| General
Appearance: |
The Afghan Hound is an
aristocrat, his whole appearance one of dignity and aloofness with
no trace of plainness or coarseness. He has a straight front,
proudly carried head, eyes gazing into the distance as if in memory
of ages past. The striking characteristics of the breed-exotic, or
"Eastern," expression, long silky topknot, peculiar coat pattern,
very prominent hipbones, large feet, and the impression of a
somewhat exaggerated bend in the stifle due to profuse trouserings-stand
out clearly, giving the Afghan Hound the appearance of what he is, a
king of dogs, that has held true to tradition throughout the ages. |
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| Head: |
The head is of good
length, showing much refinement, the skull evenly balanced with the
foreface. There is a slight prominence of the nasal bone structure
causing a slightly Roman appearance, the center line running up over
the foreface with little or no stop, falling away in front of the
eyes so there is an absolutely clear outlook with no interference;
the underjaw showing great strength, the jaws long and punishing;
the mouth level, meaning that the teeth from the upper jaw and lower
jaw match evenly, neither overshot nor undershot. This is a
difficult mouth to breed. A scissors bite is even more punishing and
can be more easily bred into a dog than a level mouth, and a dog
having a scissors bite, where the lower teeth slip inside and rest
against the teeth of the upper jaw, should not be penalized. The
occipital bone is very prominent. The head is surmounted by a
topknot of long silky hair. Ears--The ears are long, set
approximately on level with outer corners of the eyes, the leather
of the ear reaching nearly to the end of the dog's nose, and covered
with long silky hair. Eyes--The eyes are almond-shaped
(almost triangular), never full or bulgy, and are dark in color.
Nose--Nose is of good size, black in color. Faults--Coarseness;
snipiness; overshot or undershot; eyes round or bulgy or light in
color; exaggerated Roman nose; head not surmounted with topknot. |
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| Neck: |
The neck is of good
length, strong and arched, running in a curve to the shoulders which
are long and sloping and well laid back. Faults--Neck too short or
too thick; a ewe neck; a goose neck; a neck lacking in substance. |
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| Body: |
The back line
appearing practically level from the shoulders to the loin. Strong
and powerful loin and slightly arched, falling away toward the
stern, with the hipbones very pronounced; well ribbed and tucked up
in flanks. The height at the shoulders equals the distance from the
chest to the buttocks; the brisket well let down, and of medium
width. Faults--Roach back, swayback, goose rump, slack loin; lack of
prominence of hipbones; too much width of brisket, causing
interference with elbows. |
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| Tail: |
Tail set not too high
on the body, having a ring, or a curve on the end; should never be
curled over, or rest on the back, or be carried sideways; and should
never be bushy. |
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| Legs: |
Forelegs are straight
and strong with great length between elbow and pastern; elbows well
held in; forefeet large in both length and width; toes well arched;
feet covered with long thick hair; fine in texture; pasterns long
and straight; pads of feet unusually large and well down on the
ground. Shoulders have plenty of angulation so that the legs are
well set underneath the dog. Too much straightness of shoulder
causes the dog to break down in the pasterns, and this is a serious
fault. All four feet of the Afghan Hound are in line with the body,
turning neither in nor out. The hind feet are broad and of good
length; the toes arched, and covered with long thick hair;
hindquarters powerful and well muscled, with great length between
hip and hock; hocks are well let down; good angulation of both
stifle and hock; slightly bowed from hock to crotch. Faults--Front
or back feet thrown outward or inward; pads of feet not thick
enough; or feet too small; or any other evidence of weakness in
feet; weak or broken down pasterns; too straight in stifle; too long
in hock. |
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| Coat: |
Hindquarters, flanks,
ribs, forequarters, and legs well covered with thick, silky hair,
very fine in texture; ears and all four feet well feathered; from in
front of the shoulders; and also backwards from the shoulders along
the saddle from the flanks and the ribs upwards, the hair is short
and close, forming a smooth back in mature dogs - this is a
traditional characteristic of the Afghan Hound. The Afghan Hound
should be shown in its natural state; the coat is not clipped or
trimmed; the head is surmounted (in the full sense of the word) with
a topknot of long, silky hair - that is also an outstanding
characteristic of the Afghan Hound. Showing of short hair on cuffs
on either front or back legs is permissible. Fault--Lack of
shorthaired saddle in mature dogs. |
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| Height: |
Dogs, 27 inches, plus
or minus one inch; bitches, 25 inches, plus or minus one inch.
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| Weight: |
Dogs, about 60 pounds;
bitches, about 50 pounds. |
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| Color: |
All colors are
permissible, but color or color combinations are pleasing; white
markings, especially on the head, are undesirable. |
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| Gait: |
When running free, the
Afghan Hound moves at a gallop, showing great elasticity and spring
in his smooth, powerful stride. When on a loose lead, the Afghan can
trot at a fast pace; stepping along, he has the appearance of
placing the hind feet directly in the foot prints of the front feet,
both thrown straight ahead. Moving with head and tail high, the
whole appearance of the Afghan Hound is one of great style and
beauty. |
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| Temperament: |
Aloof and dignified,
yet gay. Faults--Sharpness or shyness.
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