Afghan Hound
The Afghan Hound is one of the first sighthound dog breeds. It is considered to be aristocratic in nature. This has been indicated by genomic studies. Sighthounds (also known as gazehounds) and dogs which are hounds which hunt mainly with sight and speed, as opposed to smell and stamina, as scent hounds do. It has thick fine, silky hair and a tail with a curl ring at the end. As can be surmised from its name, this dog originated in the mountains of Afghanistan. It was bred to hunt gazelles and hares, using the coursing method (catching of prey by running them down with speed). Other names for the Afghan Hound are the Kuchi Hound, Balkh Hound, Balucchi Hound, Shalgar Hound, Carutzy Hound, Kabul Hound, Galanday Hound. The pure bred version of the Afghan dog was brought to the UK in the 1920's. An Afghan Hound named Snuppy was the first genuine dog clone in history.
Appearance
The Afghan Hound is 61 to 74 cm tall and generally weighs about 20 to 27 kilos. The coat can be any colour. Some hounds even have facial hair reminiscent of a fu manchu moustache, this leads them to be nicknamed mandarins. Some Afghans are almost white. The long hair at the top and the shorter hair on the saddle is distinctive to this breed.
Grooming and care
Due to the long, fine hair that the Afghan dog has, they require a significant amount of grooming. The Afghan hounds should be take on a long daily walk or a nice job. If the dog does not get daily walks then most probably behaviour issues will start to surface
Temperament
To generalize the temperament of the Afghan hound you could say that they are dignified and aloof, however when in a playful mood they can be clownish and upbeat. Due to the nature of this hound being one which is a sighthound, it may not get along with small animals. This found has good reasoning skill so does well in dog agility trials. It has been suggested that these dogs tend to be less obedient than other dogs. The Afghan hound is described by some as the king of dogs. It could be that these types of dogs do best when in the company of older and more cerebral children. This dog needs clear consistent guidelines. The Afghan will tend to act up if it does not get enough physical and mental exercise.
Health
When a survey was done of Afghan hounds in the UK it was found that they had a median lifespan of 12 years if not taken care of and 18 years if taken care of. This about the same for breeds of this size. The most common causes of death according to the 2004 UK Kennel club survey were cancer (31%), old age (20%), cardiac (10.5%) and urologic (5%). The major health issues for this breed are cancer and allergies. As with most other sight hounds, this dog can suffer from a sensitivity to anesthesia. The hound is also one of the dogs breeds most likely to develop Chylothorax ( thankfully this condition is rare, however it causes the thoracic ducts to leak, this lets large amounts of chyle fluid into the chest cavity. If not corrected through surgery it can often be fatal.