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Did you know?
· 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.
· The Afghan Hound first appeared in the United States in 1926.
· In 1940, the Afghan Hound Club of America was admitted to AKC membership and held its first
specialty show.
So you want to own 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 behaviors.
They may appear aloof and particularly standoffish with strangers.
Breed
Standard
General Appearance
The Afghan Hound is an aristocrat, his whole appearance one of
dignity and aloofness with no trace of plainness or coarseness. He
has a straight front, proudly carried head, eyes gazing into the
distance as if in memory of ages past. The striking characteristics
of the breed-exotic, or "Eastern," expression, long silky
topknot, peculiar coat pattern, very prominent hipbones, large
feet, and the impression of a somewhat exaggerated bend in the
stifle due to profuse trouserings-stand
out clearly, giving the Afghan Hound the appearance of what he is,
a king of dogs, that has held true to tradition throughout the
ages.
Head
The head is of good length, showing much refinement, the skull
evenly balanced with the foreface. There is a slight prominence of
the nasal bone structure causing a slightly Roman appearance, the
center line running up over the foreface with little or no stop, falling
away in front of the eyes so there is an absolutely clear outlook
with no interference; the underjaw
showing great strength, the jaws long and punishing; the mouth
level, meaning that the teeth from the upper jaw and lower jaw
match evenly, neither overshot nor undershot. This is a difficult
mouth to breed. A scissors bite is even more punishing and can be
more easily bred into a dog than a level mouth, and a dog having a
scissors bite, where the lower teeth slip inside and rest against
the teeth of the upper jaw, should not be penalized. The occipital
bone is very prominent. The head is surmounted by a topknot of long
silky hair. Ears--The ears are long, set
approximately on level with outer corners of the eyes, the leather
of the ear reaching nearly to the end of the dog's nose, and
covered with long silky hair. Eyes--The eyes are
almond-shaped (almost triangular), never full or bulgy, and are
dark in color. Nose--Nose is of good size, black in
color. Faults--Coarseness; snipiness;
overshot or undershot; eyes round or bulgy or light in color;
exaggerated Roman nose; head not surmounted with topknot.
Neck
The neck is of good length, strong and arched, running in a curve
to the shoulders which are long and sloping and well laid back. Faults--Neck
too short or too thick; a ewe neck; a goose neck; a neck lacking in
substance.
Body
The back line appearing practically level from the shoulders to the
loin. Strong and powerful loin and slightly arched, falling away
toward the stern, with the hipbones very pronounced; well ribbed
and tucked up in flanks. The height at the shoulders equals the
distance from the chest to the buttocks; the brisket well let down,
and of medium width. Faults--Roach back, swayback, goose
rump, slack loin; lack of prominence of hipbones; too much width of
brisket, causing interference with elbows.
Tail
Tail set not too high on the body, having a ring,
or a curve on the end; should never be curled over, or rest on the
back, or be carried sideways; and should never be bushy.
Legs
Forelegs are straight and strong with great length between elbow
and pastern; elbows well held in; forefeet large in both length and
width; toes well arched; feet covered with long thick hair; fine in
texture; pasterns long and straight; pads of feet unusually large
and well down on the ground. Shoulders have plenty of angulation so that the
legs are well set underneath the dog. Too much straightness of
shoulder causes the dog to break down in the pasterns, and this is
a serious fault. All four feet of the Afghan Hound are in line with
the body, turning neither in nor out. The hind feet are broad and
of good length; the toes arched, and covered with long thick hair;
hindquarters powerful and well muscled, with great length between
hip and hock; hocks are well let down; good angulation
of both stifle and hock; slightly bowed from hock to crotch. Faults--Front
or back feet thrown outward or inward; pads of feet not thick
enough; or feet too small; or any other evidence of weakness in
feet; weak or broken down pasterns; too straight in stifle; too
long in hock.
Coat
Hindquarters, flanks, ribs, forequarters, and legs well covered
with thick, silky hair, very fine in texture; ears and all four
feet well feathered; from in front of the shoulders; and also backwards
from the shoulders along the saddle from the flanks and the ribs
upwards, the hair is short and close, forming a smooth back in
mature dogs - this is a traditional characteristic of the Afghan
Hound. The Afghan Hound should be shown in its natural state; the
coat is not clipped or trimmed; the head is surmounted (in the full
sense of the word) with a topknot of long, silky hair - that is
also an outstanding characteristic of the Afghan Hound. Showing of
short hair on cuffs on either front or back legs is permissible. Fault--Lack
of shorthaired saddle in mature dogs.
Height
Dogs, 27 inches, plus or minus one inch; bitches, 25 inches, plus
or minus one inch.
Weight
Dogs, about 60 pounds; bitches, about 50 pounds.
Color
All colors are permissible, but color or color combinations are
pleasing; white markings, especially on the head, are undesirable.
Gait
When running free, the Afghan Hound moves at a gallop, showing
great elasticity and spring in his smooth, powerful stride. When on
a loose lead, the Afghan can trot at a fast pace; stepping along,
he has the appearance of placing the hind feet directly in the foot
prints of the front feet, both thrown straight ahead. Moving with
head and tail high, the whole appearance of the Afghan Hound is one
of great style and beauty.
Temperament
Aloof and dignified, yet gay. Faults--Sharpness or shyness.
Approved September 14, 1948
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