The Afghan Hound is a very old sighthound dog breed. 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 hunt wolves, foxes, and gazelles. Its local name is Tāzī (Persian: تازی). Other alternate names for this breed are Balkh Hound, Baluchi Hound, Barutzy Hound and Kabul Hound. Download high resolution version (900x760, 83 KB)Photograph by Jurriaan Schulman copyright Jurriaan Schulman. ... Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) (English, World Canine Organization), is an international Kennel Club based in Thuin, Belgium. ... © The American Kennel Club (or AKC) is the largest registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. ... The Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) is the peak body in Australia responsible for promoting excellence in breeding, showing, trialling, obedience, and other canine-related activities and the ownership of temperamentally and physically sound purebred dogs by responsible individuals across Australia. ... The Canadian Kennel Club (or C.K.C.) is the primary registry body for purebred dog pedigrees in Canada. ... The Kennel Club in the United Kingdom is a club aiming to improve the relationships between dogs and their owners. ... The New Zealand Kennel Club is an organisation responsible for dog pedigree registration services in New Zealand. ... The United Kennel Club (or UKC) is the second oldest all-breed registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States and the second largest in the world. ... The Whippet shows the characteristic long legs, deep chest, and narrow waist of a sighthound. ... Trinomial name Canis lupus familiaris The dog (Canis lupus familiaris) is a domestic subspecies of the wolf, a mammal of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Wolf Wolf Man Mount Wolf Wolf Prizes Wolf Spider Wolf 424 Wolf 359 Wolf Point Wolf-herring Frank Wolf Friedrich Wolf Friedrich August Wolf Hugo Wolf Johannes Wolf Julius Wolf Max Franz Joseph Cornelius Wolf Maximilian Wolf Rudolf Wolf Thomas Wolf As Name Wolf Breidenbach Wolf Hirshorn Other The call... This article is about the animal. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... “Farsi” redirects here. ...

Quick Facts

“Kg” redirects here. ... The pound or pound-mass (abbreviations: lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States, #) is a unit of mass (sometimes called weight in everyday parlance) in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... A guard dog, watch dog, or sentry dog is a dog employed to guard against, or watch for, unwanted or unexpected animals or people. ...

Appearance

This Afghan is black and brindle; however, the photo shows it with a reddish tinge to the coat, which can occur in a black-coated dog.

The Afghan Hound is tall, standing 24 to 29 inches (63-74 cm) in height and weighing 45 to 60 pounds (20-30 kg). The coat may be any colour, but white markings, particularly on the head, are discouraged; many individuals have a black facial mask. Some 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 mature 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. Download high resolution version (900x760, 83 KB)Photograph by Jurriaan Schulman copyright Jurriaan Schulman. ... Download high resolution version (900x760, 83 KB)Photograph by Jurriaan Schulman copyright Jurriaan Schulman. ...

Temperament

The temperament of the typical Afghan Hound can be aloof and dignified, but happy and clownish when playing. The breed has a reputation among dog trainers of having a relatively low "obedience intelligence" as defined by author Stanley Coren.^[1] 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 as show dogs. Younes Stanley Coren is a psychology professor and researcher who has become best known for a series of books regarding the intelligence of dogs. ... Obedience Training usually refers to the training of a dog and the term is most commonly used in that context. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Lure coursing is a sport for dogs that involves chasing a mechanically operated lure. ... An American Cocker Spaniel show dog with its ears wrapped in preparation for showing A show dog is a purebred dog that is displayed at conformation dog shows to determine how well it conforms to established breed standards. ...

Health

Mortality

Afghan Hounds in UK surveys had a median lifespan of about 12 years,^[2] which is similar to other breeds of their size.^[3]

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%).^[4]

Morbidity

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. An allergy is an abnormal, acquired sensitivity to a given substance, including pollen, drugs, or numerous environmental triggers. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ... Anesthesia or anaesthesia (see spelling differences) has traditionally meant the condition of having the perception of pain and other sensations blocked. ... The Whippet shows the characteristic long legs, deep chest, and narrow waist of a sighthound. ...

History

An Afghan in the show ring, demonstrating the unique and impressive appearance of its high-maintenance coat.

The breed was always thought to date back at least to the pre-Christian era, and recent discoveries by researchers studying ancient DNA have revealed that the Afghan Hound is in fact one of the most ancient dog breeds, dating back for many thousands of years.^{[citation needed]} Its original native name, Tazi, betrays its connection to the very similar Tasy breed of Russia. The proximity of southern Russia and Afghanistan argue for a common origin for both breeds. Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Fourteen ancient breeds of dog have recently been identified through advances in DNA analysis. ...

Initially, Afghan people refused to sell their national dog to outsiders; the breed was not seen in Europe and America until after the turn of the 20th century. The AKC and CKC did not recognize the Afghan Hound until the 1930s. For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... (19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s As a means of recording the passage of time, the 20th century was that century which lasted from 1901–2000 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar (1900–1999... © The American Kennel Club (or AKC) is the largest registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. ... C.K.C. is a three letter acronym that may stand for: Kennel Clubs Canadian Kennel Club Continental Kennel Club Misc Canoe Kayak Canada This page concerning a three-letter acronym or abbreviation is a disambiguation page—a list of articles associated with the same title. ...

In 1983, Chris Terrell was the last breeder-owner-handler to win Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, with his Afghan Hound Ch. Kabik's The Challenger, also the last time a dog from the Hound group has been awarded Best in Show.^[5] An Afghan Hound has taken the top honor at just one other WKC Dog Show, in 1957. The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a two-day benched conformation show that takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City every year. ...

On August 3, 2005, Korean scientist Hwang Woo-Suk announced that his team of researchers had become the first team to successfully clone a dog. The dog, an Afghan Hound, was named Snuppy. Later that year, a pattern of lies and fraud by Hwang Woo-Suk came to light, throwing in doubt all his claims. Snuppy, nonetheless, was a genuine clone, and thus the first cloned dog in history. is the 215th day of the year (216th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Hwang Woo-suk (황우석) (born 29 January 1953) is a South Korean biomedical scientist. ... For other uses, see clone. ... Dr. Hwang Woo-Suk holding Snuppy. Snuppy (born April 24, 2005) is the first cloned dog. ... Hwang Woo-suk (황우석) (born 29 January 1953) is a South Korean biomedical scientist. ...

Famous Afghans

• Rita from Oliver & Company
• Sylvie from Balto
• Snuppy (see above)
• What-a-Mess
• Brainy Barker from Krypto the Superdog

Oliver & Company is a 1988 animated feature film that was produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long. ... Dr. Hwang Woo-Suk holding Snuppy. Snuppy (born April 24, 2005) is the first cloned dog. ... What-a-Mess is a series of childrens books written by British comedy writer Frank Muir and illustrated by Joseph Wright. ... Krypto the Superdog Krypto the Superdog is an animated television series produced by DC Comics & Warner Bros. ...

References

External links

• Afghan Hound at the Open Directory Project - An active listing of Afghan Hound links.
• Afghan Hound colours