Afghan Hound
A sighthound from the Afghan mountains, where the long coat is insulation rather than decoration. Aloof by nature: it hears you and then decides whether to come.
Photo by SheltieBoy, CC BY 2.0
Overview
The Afghan Hound is a sighthound from the mountains of Afghanistan, built to course game over broken ground at altitude, and the coat is functional rather than decorative. It is long and silky to keep the dog warm in cold high country, with short hair over the saddle where a working dog needs the wind off it.
The hip joints are unusually flexible for a dog, which is what lets it turn at speed on rock, and it is the reason the movement looks the way it does.
Temperament
Dignified, aloof and famously independent. An Afghan Hound is affectionate with its own people on its own schedule, and it is not a dog that lives to please.
Recall is the honest problem. This is a sighthound bred to hunt out of sight of its handler and to make its own decisions, and a moving animal at a distance will beat any training. Off lead exercise belongs in a securely fenced space rather than an open park.
Care and grooming
The most demanding coat in this batch. A full Afghan coat needs a proper brush out several times a week and a bath every week or two, because the silky texture mats fast and a matted coat has to be cut out.
Many pet owners keep the coat clipped short, which is a legitimate choice and removes most of the work. Puppies go through a coat change around a year old that produces mats faster than anything before or after it.
Living and exercise
Real running room, and a fence they cannot clear. They need a proper gallop several times a week rather than a long walk on a lead.
They are sensitive to anaesthesia, as sighthounds generally are, because low body fat changes how the drugs behave. Any vet who has not treated the breed should be told.
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