The
history of this member of the greyhound family is strongly
tied to that of the Persian Greyhound, whose roots trace
back several thousands of years. It is written that a
pair of these “baboon or monkey-faced hounds” were among
the animals in Noah’s Ark."
Brought
from their homelands of Arabia and Persia to Afghanistan,
the breed’s long, silky coat is thought to have evolved
in response to the harsher environment. Other distinguishing
features are the Afghan’s naturally short-coated saddle
and its prominent hip bones, which are said to give the
dog a “free wheeling” action that is thought to have developed
from centuries of hunting over rocky terrain. The breed
became the hunting dog of the Afghani nobility and was
used in the sport of falconry to course the wolf, gazelle,
and fox. In later years the breed was also used to herd.
The
Afghan was discovered in the latter part of the 19th century
by British soldiers stationed on the border between Afghanistan
and India. Attracted by these beautiful hounds, an army
officer brought the first specimens to England in 1894.
There they were first exhibited at the Crystal Palace,
London in 1907 in the “Foreign Dog Class” under the breed
name “Oriental Greyhound.” Model for the original Afghan
breed standard was Zardin, the winner at this show and
the first champion of record in the breed.
The founding of Afghan breeding kennels in Britain really
began in the early 1920s when two English breeders imported
a total of seventeen hounds. Each embarked on a separate
breeding program, and in time two strains were developed,
markedly different in coat type and colour. Inevitably
the two were inter-bred and the modern Afghan is said
to embody the best qualities of each.
In 1926 a breed club was formed in England and the Afghan
was officially accepted for registration by The Kennel
Club. By that year a few English-bred Afghans had arrived
in the United States and in 1931 the breed was accepted
for registration by the American Kennel Club. Six years
later the Afghan was granted breed status in Canada. Since
then the growth in popularity of the breed on both sides
of the border has been phenomenal.
Official Breed Standard
for Afghan Hound
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General Appearance:
The Afghan Hound is an aristocrat, his whole appearance
one of dignity and aloofness with no trace of plainness
of 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 hip bones, 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.
Temperament:
Aloof and dignified, yet gay.
Size:
Height—dogs, 17 in. (69 cm), plus of minus 1 inch
(3 cm); bitches, 25 in. (64 cm), plus or minus 1 inch
(3 cm). Weight—dogs, about 60 lb. (27 kg); bitches, 50
lb. (23 kg).
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 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
underjaw showing great strength, the jaws long and punishing.
Nose is of good size, black in colour. The mouth is level,
meaning that 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 of 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 loin. 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; snippiness; 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.
