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Afghan Hound

General Appearance

Gives the impression of strength and dignity, combining speed and power. Head held proudly

  Below Average Above Key
Likelihood to wander   Medium    
Protectiveness Low      
Destructiveness   Medium    
Quietness     High  
Good with children Low      
Affinity to other dogs Low      
Size     High  
Lifespan   Medium   Below: < 10 years
Average: > 10 years
Above: > 15 years
Location     High Below: Town only
Average: Town and Country
Above: Country only

Characteristics

Eastern or Oriental expression is typical of breed. The Afghan looks at and through one.

Temperament

Dignified and aloof, with a certain keen fierceness.

Head and Skull

Skull long, not too narrow, with prominent occiput. Foreface long with punishing jaws and slight stop. Skull well balanced and mounted by a long ‘top-knot’. Nose preferably black, liver permissible in light-coloured dogs.

Eyes

Dark for preference, but golden colour not debarred. Nearly triangular, slanting slightly upwards from inner corner to outer corner.

Ears

Set low and well back, carried close to head. Covered with long silky hair.

Mouth

Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Level bite tolerated.

Neck

Long, strong, with proud carriage of head

Forequarters

Shoulders long and sloping, set well back, well muscled and strong without being loaded. Upper arm long and sloping. In profile this brings the elbow vertically below the wither. Forelegs straight and well boned, elbows close to ribcage, turning neither in nor out.

Body

Back level, moderate length, well muscled, back falling slightly away to stern. Loin straight, broad and rather short. Hipbones rather prominent and wide apart.A fair spring of ribs and good depth of chest.

Hindquarters

Powerful, well bent and well turned stifles. Great length between hip and hock, with comparatively short distance between hock and foot. Dewclaws may be removed.

Feet

Forefeet strong and very large both in length and breadth, and covered with long, thick hair; toes arched. Pasterns long and springy, pads well down on ground. Hindfeet long, but not quite as broad as forefeet; covered with long thick hair.

Tail

Not too short. Set on low with ring at end. Raised when in action. Sparsely feathered.

Gait

Smooth and springy with a style of high order.

Coat

Long and very fine texture on the ribs, fore and hindquarters and flanks. In mature dogs, from the shoulder backwards and along the saddle, hair short and close. Hair long from the forehead backwards, with a distinct silky ‘topknot’. On the foreface hair short, ears and legs well coated. Pasterns can be bare. Coat must develop naturally. Any evidence of clipping or scissoring should be penalised

Colour

All colours acceptable.

Size

Ideal height: dogs: 68-74 cms (27-29 ins); bitches: 63-69 cms (25-27 ins).

Excercise Requirements

Considerable

Grooming Needs

Considerable

Notes

Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.




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