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From: [email protected] (Janis Nixon)
Subject: rec.pets.dogs: Afghan Hound Breed-FAQ
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=======
There are many FAQ's available for this group. For a complete
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This article is Copyright 1997 by the Author(s) listed below.
It may be freely distributed on the Internet in its entirety without
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It may NOT reside at another website (use links, please) other
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==========

Afghan Hounds

Author

Janis Nixon, [email protected]
Copyright 1996 by Janis Nixon.
_________________________________________________________________

Table of Contents

* What is an Afghan Hound?
* How old is the breed?
* What was the Afghan bred to do?
* What is the Afghan used for today?
* Are they easy to train?
* What colours do they come in?
* Do they need much exercise?
* Are Afghan puppies easy to housetrain?
* With all that hair, aren't they hard to groom?
* Do Afghans have any genetic defects?
* What is their temperment like?
* Do Afghans have any quirks?
* How long do they live?
* Are they good with children?
* Do they eat a lot?
* Just how intelligent is an Afghan?
* Are Afghans a very popular breed?
* Where can I learn more about Afghans?

_________________________________________________________________

What is an Afghan Hound?

Afghans come from the hound group, or to be more exact are from the
sighthound family, of which all extremely fast, greyhound-like
coursing dogs are a part. The Afghan dog stands from 26 to 28 inches
at the withers, while the bitch stands 24 to 26 inches tall. Males
weigh approximately 60 pounds and females weigh about 50 pounds. The
most arresting feature of the elegant Afghan is his coat, which is
long and silky everywhere on the dog, except on the face and back,
where it is short and glossy. The Afghan excells as a broken field
runner, and the breed's agility, endurance, tenacity and cunning are
legendary. Afghans can double-suspension gallop at speeds of at least
35 to 40 mph and turn on a dime, can take a broad jump of 20 feet and
can leap 7 feet straight up from a standing position.
_________________________________________________________________

How old is the breed?

While the greyhound can take credit for being the oldest sighthound
breed, the Afghan and Saluki are not far behind. In fact it is a
chicken and egg question as to which of the two latter breeds came
first. Unfortunately, any information regarding the Afghan's antiquity
has been lost in the mists of time. Without question, both breeds are
thousands of years old and in the beginning were interbred to produce
the best animal for the climate and terrain to be hunted. The western
world discovered the Afghan during the 19th century when British
soldiers brought the first specimens back with them to England.
Originally there were two types of Afghan: The heavily coated,
close-coupled mountain hound and the lean and elegant desert type,
carrying less coat. Desert and mountain types were interbred,
producing the Afghan we know today.
_________________________________________________________________

What was the Afghan bred to do?

Afghans were bred by the peoples of Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern
India to course game across mountainous terrain. This regal hound is a
premier hunter of leopards; his historical prey, but they will bring
down or hold at bay just about anything that will run from them. They
were owned by royalty and tribesman alike and their main job was to
protect the villages, to put food in the dinner pot, or simply to
provide outdoors entertainment for nobility. As h unters, Afghan
Hounds were held in very high esteem. While the royal hounds were kept
kenneled, village dogs were semi-feral and were well acquainted with
fending for themselves.

Falcons were often flown with the dogs when coursing antelope. Dogs
were run in braces or alone on all prey, depending on the strength of
the individual dog. There are some eyewitness accounts of Afghans
running down leopards solo, seizing the cat by the neck above the
shoulders and biting through the spine for a kill.
_________________________________________________________________

What is the Afghan used for today?

Today's Afghan is usually kept as a pet, as coursing live game with
dogs is no longer in vogue. In some countries is totally outlawed.
Afghans are the darling of the dog show world and with their flowing
locks and aloof attitude they are hard to beat as showmen. Some lucky
Afghans have owners who take them lure-coursing, a sport that
simulates the hunt for sighthounds. When an Afghan actually decides
that he like obedience, he can perform with the best.
_________________________________________________________________

Are they easy to train?

No they are not. The Afghan is a free thinker. This was a necessity in
a dog bred to course big cats. Afghans can outrun just about anything
on rocky and uneven ground, and were often left to themselves in the
"catch." While an Afghan is very intelligent and cunning, he will use
this to his own advantage. The trick is to make your Afghan think that
whatever you wish him to do is really his own idea, and then to praise
him for being so smart. Afghans do not take to harsh training methods
and if treated roughly, will often simply refuse to EVER do that
exercise again. The Afghan can be selectively deaf when asked to do
something that he deems to be beneath him. They can also be
breath-takingly creative when doing obedience, much to the chagrin of
competitive owners.
_________________________________________________________________

What colours do they come in?

Afghans come in all colours but spots, but white or white markings,
especially on the face, are frowned on. The most common colours are
black, black and tan and black-masked red. One of the Afghan's most
engaging points is the rainbow he can come adorned in! Aside from the
usual colours, there are delicate blue-greys, stripey brindles of all
hues, navy blues, silvery creams, and various combinations thereof,
all with or without masking. One of the most unusual colours is
"domino," where the dog's face colour is lighter than the body coat
with a darker reverse mask beginning over the eyes, like a Mickey
Mouse cap effect. In all colours, the eye rims, lips and nose leathers
must be dark in pigment. Mere words pale beside the kaleidoscope of
colours that Afghans can wear.
_________________________________________________________________

Do they need much exercise?

While an Afghan is very much at home on the couch watching TV, he
needs a great deal of exercise or he will become bored. A bored Afghan
can do an unimaginable amount of very unusual damage to a house and
its contents. This cat-like hound will open drawers and remove all of
your underwear for a good chew, climb on the dining room table to go
after a squirrel outside the window or steal tonight's supper off the
top of the fridge. With their powerful jaws they can gnaw through a
chair arm in very little time. A good-sized fenced yard is a
necessity, as the Afghan can trot at speeds of up to 12 mph for hours
on end and not even breathe hard.
_________________________________________________________________

Are Afghan puppies easy to housetrain?

No, they are not. Although it depends very much on the individual pup,
as a rule the lordly Afghan doesn't like being told what to do. Up
until six months of age Afghans can not be expected to be perfectly
clean, as they are not mature enough to hold on for extended periods
of time. When training any Afghan, patience and gentleness are
required. A good sense of humour helps too.
_________________________________________________________________

With all that hair, aren't they hard to groom?

Yes, grooming is a chore that must be attended to weekly without fail.
Afghans require weekly baths and brush-outs to prevent that
spectacular coat from becoming a sorry, tattered mess. The coat
pattern developes naturally. Pups are often far from what a new owner
expects, as they do not resemble long-coated adults. Afghan pups are
born smooth-coated. The thick, soft puppy coat grows in slowly.

At about one year of age, the steadily lengthening adult coat begins
to show itself and the puppy coat begins falling out, sometimes taking
until the dog is three years old before completely gone. This is the
time when coat care becomes a nightmare, as the puppy coat t angles
and mats in the burgeoning adult coat. Some pet Afghans find
themselves clipped down at this stage, as the owner simply gives up.

Adult Afghans are more susceptible to shedding in the spring and fall,
after illness and unspayed bitches will lose coat after every season.
Conscientious breeders will always explain the intricities of good
coat care and all give new owners grooming lessons. Ill-kept Afghans
are prone to parasites, abcesses and skin diseases, so meticulous coat
care is extremely important.
_________________________________________________________________

Do Afghans have any genetic defects?

Unfortunately they do, but are less prone to these than some other
breeds. Hip dysplasia, juvenile cataracts, hypothyroidism and enzyme
deficiencies can be found in the breed. In general, the breed is a
healthy one.
_________________________________________________________________

What is their temperment like?

Afghans can run the gamut from overly brave to downright shy, and this
can occur even amongst individuals born in the same litter.
Socialization is very important to this breed, as they can become
quite feral if left to themselves. In general, Afghans can be very
stand-offish and are sometimes wary of strangers. Their high-handed
and lordly attitude makes them good deterrent dogs. They will choose
their own friends, very much like cats will. Around his best buddies,
the Afghan shows his comical, stubborn and almost frighteningly
intelligent side.

With their high prey-drive, Afghans will pursue and dispatch anything
that runs from them and should never be allowed to run at large. If
brought up with a feline friend, the Afghan can be quite reliable with
the household cat, but will still chase anyone else's.
_________________________________________________________________

Do Afghans have any quirks?

In general, Afghans are a quirky and unusual breed, but there is one
part of the Afghan's nature that is often overlooked. Afghan Hounds
are thieves at heart and will filch anything that takes their fancy.
They can be quite innovative at getting into areas their owners want
to keep them out of, and their ability to whisk food or articles away
from right under the owner's nose is almost magical. The intelligent
owner must child-proof his home thoroughly and keep one step ahead of
this furry Houdini.

When an Afghan finds himself in a stressful situation, quite often he
will simply go to sleep until the whole business is over. Another sure
sign of an excited or worried dog is a drippy nose.

It is almost impossible to keep an Afghan off the upholstered
furniture. They seem to think that this is their rightful place. They
have been known to push their owners out of bed. To the true Afghan
fancier there is no substitute for this gentle, entertaining,
frustrating and most kingly of dogs.
_________________________________________________________________

How long do they live?

For a large breed, the Afghan lives a long time. 12 to 14 years is not
unusual, and healthy 18 year old animals have been known. Afghans
suffer from many of the same geriatric complaints that other breeds
get, such as failing eyesight and hearing, and arthritis. Cancer and
heart disease take their toll on the breed as well.
_________________________________________________________________

Are they good with children?

When children are a part of the picture, it is wise to teach both
Afghan and child mutual respect and how to behave around each other.
Afghans are a touch-sensitive breed and possess instinctive lightning
fast reflexes. They are also calm and patient, and possess a great
deal of common sense. When an Afghan becomes tired of attention, he
will simply make himself scarce, retiring to a place away from the
crowd for a nap.
_________________________________________________________________

Do they eat a lot?

As Afghans are more of a tall, streamlined type of dog, they eat far
less than their size would imply. Afghans need a high quality dry dog
food, with plenty of vegetable oil to keep looking and feeling their
best. It is also necessary to protect those long ear fringes with
snoods. These stocking-tube type hats hold the ears back from the dish
and the fastidious Afghan doesn't soil his hair.
_________________________________________________________________

Just how intelligent is an Afghan?

A current and popular book caused great consternation for Afghan
owners around the world when it rated the Afghan dead last in its
"working intelligence" list. Working intelligence has nothing whatever
to do with the actual "smartness" of any breed. Those breeds developed
to work closely with man will, of course, be more amenable to training
than the clever Afghan, whose job was to tackle dangerous prey on his
own, relying on his own wits to see him through to live and hunt
another day.
_________________________________________________________________

Are Afghans a very popular breed?

The Afghan experienced a hey day back in the late sixties and early
seventies. From that time until this, the breed has fortunately
dropped in the popularity poll and now sits around the sixtieth spot,
both in Canada and the United States. For a breed with the need for a
very special type of owner, that's not bad.
_________________________________________________________________

Where can I learn more about Afghans?

There are many excellent books available on the breed. Most libraries
stock one title or another but for true-life, hands-on experience, it
is suggested that potential owners attend local dog shows and talk to
fanciers. The Afghan Hound Club of Canada, a national club whose
secretary, Debbie Hodgins, may be contacted at PO Box 60, Hanley,
Sask., S0G 2E0, Canada exists not only to serve oldtime fanciers but
to help out those new to the breed. Our American counterpart, the
Afghan Hound Club of America may be reached through Ms. Norma Cozzoni
at 43W612 Tall Oaks Trail, Elburn, IL 60119, USA.
_________________________________________________________________

Afghan Hound FAQ
Janis Nixon, [email protected]

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