The Afghan Hound, also known as the Kabul, is an ancient dog breed. There were portraits of Afghan hounds 4000 years ago. This dog is native to the Middle East and is used to hunt fast-running animals such as gazelles, wolves, and snow leopards. The Afghan Hound first landed in England in 1886 and became the British Royal Hound
Afghan hounds seem aloof, but they also have a neurotic side. They are often immersed in their own world, ignoring the words of their owners. The Afghan Hound has a strong stress response, and if the environment is changed, it will cause a period of weight loss. If you want to maintain the elegant and lively state of the Afghan Hound, you must use appropriate exercise to maintain its best physical and mental state. Although it is an ancient dog breed, the Afghan hound can adapt to a comfortable modern house, but it must be given a lot of space for exercise. The owner also grooms the coat of the Afghan hound every day and should do professional grooming and trimming 2 to 3 times a year
Introduction
The Afghan Hound was bred by the royal family in ancient Egypt and used for hunting. There are types with a tall body and short hair suitable for deserts and mountain types with a slightly smaller body and long hair. Now the two characteristics have been merged to form a type with a tall body and long hair. Used by herders to hunt down animals such as gazelles and leopards
Although the Afghan Hound is a very family-loving dog, it does not show too much. The Afghan Hound is highly independent and tends to have its own space and time
The Afghan Hound has agile legs and feet, and some countries use it for dog racing. When seeing cats, birds, mice, and small animals, the Afghan hound will rush up without thinking about it, because it has hound blood remaining
Development History
There is a portrait of the dog in the paintings of Afghanistan 4000 years ago. The dog was originally from the Middle East and was later spread to Afghanistan along the trade route, where it was used to hunt antelopes, wolves, snow leopards, and other animals.
The Afghan dog first landed in the UK in 1886 and became the British Royal Hound. After Britain introduced this breed to the United States in 1926, the United States made the Afghan Hound an elegant and mighty appearance after half a century of improvement and formed a unique style with its beautiful appearance. In any harsh environment, it can have strong endurance, amazing agility, and a strong physique, and has a high degree of appreciation. Then this dog breed was introduced to Europe again to make it popular all over the world.
Morphological characteristics
Appearance: elegant posture, agile, like a proud noble
Head: The head is of moderate length. The nose is black, the coat is light and the nose is auburn. The eyes are almond-shaped, black is best, golden yellow is also available. The ears are long, covered by silk hair, and the base of the ears is low, hanging down close to the cheeks. The mouth is relatively flat, with a scissors bite
Coat: The hair is long silky. Short hair on back and face
Body height: The height of male dogs is 68～74 cm, the height of female dogs is higher than 53.3 cm
Body and limbs: Appropriate height, body length, horizontal back, strong, and generous breasts. The limbs are long and strong. The forelegs are straightened and the knee joints of the hind limbs are deeply bent. The feet are large, strong, and powerful, covered in thick hair. Toes arched tail: no higher than the torso, circular or curved at the end
Color: any coat color is excellent
Character traits
The body is strong, agile, and smart, likes to be alone, not strong in fighting spirit, and gentle to others, but sometimes there is a neurotic side. Although the physique is strong, once life changes, the body will become thinner. Good eyesight, good at running, light gait, elegant physique, smart mind, long hair flowing in the wind, gleaming, very beautiful, known as “cross-country runner”
Coat color characteristics
Hindquarters, waist fossa, ribs, forequarters, and legs are covered with dense, silky hair, with fine texture; ears and four feet are feathered; starting from the front shoulders and extending to the back The hair in the saddle-shaped area (including the waist and above the ribs) is slightly shorter and tighter, forming the smooth back of a mature dog, which is a traditional feature of the Afghan hound
Pros and cons
The advantages of the Afghan Hound are boldness, independence, and strong autonomy, without special care. The shortcomings are stubborn and willful personalities, and only those who understand their characteristics can effectively control them. When running freely, the Afghan Hound will run at high speed, showing great flexibility at a powerful and smooth pace
Feeding management
Adult Afghan dogs are large and active, so they should increase their food appropriately. In the food to be fed, about 500 grams of meat or meat products are required per day, and the same amount of biscuits or cooked dry vegetarian materials are added. Before feeding, the meat should be cooked and chopped first, and then an appropriate amount of water and cooked dry vegetable material should be added to mix and feed. Also, feed clean drinking water 2 to 3 times a day. Feeding should be fixed at a fixed point, and it is forced to finish eating within 15-25 minutes, and the food bowl will be taken away when overtime, to develop a good regular eating habit. The feed should be fresh and clean. Don’t feed stale or spoiled food, especially in summer. Don’t feed leftover food. Be sure to feed fresh food every meal to prevent enteritis or food poisoning. Tableware such as food bowls must be cleaned every day. In the feed, a certain amount of fish should also be added to make the dog’s fur smooth and supple and keep the dog’s appearance beautiful. Under normal circumstances, there is basically no need to eat snacks after eating
The coat is required to be combed every day, and professional trimming should be done two to three times a year. The bathing cycle is one month or half a month, not too often. Every week, remove earwax, tartar, and eye wax, and trim the claws. Also, use 2% boric acid water to clean the eyes to avoid keratitis
Training method
The Afghan hound has a much shorter concentration-time than other dogs. Each training time should not exceed 15 minutes at most. There can be two training sessions in a day. If the owner and the Afghan dog can’t concentrate, do not conduct training activities; Afghanistan The hound is the best time to train when hungry because it will be very alert and most responsive to food rewards. The dog eats two meals a day before meals is a good opportunity for training
Although biscuits are great prizes, Afghan hounds should not be rewarded with biscuits that are too delicious, otherwise, the dog will notice food rather than training. Some Afghan hounds like toys that make a noise very much, but if the dog will pick it away, don’t use this kind of toy. After a period of time, food and physical rewards should be reduced, but verbal encouragement should be maintained so that the dog can respond to verbal compliments soon
The main purpose
Used for hunting in the past, now it is mostly used as a play dog, guard dog, companion dog, rescue dog, etc.
Shopping points
The head and neck should be high, long, straight, and narrow, with a slightly convex forehead and skull; strong jaws, long kisses, a strong chest, and a level and slender back. The limbs are long but strong and strong, the feet are large and wide, the tail is slender and the ends are curled into a ring. The coat is thick, dense, soft, and silky. Bright colors are better
Suitable population
Although the Afghan Hound is tall, it can adapt to apartment life. The breeder must give a lot of space and opportunities for exercise. Besides, the Afghan Hound has a rich and thick coat, which requires a lot of time to groom every day and regular grooming. The breeder is required to have a certain financial ability and sufficient time