The Afghan Hound, known as the "King of Dogs", is one of the oldest existing hound breeds. The special environment of the cold mountains in eastern Iran and Afghanistan gives the Afghan Hound its unique appearance: the coat is thick, fine, and silky, and the end of the tail is curled, which is obviously different from other dog breeds. He possesses the majestic appearance of a king, his elegant posture, his noble appearance, and his mysterious life experience, which makes him astound everyone when he appears. Although this beautiful and sensitive dog is still used for herding sheep and hunting foxes and wolves in Afghanistan, in other countries, it is not only the darling of celebrities, models, high-end clubs, and fashion magazines, but also synonymous with "nobility." And in some foreign countries, the Afghan Hound is the only dog ​​breed that can enter five-star hotels, which shows its nobility.

The legend of the Afghan Hound

The legend of the Afghan Hound is found in the Bible "There is a very famous story in ". About 6,000 years ago, God decided to use floods to wipe out humans and create a new world because humans had committed too many sins. God commanded Noah to build a three-story ark. Before God sent the flood, he would select one male and one female of each animal in the world to ride in Noah's ark to avoid the flood. The representatives of mankind were Noah and his family. , and the only dog ​​among the animals chosen by God is the Afghan hound. Legend has it that Noah brought two Afghan hounds aboard the ark, and they were one of the last animals to board the ark. The ark was so crowded with animals that the two Afghan hounds had to stand in the doorway, letting the wind and rain soak their noses. According to legend, Noah's Ark began to leak after being ravaged by storms for 40 days and nights. Noah blocked most of the cracks, but there were still two cracks left that needed the help of animals, but animals with long enough noses were not willing to do this hard work. In this critical situation, his two loyal heads The Afghan hound stepped forward and blocked the hole with its nose. The danger of the Ark was lifted. In the end, the people and animals on the ship arrived at the destination safely...

Although the Afghan hound played a role in the "Bible" The characters were given mythical status, but today we can still find their traces on the grasslands of today's Nigeria based on "biblical maps". According to data research, the relatives of its old ancestors settled and multiplied in the ancient African Kingdom of Benu, and "Benu" means "the hometown of Noah". According to African mythology, Noah once brought The family settled here. It can be seen that the ancestors of the Afghan hound are as old as the shining ores on the Benu Plateau.

The Origin of the Afghan Hound

The Afghan Hound, also known as the Kabul Dog, is an ancient dog breed. There are portraits of this dog in paintings from Afghanistan 4,000 years ago. The earliest known painting that clearly shows the Afghan Hound is a reproduction from a large collection of letters written in India in 1809 and published in England in 1831.

This dog is native to the Middle East and later spread to Afghanistan along trade routes. The royal family at that time raised them as hunting dogs and were used to hunt gazelles, wolves, snow leopards and other animals. In some Afghan original materials, people divide this kind of dog into 6 or more types according to parts and color. What is more common is that hounds in the southern and western desert areas are relatively tall and thin, with shiny coat and sparse hair; hounds in the northern mountainous areas are short and thick, with dark coat and very thick hair. These differences reflect the dog's adaptability to the diverse climate and terrain of Afghanistan.

The Afghan Hound runs fast, has the ability to quickly and smoothly traverse rough terrain, and has long-lasting endurance to continue difficult tracking. Therefore, it is not only a guard dog and herding dog, but also a more important one. Its function is to act as a hunting dog. For generations, Afghan kings have built kennels for hunting dogs. As a hunting dog, the Afghan hound tracks prey by sight and follows the hunter on horseback. When approaching the prey, he jumps nimbly and twists quickly. Since this hound often leaves the horse far behind, the Afghan hound is also called the Afghan Hound. Hunting "on its own" instead of relying on the hunter's command trains its ability to think independently.

The earliest reports of Afghan hounds in the West were in the late 19th century. British officers and others who returned from the border war between India and Afghanistan brought local dogs to the UK. Some of them were called "Afghan hounds" ” of dogs were exhibited at dog shows. Although these hounds aroused the interest of some people, it was not until 1907 that Captain John Buff brought back his dog "Jatin" from Persia via India - a dog with a black face and a large amount of tail hair, with standard growth and hair. As a bushy dog, this dog really became the object of enthusiastic research. From this time on, Afghan hounds began to be bred in Britain, and some of the dogs were brought to the United States from Britain or Afghanistan before World War I.

However, during the war, the Afghan Hound completely disappeared in Western countries. What we see today The Afghan Hound did not appear until 1920. Major Bell Murray and his wife brought a group of Afghan hounds acquired or raised in Balochistan (then an independent country in southern Afghanistan, now part of Pakistan) over 8 years to Scotland, most of which belonged to the "desert" "Type: Lively, thin head, shiny hair. Among these imported hounds, the Bell Murrays and others further developed the "Bell Murray" bloodline. Since then, a large number of "Bell Murray" Afghan hounds have been exported to the United States. In October 1926, the Afghan Hound was allowed to be registered on the American Kennel Club's Fine Breed Register, and in 1927, two of these dogs became the first American Afghan Hounds.

However, the breeding of this hound in the United States really began in 1931. What I have to say here is another bloodline of the Afghan hound, the "Geznai bloodline". In 1925, Mary Empyse shipped the first Afghan hounds she bred in Kabul to Britain by ship. These hounds are primarily of the "mountain" type: stocky, relatively short-jointed, and densely coated. Among these imported hounds, the most successful was the British Champlain noble Gaznet as an ornamental and breeding dog. Later, Empyse and others developed a breed of hound called the "Gezner line" (named after the kennel).

In the 1930s, most American breeders began to raise Afghan hounds, guided by their successful experiences in raising other breeds. In 1931, three dogs with Ghezna blood (Aisro, Omar and Bedsa) formed the basis of this hound in the United States. As usual, "Pride Mountain" established dog farms for breeding, and most of the large number of imported breeds came from the United Kingdom, with some coming from India and Afghanistan (Afghanistan now bans the export of such hounds).

In 1937, a group of breeding experts established the American Afghan Hound Club. In 1940, the club became a member of the American Kennel Club and held their first show. In 1948, the Afghan Hound standard was finally adopted by the American Kennel Club after several revisions.

Appearance Characteristics of the Afghan Hound

The Afghan Hound is noble and elegant, without any trace of ordinaryness or roughness. The male dog is about 68.6 centimeters tall and weighs about 27 grams; the female dog is about 63.5 centimeters tall and weighs about 23 kilograms. Its front is straight, its head is held proudly, and its eyes are staring into the distance, as if recalling the past. Distinguishing features of this hound are exotic or oriental features, rich expression, long and silky topknot, unique coat shape, very prominent hip bones, wide feet, and a slightly exaggerated bend in the knee joints of the hind legs.

The Afghan Hound’s head is of medium length, covered by a long, smooth topknot, and the skull is even and proportional to the front face. Golden or dark-colored eyes are almond-shaped (almost triangular). The nose is of medium size, with slightly prominent black nasal bones. The center line gradually widens along the front face and disappears in front of the eyes. The lower jaw is strong, the mouth is long and powerful, the mouth is relatively flat, the upper and lower jaws are not protruding, and the teeth are well matched. Scissor bite. The occipital bone is very prominent. The ears are long, the base of the ear is about the same as the outer corner of the eye, the ear hangs to the end of the nose, and is covered with long and smooth hair.

The dog's neck is of moderate length, strong and arched, and curves with the long, sloping shoulders when twisted, and then turns back leisurely. Topline appears evenly from shoulders to waist. The loin is strong and slightly arched to the tail, the hip bones are very prominent, and the ribs are turned down symmetrically on both sides. The height of the shoulders is equal to the distance from the chest to the hips, and the chest is deep and of moderate width.

The forelimbs are upright and strong, the length between the elbow and pastern is moderate, the elbow is moderately restrained, the front paws are very long and wide, the structure is suitable, the pastern is long and straight, the pads are very large and fall naturally to the ground. The angle to the shoulders is appropriate so that the dog's legs can stand naturally. The Afghan Hound's four legs are in line with the body, neither turning in nor turning out. Hind feet broad and well proportioned. The hind legs and buttocks are strong and muscular, with considerable length between the buttocks and hock joints, long hock joints, moderate stifle and hock joint angles, and a slight arch from hock joint to crotch. The toes are arched and covered with long, thick hair.

The tail should not be higher than the trunk, be ring-shaped or curved at the end, and should not be curly or When placed on the back or on one side, the hair should not be too dense.

Except for the shorter hair on the back, the entire body of the Afghan Hound is covered in silky, waterfall-like fur. Its hind legs, buttocks, flanks, ribs, foreparts and legs are covered with dense, smooth and fine-textured hair, and the front and rear wrists sometimes have short hair. The ears and four legs are also well covered with hair. The hair is very short and dense on the front of the shoulders and along the back from the shoulders to the flanks and above the ribs. Adult dogs have a fairly smooth back - a traditional feature of the Afghan Hound. The head is covered by a long, smooth topknot, which is also a distinctive feature of the Afghan Hound. Its hair does not need to be trimmed or decorated.

Except for the white markings, especially those on the head, the Afghan hound's coat comes in all colors, including solid colors or combinations of colors.

When the Afghan Hound runs freely, its smooth and powerful stride shows great elasticity and jumping power. Under loose guidance, the Afghan Hound can trot at a very fast speed. When walking, its hind feet will follow the footprints of its front feet and walk straight forward. When it is moving, it will hold its head and tail high, and its beautiful long hair will move with the wind, which is elegant and beautiful.

Characteristics of the Afghan Hound

The Afghan Hound has a noble and refined character, is lively and active, is experienced in life, and can cope with various environments. It is popular because of its excellent qualities as an ornamental dog. Like other hunting dogs, the Afghan Hound has a strong tendency to be independent. It prefers to approach prey on its own terms, making it not excellent at executing fixed exercises and commands. Therefore, it must be trained in depth at an early age. Meticulously tamed. However, this dog does very well in obedience and is also excellent in recall competitions.

Although the Afghan hound has an independent personality and is not the kind of hound that obeys its owner, as a friend and a member of the family, it has a very good relationship with its owner and can get praise and love from the owner. In this regard, no other pet dog can compare with it.

The Afghan Hound is suitable for dog lovers who have good living conditions and plenty of free time.

Grooming of Afghan Hound

Daily care of the hair of Afghan Hound is very important. Use a comb to comb your hair every day to prevent tangles and hair loss. If you find that the hair is tangled, do not pick it with your hands. Instead, use a pin comb to separate it bit by bit. After making sure that all the knots have been cleaned, first rinse the dog's body with clean warm water along the hair, then use a hair comb to massage, then flush again, and finally use a large towel to absorb the water. It takes about an hour and a half to groom a pet dog, and 4 hours for a competition dog. Use hairdressing paper to separate its hair, wrap it up in small handfuls, and then apply hairdressing oil or olive oil, once every 2 days, repeat.

When grooming the Afghan Hound, you should first let it stand quietly on the grooming table, and then start grooming from the side of the dog, which is the standard display surface. Brush starting from the upper part of the front legs, holding the hair with one hand and scissors with the other hand, working from the inside out. When combing the hair, use a nail brush for more mature hair, and a scraper for young and new skin. Starting from the head of the Afghan Hound, then the neck, chest, back, abdomen, limbs, buttocks, and tail.

If you encounter small clusters of hair stuck together when combing the hair, you can first use a long hair clip to clamp the outer layer of the dog's hair to expose the small balls inside, and then use a comb or Gently separate the hair balls with your fingers. If necessary, you can spray some spray, but do not get this piece wet. At the same time, be gentle when combing the hair and do not hurt the Afghan Hound.

If the Afghan Hound's hair is very hairy, you should start combing from the outermost layer of hair, and then comb to the bottom layer of hair. When the hair is difficult to comb, the owner can use scissors to trim off the pilling hair and then comb it.

After combing the Afghan Hound's hair, you must also clean the dog's ears and eyes and trim its toenails. When the owner cleans the ear canal of the Afghan Hound, he can use absorbent cotton wrapped around the hemostatic insert and dipped in ear cleaning water to keep the cotton moist without dripping, and then clean the dog's ears effectively. When trimming the nails of the Afghan Hound, you only need to trim off the white and transparent toenails of the toes, and then smooth the edges of the dog's nails to prevent it from scratching people.

The reason why the Afghan Hound is banned

Why is the noble and elegant Afghan Hound in Is it banned in our country? The reasons are as follows:

1. First of all, judging from its character, the Afghan Hound is arrogant and has a bad temper. Although it looks relatively docile, it is actually a ferocious dog. In addition, Its IQ is not particularly high, it cannot listen to its owner's instructions clearly, and it is difficult to tame. Once its emotions explode, it may not even be looked down upon by its owner, and may even hurt others.

2. The Afghan Hound has a lively and active personality and needs a lot of exercise, so it needs a certain amount of outdoor activities every day. When taking a walk, be aware that it may become over-excited when it moves freely away from its owner.

3. The Afghan Hound is very large, runs fast, and is very powerful. Once it gets out of control, it is difficult to control it. Even in Afghanistan, people are careful about raising this kind of dog.