The Afghan hound which has been known as the Persian Greyhound for many years, is a curious mixture of elegance, strength and untidiness of appearance. The last mentioned feature is due to the fact that although practically a smooth coated variety, the Afghan Hound usually carries a good deal of hair of a silken texture upon his ears, tail and legs, whilst the longer growth occasionally appears upon the belly as well. This give him a very unkempt appearance and suggests the idea that the long coat upon his head, neck and body has come off - but this is not the case; and it may be added that occasionally perfectly smooth coated specimens are met with, but these are not valued as much as the others. The general shape of the breed resembles that of a large but delicately formed greyhound, to which family it undoubtedly belongs, but the long coat above referred to makes the parts on which it grows appear somewhat clumsy. Usual colors are fawn, black , and white; the height varying from 24 to 29 inches and the weight from 60 to 70 lbs.

The Afghan Hound's history travels back thousands of years as a member of the greyhound family. More specifically, the sight-hound group which is a very fast coursing dog group. After arriving in Afghanistan from Arabia and Persia, this distinctive dog's coat is thought to have developed in response to the harsh climate. The breed became the Afghani nobility's hunting dog of choice because of its ability to cover rocky terrain with agility, speed and ease. The first Afghans were brought to England in 1894 by soldiers returning from the Afghan and India border. Breeding of the Afghan began in earnest in the early 1920's when two Englishmen imported seventeen more of these dogs. A breed standard was adopted in England in 1926, in the States in 1931, and in Canada in 1937. This popular breed requires lots of exercise and is a good running companion.

Height: 26 - 28" (66 - 66cm) for dogs, 24 - 26" (61 - 61cm) for bitches

Weight: 60 lbs (26.8 kg) for dogs, 50 lbs (22.3 kg) for bitches

Coat Type: The distinctive coat of the Afghan consists of profuse, long, silky hair covering most of the body while short hair covers the shoulders and the length of the back. The hair on the face is very short and glossy. All colors are acceptable, as are different color combinations. White markings on the head are not considered pleasing. Grooming for this breed is a time consuming and daily requirement to keep healthy and shiny.

Temperament:

In general, Afghans are a quirky and unusual breed, but there is one part of the Afghan's nature that is often overlooked. Afghan Hounds are thieves at heart and will filch anything that takes their fancy. They can be quite innovative at getting into areas their owners want to keep them out of, and their ability to whisk food or articles away from right under the owner's nose is almost magical. The intelligent owner must child-proof his home thoroughly and keep one step ahead of
this furry Houdini.

When an Afghan finds himself in a stressful situation, quite often he will simply go to sleep until the whole business is over. Another sure sign of an excited or worried dog is a drippy nose.

It is almost impossible to keep an Afghan off the upholstered furniture. They seem to think that this is their rightful place. They have been known to push their owners out of bed. To the true Afghan fancier there is no substitute for this gentle, entertaining, frustrating and most kingly of dogs.

Special Interest: Although no one, except Noah himself, was actually there to witness it, some accounts state that a pair of these "monkey-faced hounds" were privileged enough to book a spot on Noah's Ark.

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