Afghan Hounds

AFGHAN HOUND WITH IT'S PUP.

The Afghan Hound is one of the oldest sighthound dog breeds. 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, where it was originally used to hunthares and gazelles by coursing them. Its local name is Sag-e Tāzī (Persian: سگ تازی) or Tāžī Spai (Pashto: تاژي سپی). Other alternate names for this breed are Kuchi Hound, Tāzī, Balkh Hound, Baluchi Hound, Barutzy Hound, Shalgar Hound, Kabul Hound,Galanday Hound, or sometimes incorrectly African Hound.The Afghan Hound is tall, standing in height 24-29 inches and weighing 45-60 pounds. The coat may be any colour, but white markings, particularly on the head, are discouraged; many individuals have a black facial mask. Some specimens have facial hair that looks like a Fu Manchu moustache that are called "mandarins." Some Afghan Hounds are almost white, but particolour hounds (white with islands of red or black) are not acceptable and may indicate impure breeding. The long, fine-textured coat requires considerable care and grooming. The long topknot and the shorter-haired saddle on the back in the miniature dog are distinctive features of the Afghan Hound coat. The high hipbones and unique small ring on the end of the tail are also characteristics of the breed.A tall hunting dog of a breed with long silky hair.

DRAWING OF AN AFGHAN
HOUND.SEE HOW BEAU-TI
-FUL

The temperament of the typical Afghan Hound can be aloof and dignified, but happy and clownish when playing. This breed, as is the case with many sighthounds, has a high prey drive and may not get along with small animals. The Afghan Hounds' reasoning skills have made it a successful competitor in dog agility trials as well as an intuitive therapy dog and companion. Genomic studies have pointed to the Afghan Hound as one of the oldest of dog breeds.

The breed has a reputation among some dog trainers of having a relatively slow "obedience intelligence" as defined by author Stanley Coren.

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.

Other names	Sage Baluchi, Tazhi Spai, De Kochyano Spai, Tazi, Ogar Afgan, Eastern Greyhound/Persian Greyhound
Country of origin	Afghanistan
]Traits Weight Male 20–27 kg (45–60 lb) Height Male 61–73 cm (24–29 in) Coat Long and fine Color Fawn,Gold,Brindle,White,Red,Cream,Blue,Gray,and Tricolor Litter size 6–8 puppies Life span 11–13 years

Afghan Hounds in UK surveys had a median lifespan of about 12 years and 18 years if the dog is taken care of,^[3] which is similar to other breeds of their size. In a 2004 UK Kennel Club survey, the most common causes of death were cancer (31%), old age (20%), cardiac (10.5%), and urologic (5%).