latin name: Afghan Hound
Alias: Afghan Dog, Afghan, Baluchi Hound, Kabul Dog
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Subphylum Vertebrata
Phylum: Mammalia
Subphylum: Subphylum Beast
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Subfamily: Canidae
Genus: Canis lupus
Species: Wolf
Subspecies: Domestic dog
Distribution area: Afghanistan and its surrounding areas, Western countries, etc.
Coat: Silky long hair
Lifespan: 12-15 years
CKC Grouping: Hunting Dog Group (Hound Group)
Origin: Afghanistan
Function: Family companion dog, visual hunting dog, ornamental dog
- Afghan Hound morphological characteristics
The Afghan Hound is a noble dog due to its unique coat shape, long and silky topknot, very prominent hip bones, and wide feet without any sign of plainness or roughness. Males, 27 inches, 1 inch up and down; females, 25 inches, 1 inch up and down. Male height: 64-74cm, female height: 61-73cm, male weight: 23-27kg, female weight: 20-25kg. male about 60lbs; female about 50lbs.
Morphological characteristics
The head is of appropriate length and appears very delicate, with the head and front face appearing even and harmonious. The slightly raised nasal bone, which forms the Roman face, has a central line that rises along the front face to a slight (or no) stop that disappears in front of the eyes, so that the line of sight is clear and without any conflict, the jaws appear very strong, with long and strong jaws; the mouth is a pincer bite and the teeth of the upper and lower jaws are evenly matched and perfectly aligned, with no upper jaw protrusion or lower jaw protrusion. For this breed, such a mouth is very rare. The clipped bite is stronger and more easily bred than the pincer bite, and the clipped bite (teeth of the lower jaw against the inside of the teeth of the upper jaw) is not a defect. The posterior occipital bone is very prominent and the “hair” on the top of the head is silky and long. Ears: Long, positioned at approximately the same level as the outer corner of the eye, with the length of the auricle extending to the tip of the nose, covered by long, silky hairs. Eyes: almond-shaped (almost triangular), not too prominent and dark in color. Nosepiece: good size, black. Defects: rough, as if truncated, upper jaw protruding or lower jaw protruding, eyes round, prominent or light colored, overly exaggerated Roman nose, lack of “hair” on the head.
Neck
The neck is of sufficient length, strong and rounded, curved and connected to the shoulders, with a long, backward sloping scapula. Defects: Neck too short or too thick, goat neck, goose neck, lack of muscle or bone in the neck.
Body
The backline appears almost perfectly horizontal from the horse’s shoulder ridge to the loin. The loin is strong and firm, slightly rounded and arched, disappearing into the hips. The hip bones are very prominent and the ribs are well expanded, while the loin fossa is lifted up. Shoulder height is approximately equal to body length (distance from chest to hips), chest deep and moderately wide. Deficiencies: arched back, sunken back, goose buttocks, loose loin, hips not prominent, chest too wide while in conflict with elbows.
Tail
Tail root not excessively high, ringed or curved at the end; but not excessively curled, or rolled behind, or thrown to the side of the body; and never too thick.
Legs
The forelimbs are straight and strong, with a large length from the elbow to the joint, the elbow fitting the body, the forefoot paws being large in length and width, the toes rounded and arched, the paws covered with a thick, long coat of fine texture, the joint long and straight, and the foot pads very large and supported on the ground. The shoulder joint is properly angled so that the leg is in the right position under the body. A shoulder joint that is too straight will cause the joint to be crushed and is a serious defect. All four paws of the Afghan Hound are oriented in the same direction as the body and are neither bent inward nor turned outward. The hind paws are wide and of sufficient length, with rounded toes and a thick, long coat of hair covering the paws. The hindquarters are strong and muscular, with sufficient length between the fly joint and the rump; the fly joint is low, and the angle of both the fly joint and the knee joint are very appropriate; the hindquarters are slightly curved in an arch from the fly joint to the crotch. Deficiencies: front and rear paws curved inward or turned outward, foot pads lacking sufficient thickness, paws too small, paws with other significant disadvantages, joints lax or crushed, knee joints too straight, fly joint too long.
Coat
The hindquarters, loin fossa, ribs, forequarters, and legs are covered with a dense, silky coat of fine texture; the ears, and all four paws have feathery trimmed hairs; starting at the shoulders in front; extending backward into a saddle-shaped area (including the loin fossa and the area above the ribs) the coat is slightly shorter and denser, forming the smooth back of the mature dog, a traditional characteristic of the Afghan Hound. The Afghan Hound appears in its natural form and the coat does not require trimming or grooming; the long, silky “hair” on the top of the head is also a distinctive feature of the Afghan Hound. Shorter hair on the forelimbs and wrists of the hindlimbs is permitted. Defects: Mature dogs lack the saddle-shaped area of short hair.
Height
Males, 27 inches with a 1 inch error above and below; females, 25 inches with a 1 inch error above and below.
Body weight
Approximately 60 pounds for males; 50 pounds for females.
Color
All colors are allowed, but colored or combined colors are preferred. White markings, especially on the head, are not desirable.
Gait
When running free, the Afghan Hound will gallop at high speed, showing great elasticity and bounce in a powerful, smooth stride. If unrestrained, the Afghan Hound runs extremely fast; when running forward, the back paws fall directly on the footprint of the front paws, (front and rear footprints) are straight forward. When running, the head and tail are held high and the whole appearance of the Afghan Hound is just very stylish and very beautiful
Temperament
Noble and superb, yet lively. Disadvantages – mean or timid. Solitary and majestic, but happy. Flaws – Vicious or shy.
- Afghan Hound personality characteristics
Afghan Hound has a flowing coat, noble appearance, elegant posture is memorable, in life, he is very clean, so when raising Afghan must remember to give him a regular bath beauty hairdressing.
Afghan Hound personality
The Afghan Hound has a calm personality and is not easily angered. Introverted and reserved is the character of Afghan Hound, it will not take the initiative to care about you when you ignore it. It is generally arrogant when it comes to strangers, but because of its docile nature, it will not easily attack people. It is not the same with its master, it is very dependent, and it also especially speaks with its eyes, likes to look at its master with its eyes, and listens to instructions; but it is not the kind of hound that obeys its master, but this kind of hound has a very good relationship with its master, and this, no other pet can compare to the Afghan Hound. In addition, he may also know that he has a satin coat and charming appearance, so he usually loves cleanliness, never goes to dirty places, and when he encounters a puddle or something when walking, he will deftly jump over it. What they like to do most is to tidy up their fur or find a comfortable place to lie down (at most twice). Although they are very active outdoors, they are very quiet indoors and won’t bother you all day.
With an active personality, they need lots of exercise, so get some amount of outdoor activity every day. When taking a walk, be aware that he may get overexcited when he is far away from his owner. It is faster than a horse if it spreads out and runs. Not only that, it has good explosive power and bouncing power (leaping 50 to 60 centimeters on the ground is no problem). The coordination of the body is very good, such as the sudden discovery of obstacles in front of the Afghan Hound can react quickly in high-speed movement, deftly turn to avoid. It loves water and will jump in when it sees it. If possible, give it more opportunities to get close to water.
It has strong independence. Therefore, the Afghan Hound must be tamed deeply and carefully as a puppy. Because it is a large dog, it must be well disciplined as a puppy to avoid an overly impetuous temperament. When it is well trained, the adult dog is generally suitable for children and adults. It is also heat and cold resistant and has a strong ability to adapt to its environment: it has a strong tolerance in any harsh environment. However, there is sometimes a nervous side. Despite the strong physical, in terms of life, dogs, like humans, once the change, a variety of dissatisfaction will also get depression, resulting in the dog’s body increasingly thin, insomnia and dreamy phenomenon.
- Afghan hound care knowledge
The Afghan Hound is an ancient breed of dog. It is native to Afghanistan, and there are many people in China who are breeding this breed. Because of the local differences and the fact that the hair is long and difficult to take care of, we should pay more attention to the diet and life, first of all, we should understand his personality and preferences, and then choose the ingredients and nutrients that he loves to eat. However, now in the hot summer, so what should the Afghan Hound pay attention to in the summer?
What should the Afghan Hound pay attention to in the summer
As the saying goes, “the plan of the year lies in spring”, which is good, but summer is a difficult season for a person and a dog.
The hot summer is the most irritating season for people, of course, dogs are the same, who are willing to stay in a cool place to spend a hot summer, this time people choose the shade, air-conditioned house.
Many parents will let their dogs follow them, let the dog into the air conditioning house, enjoy the happiness brought by the air conditioning, really good, for parents, the dog is very helpful, this is a big mistake, look at the dog is comfortable, but it affects the dog, often let the dog blowing air conditioning, will cause dog diarrhea, but also cause the dog to catch a cold, so parents pay attention, do not often let the dog Blowing air conditioning, which will have an impact on the dog.
Summer has arrived, many parents will give their dogs a bath, which is a dog breeder know things, we should pay attention to what when the dog bath, let’s learn it.
When we give the dog a bath, must not wash the time too long, will be easy to cause the dog’s hair to fall off, there is a time to give the Afghan Hound a bath, with a special shampoo for dogs, body wash and other things, which will play a protective role for the dog’s hair, try not to use human shampoo or body wash, which will damage the dog’s skin and hair quality, the last point, after the bath After the bath, then to give the dog a little spray freshener, so that the dog will become beautiful, confident.
Finally, don’t forget to pull out the dog’s ears to prevent ear disease, there is also Afghanistan’s hair is longer, more, it is easy to knot, the owner should help him comb the hair every day. Regularly give him vaccinations and deworming.
- Afghan Hound feeding points
Larger Afghan Hounds do not eat only meat, a healthy diet can make the Afghan Hound live longer. If you want to make your own food to feed him, then you have to know the amount of nutrients your dog needs daily and what nutrients are in the ingredients you match to keep your Afghan Hound healthy.
What is good for Afghan Hound to eat
Fat content is the main source of calories in the Afghan Hound’s diet. Pasta is an important source of carbohydrates, because all tasteless, so often need to add some additional flavor.
Animal hearts contain a lot of fat and should be fed with some restraint when adding heart, which contains twice as many calories as kidneys or other internal organs.
Liver, like other meats, is high in phosphorus and low in calcium. Liver is rich in vitamins A and B1, but should not be consumed for long periods of time. Fresh vegetables and fruits:Uncooked vegetables and fruits like carrots, cabbage, and apples are good for vitamin supplements. Chicken and turkey are both easily digestible and contain fewer calories than other meats. Cooked rice is easy to digest. It is best mixed with chicken and fed to an Afghan Hound recovering from illness.
Fish: When feeding fish, you have to be very careful to remove all the very tiny fish spines.
Afghan Hounds are not pure carnivores like cats. They can survive on a vegetarian diet because they are able to convert vegetable proteins and fats into the elements needed to maintain their bodies. It is not recommended to choose to have your dog on an all-vegetarian diet on the nutritional side that does not provide the full range.
