Post by charmingnancy on Jan 12, 2009 14:27:28 GMT -5
Afghan Hound
Group: 2- Hounds
Origin: Afghanistan
Purpose: Originally used to hunt hares and gazelles
Description:
Distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat and its tail with a ring curl at the end, the breed acquired its unique features in the cold mountains of Afghanistan. One of the Afghan's most beautiful features is his elegant, long and silky coat.
Appearance-Breed Standards and Show Scoring:
The Afghan Hound is an aristocrat, his whole appearance one of dignity and aloofness with no trace of plainness or coarseness.
Coat and Colour: 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 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 – this also an outstanding characteristic of the Afghan Hound. Showing of short hair on cuffs on either front or back legs is permissible. All colours are permissible, but colour or colour combinations are pleasing; white markings, especially on the head are undesirable.
Head:
The head is of good length, showing much refinement. The skull is evenly balanced with the foreface. The occipital bone is very prominent. The head is surmounted by a topknot of long silky hair. There is a slight prominence of the nasal bone structure causing a slightly Roman appearance, the centre 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 under jaw showing great strength, the jaws long and punishing. The nose is of good size, black in colour. The mouth is 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 eyes are almond shaped (almost triangular), never full or bulgy, and are dark in colour. 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.
Neck: The neck is of good length, strong and arched, running in a curve to the shoulders.
Forequarters: Shoulders long and sloping and well laid back. 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. Forelegs are straight and strong with great length between elbow and pastern; elbows well held in; pasterns long and straight; forefeet large in both length and width; toes well arched;
feet covered with long thick hair, fine in texture; pads of feet unusually large and well down on the ground.
Body: The backline appearing practically level from the shoulders to the loins. The height at the shoulders equals the distance from the chest to the buttocks. The brisket well let down, and of medium width. Strong and powerful loin and slightly arched, falling away towards the stern, with the hip bones very pronounced; well ribbed and tucked up in flanks.
Hindquarters: 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. The hind feet are broad and of good length; the toes arched, and covered with long thick hair. All four feet of the Afghan Hound are in line with the body, turning neither in nor out.
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.
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 footprints 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.
Faults:
Sharpness or shyness. Lack of short-haired saddle in mature dogs.
Coarseness; snipiness; overshot or undershot; eyes round or bulgy or light in colour; exaggerated Roman nose; head not surmounted with topknot. Neck too short or too thick; an ewe neck; a goose neck; a neck lacking in substance. 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. Roach back, sway back, goose rump, slack loin; lack of prominence of hip bones; too much width of brisket causing interference with elbows. Too straight in stifle; too long in hock.
Size:
Height: Dogs, 27 inches (69 cm), plus or minus 1 inch (3 cm);
Bitches, 25 inches (64 cm), plus or minus 1 inch (3 cm).
Weight: Dogs, about 60 lb. (27 kg); Bitches, 50 lb. (23 kg).
Temperament:
The temperament of the typical Afghan Hound can be aloof and dignified, but happy and clownish when playing. The Afghan Hound has many cat-like tendencies and is not slavish in its obedience as are some other breeds. The Afghan hound has a leaning towards independence. Owners should not be surprised if their Afghan hounds sometimes choose to ignore commands. Although seldom used today for hunting in Europe and America where they are popular, Afghan hounds are frequent participants in lure coursing events and are also popular in the sport of conformation showing.
Health:
Major health issues are allergies and cancer. Sensitivity to anesthesia is an issue the Afghan hound shares with the rest of the sighthound group, as sighthounds have relatively low levels of body fat. Afghan hounds are also among the dog breeds most likely to develop chylothorax, a rare condition which causes the thoracic ducts to leak, allowing large quantities of chyle fluid to enter the dog's chest cavity. This condition commonly results in a lung torsion (in which the dog's lung twists within the chest cavity, requiring emergency surgery), due to the breed's typically deep, "barrel"-shaped chest. If not corrected through surgery, chylothorax can ultimately causing fibrosing pleuritis, or a hardening of the organs, due to scar tissue forming around the organs to protect them from the chyle fluid. Chylothorax is not necessarily, but often, fatal. They are also prone to Cataracts, Demodicosis, hip dysplasia, bloat, and hypothyroidism.
Average Lifespan:
Afghan Hounds in UK surveys had a median lifespan of about 12 years, which is similar to other breeds of their size.
History:
The Afghan is an ancient breed, with writtings and sculptures of this magnificient animal dating back to 3500 B.C. There are two varieties of Afghan, one of the desert and one of the mountains.
Afghanistan, the country of origin, has very hot summers and very cold winters. The Afghan Hound will adapt to any climate change.
An English officer stationed near Kabul was the first documented Western breeder of the dogs. Afghans from this officer's Ghazni Kennel went to England in 1925, and the breed made its way to the U.S. a few years later.
The AKC recognized the Afghan Hound in 1926, and accepted the Afghan Hound Club of America as an AKC member club in 1940.
Sources:
Wikipedia
Canada's Guide to Dogs
CKC
Bark Bytes
Pictures:
Photobucket
Group: 2- Hounds
Origin: Afghanistan
Purpose: Originally used to hunt hares and gazelles
Description:
Distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat and its tail with a ring curl at the end, the breed acquired its unique features in the cold mountains of Afghanistan. One of the Afghan's most beautiful features is his elegant, long and silky coat.
Appearance-Breed Standards and Show Scoring:
The Afghan Hound is an aristocrat, his whole appearance one of dignity and aloofness with no trace of plainness or coarseness.
Coat and Colour: 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 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 – this also an outstanding characteristic of the Afghan Hound. Showing of short hair on cuffs on either front or back legs is permissible. All colours are permissible, but colour or colour combinations are pleasing; white markings, especially on the head are undesirable.
Head:
The head is of good length, showing much refinement. The skull is evenly balanced with the foreface. The occipital bone is very prominent. The head is surmounted by a topknot of long silky hair. There is a slight prominence of the nasal bone structure causing a slightly Roman appearance, the centre 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 under jaw showing great strength, the jaws long and punishing. The nose is of good size, black in colour. The mouth is 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 eyes are almond shaped (almost triangular), never full or bulgy, and are dark in colour. 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.
Neck: The neck is of good length, strong and arched, running in a curve to the shoulders.
Forequarters: Shoulders long and sloping and well laid back. 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. Forelegs are straight and strong with great length between elbow and pastern; elbows well held in; pasterns long and straight; forefeet large in both length and width; toes well arched;
feet covered with long thick hair, fine in texture; pads of feet unusually large and well down on the ground.
Body: The backline appearing practically level from the shoulders to the loins. The height at the shoulders equals the distance from the chest to the buttocks. The brisket well let down, and of medium width. Strong and powerful loin and slightly arched, falling away towards the stern, with the hip bones very pronounced; well ribbed and tucked up in flanks.
Hindquarters: 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. The hind feet are broad and of good length; the toes arched, and covered with long thick hair. All four feet of the Afghan Hound are in line with the body, turning neither in nor out.
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.
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 footprints 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.
Faults:
Sharpness or shyness. Lack of short-haired saddle in mature dogs.
Coarseness; snipiness; overshot or undershot; eyes round or bulgy or light in colour; exaggerated Roman nose; head not surmounted with topknot. Neck too short or too thick; an ewe neck; a goose neck; a neck lacking in substance. 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. Roach back, sway back, goose rump, slack loin; lack of prominence of hip bones; too much width of brisket causing interference with elbows. Too straight in stifle; too long in hock.
Size:
Height: Dogs, 27 inches (69 cm), plus or minus 1 inch (3 cm);
Bitches, 25 inches (64 cm), plus or minus 1 inch (3 cm).
Weight: Dogs, about 60 lb. (27 kg); Bitches, 50 lb. (23 kg).
Temperament:
The temperament of the typical Afghan Hound can be aloof and dignified, but happy and clownish when playing. The Afghan Hound has many cat-like tendencies and is not slavish in its obedience as are some other breeds. The Afghan hound has a leaning towards independence. Owners should not be surprised if their Afghan hounds sometimes choose to ignore commands. Although seldom used today for hunting in Europe and America where they are popular, Afghan hounds are frequent participants in lure coursing events and are also popular in the sport of conformation showing.
Health:
Major health issues are allergies and cancer. Sensitivity to anesthesia is an issue the Afghan hound shares with the rest of the sighthound group, as sighthounds have relatively low levels of body fat. Afghan hounds are also among the dog breeds most likely to develop chylothorax, a rare condition which causes the thoracic ducts to leak, allowing large quantities of chyle fluid to enter the dog's chest cavity. This condition commonly results in a lung torsion (in which the dog's lung twists within the chest cavity, requiring emergency surgery), due to the breed's typically deep, "barrel"-shaped chest. If not corrected through surgery, chylothorax can ultimately causing fibrosing pleuritis, or a hardening of the organs, due to scar tissue forming around the organs to protect them from the chyle fluid. Chylothorax is not necessarily, but often, fatal. They are also prone to Cataracts, Demodicosis, hip dysplasia, bloat, and hypothyroidism.
Average Lifespan:
Afghan Hounds in UK surveys had a median lifespan of about 12 years, which is similar to other breeds of their size.
History:
The Afghan is an ancient breed, with writtings and sculptures of this magnificient animal dating back to 3500 B.C. There are two varieties of Afghan, one of the desert and one of the mountains.
Afghanistan, the country of origin, has very hot summers and very cold winters. The Afghan Hound will adapt to any climate change.
An English officer stationed near Kabul was the first documented Western breeder of the dogs. Afghans from this officer's Ghazni Kennel went to England in 1925, and the breed made its way to the U.S. a few years later.
The AKC recognized the Afghan Hound in 1926, and accepted the Afghan Hound Club of America as an AKC member club in 1940.
Sources:
Wikipedia
Canada's Guide to Dogs
CKC
Bark Bytes
Pictures:
Photobucket