Dog Breeds: Afghan Hound
With the looks of a glamor model, and the physique of an athlete, the Afghan is an instantly recognizable dog breed.
Standing anywhere between 24 and 29 inches at the shoulder, and weighing up to 59 pounds, these lean sighthounds are characterized by a long lustrous coat that can be any color.
The face also has a black 'mask', while some dogs sport a long mandarin-style moustache called, unsurprisingly, a mandarin. As you can deduce from the name, these dogs come from Afghanistan. Like most sighthounds they were hunters of small game. The breed was unknown in the west until the 19th century, and by the end of World War 1, had virtually disappeared.
Then in the 1920's several dogs were brought to Scotland as breeding stock. These dogs caused quite a stir on the dog show circuit and were soon recognized by the major international kennel clubs. Virtually all of the Afghans we see today, descend directly from this group.
Afghans are an ancient breed, and have genetic markers in common with wolves, making them close descendants of the original domesticated dogs.The temperament of the breed is best described as aloof, even snooty. They also have a reputation as being difficult to train. It's not that they're unintelligent, just that they prefer not to obey.
They’ve even been described as cat-like, because of their ability to totally blank you out. Put it this way, if you want an Afghan to obey your command, you’d better give him a good reason to.
Having said that, they still make excellent pets, and are affectionate towards those close to them. With strangers though it’s a different story. When you meet an Afghan for the first time, you should expect to be ignored!
Despite their athletic profile, Afghans can be first-class couch potatoes. They love curling up and dozing on the couch and will do it for hours if you let them.
Outdoors though, it’s an entirely different story. The hunting instinct kicks in and they will chase anything that moves, small animals in particular.Despite its limited gene pool, the Afghan is a surprisingly healthy dog. They suffer from few of the problems that typically afflict purebreds. They are however prone to eye diseases, with cataracts a particular problem.
One of the biggest challenges for an Afghan owner is keeping that luxurious coat looking its best. This requires daily brushing, and a regular trip to the dog salon to trim the coat back into shape.
Although the Afghan is a hunting dog, it much prefers the luxury of indoor living to sleeping outdoors. Anyway, the dog is not equipped for outdoor living as the coat offer very little protection from the elements.
The easiest way to find good names for your Afghan Hound is to visit an online dog names, resource, like puppy-names-hq.com. This site has tons of dog names, including 1000s of female dog names to choose from.
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