Afghan Hound
Afghan Hound | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Other names |
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Origin | Afghanistan | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dog ( domestic dog ) |
The Afghan Hound is a
The American Kennel Club (AKC) describes the breed as among the most eye-catching of all. The Afghan Hound is an "aloof and dignified aristocrat of sublime beauty." Despite their regal appearance, the Afghan possesses an "endearing streak of silliness and a profound loyalty."[2]
Admired since ancient times for their beauty, the Afghan Hound's distinctive coat was developed as protection from the harsh mountain climate. Their huge paw-pads served as shock absorbers on the rocky terrain.[2]
History
The Afghan Hound has been identified as a basal breed that predates the emergence of the modern breeds in the 19th century. It is most closely related to the Saluki.[3]
Connections with other types and breeds from the same area may provide clues to the history. A name for a desert coursing Afghan Hound, Tazi (Sag-e-Tazi), suggests a shared ancestry with the very similar
Once out of
One dog in particular, Zardin, was brought in 1907 from India by Captain John Barff.
Out of the longhaired sighthound types known in Afghanistan, two main strains make up the modern Afghan Hound breed. The first were a group of hounds brought to
The second strain was a group of dogs from a kennel in Kabul owned by Mrs. Mary Amps, which she shipped to England in 1925. She and her husband came to Kabul after the Afghan war in 1919, and the foundation sire of her kennel (named Ghazni) in Kabul was a dog that closely resembled Zardin. Her Ghazni strain were the more heavily coated mountain type. Most of the Afghans in the United States were developed from the Ghazni strain from England. The first Afghans in Australia were imported from the United States in 1934, also of the Ghazni strain.[10] The mountain and steppe strains became mixed into the modern Afghan Hound breed, and a new standard was written in 1948, which is still used today.[9]
The Afghan Hound can also come with a much more "patterned" coat. This descends from the Bell-Murray's and the Ghazni lines, and is displayed in much lighter feathering of coat, deeper saddle (often actually looking like a saddle) and much shorter hair on the face and neck. It is believed that these particular Afghan Hounds were a product of much hotter parts of the country.[11]
The beauty of Afghan Hound dogs caused them to become highly desirable show dogs and pets, and they are recognised by all of the major kennel clubs in the English-speaking world. One of the Amps Ghazni, Sirdar, won best in show at
The Afghan Hound breed is no longer used for hunting, although it can be seen in the sport of lure coursing.[14]
On August 3, 2005, Korean scientist
Description
The dogs in this breed occur in many different coat colors. A study that mapped the genes of Afghan Hounds and discussed the effect of genes on coat colour in the breed was published in the Journal of Heredity in 2010.[16]
The Afghan Hound is tall, standing in height 61–74 cm (24–29 in) and weighing 20–27 kg (44–60 lb). The coat may be any colour, but white markings, particularly on the head, are discouraged; many individuals have a black facial mask.[17] A specimen may have a beard on the lower jaw, known as a "mandarin".[18] Some Afghan Hounds are almost white, but parti-color hounds (white with islands of red or black) are penalized in the AKC standard, but not by the FCI.[19]
Their long, fine-textured coat requires considerable care and grooming.[20] The long topknot and the shorter-haired saddle on the back of the dog are distinctive features of the Afghan Hound coat. The high hipbones and unique small ring on the end of the tail are also characteristics of the breed.[21]
The temperament of the typical Afghan Hound can be aloof and dignified, but happy and clownish when playing.
The breed has a reputation among dog trainers of having a relatively slow "obedience intelligence";
Variants
Khalag Tazi
The Khalag Tazi is a variety of the Afghan Hound introduced to Europe in 1920, when an Indian Army officer, Major G Bell-Murray, brought some animals back from Afghanistan.[26]
Bakhmull
Bakhmull (also Bakhmull Tazi or Tazi Bakhmull, also called the Aboriginal Afghan Hound) is a long-haired variety of
Since the 1980s, the centre of Bakhmull breeding has been Russia, beginning in Moscow, then spreading to various other places in the
Bakhmulls hunt solo and in couples. Although its coat is long, it does not require much grooming. Paws are well protected from injuries by "feathering" (thick additional paw fur). Its long, velvety coat and its stamina makes more suitable than many breeds for harsh weather. The breed standard calls for "aristocratic gait and a beautiful head with gazelle-like ... eyes". The eyes should be large, brown, slanting upwards, and of almond shape, with rims outlined black. Black coloration is required on the nose and lips for both white and fawn bakhmulls. The dog's height should be between 68–73 centimetres (27–29 in), 65–70 centimetres (26–28 in) for bitches. The height at the withers is 3–4 centimetres (1.2–1.6 in) higher than at the croup.[29]
Health
Lifespan
A UK study found a life expectancy of 11.1 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for crossbreeds.[31]
Health concerns
Major health issues are allergies, cancer, and hip dysplasia. Like other sighthounds, the Afghan Hound is sensitive to anesthesia, as sighthounds have relatively low levels of body fat. Afghan Hounds are also among the dog breeds most likely to develop chylothorax, a rare condition which causes the thoracic ducts to leak, allowing large quantities of chyle fluid to enter the dog's chest cavity.[32][33] This condition commonly results in a lung-lobe torsion (in which the dog's lung twists within the chest cavity, requiring emergency surgery), due to the breed's typically deep, "barrel"-shaped chest. If not corrected through surgery, chylothorax can ultimately cause fibrosing pleuritis, or a hardening of the organs, due to scar tissue forming around the organs to protect them from the chyle fluid. Chylothorax is often fatal.[34]
Among other health problems are
In popular culture
The Afghan hound has been represented in multiple animated feature films and TV shows, including Universal Pictures'
In the 1941 novel Between the Acts, Virginia Woolf uses an Afghan hound named Sohrab to represent aspects of one of the book's human characters.[37]
The Afghan Hound features prominently in the avant-garde music video of popular French band M83's, "Set in Stone (M83 Remix)".[38]
See also
References
- ISBN 978-0-87666-231-1. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Afghan Hound - Dog Breed Information". American Kennel Club. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
- S2CID 43772173.
- ISBN 978-0-87605-001-9. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Historie afgánského chrta" [History of the Afghan Hound] (in Czech). Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
- ISBN 978-0-87666-231-1. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ^ "Afghan Hound Art and Antics". Afghan Hound Times.
- ^ "History | The Afghan Hound Association". Archived from the original on 2014-07-23.
- ^ a b Flaim, Denise (January 19, 2021). "Afghan Hound History: The Ancient Breed of Afghanistan". American Kennel Club. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ^ a b Haymann, Franck (5 May 2006). "Afghan Hound, From The Streets Of Kabul To The Main Rings Of The World". Chien. Archived from the original on 30 August 2008.
- ISBN 0668049340.
- ^ "Facts About Afghan Hounds". Doglime. March 5, 2019.
- ^ "Best In Show Winners". The Westminster Kennel Club. Archived from the original on 2007-12-25. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
- ^ "Afghan Hound Lure Coursing". Archived from the original on 2008-11-12. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
- ^ Palca, Joe (August 3, 2005). "Meet Snuppy, the World's First Cloned Dog". NPR. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved April 5, 2011.
- ^ "Afghan Coat Color Genetics" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-06-04.
- ^ "Afghan Hound - Dog Breed Information". American Kennel Club. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ^ "Breed Standards : Afghan Hound | United Kennel Club (UKC)". www.ukcdogs.com. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-87605-001-9. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-87605-001-9. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ISBN 978-1-902389-08-0. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-87605-001-9. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- ISBN 978-0-09-106930-8. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
- S2CID 32583311.
- ^ Stanley Coren (July 15, 2009). "Canine Intelligence—Breed Does Matter". Psychology Today. Retrieved 2011-08-16.
- ^ "Afghan Controversy: What is the correct type?"; Afghan Hound Times Archived July 26, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Бакхмуль - Афганская Аборигенная Борзая". Bakhmull.com (in Russian). Retrieved 18 September 2017.[self-published source]
- ^ "Archive". www.davidhancockondogs.com. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ a b "Бакхмуль - Афганская Аборигенная Борзая". www.bakhmull.com. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
- ^ "Бакхмуль - Афганская Аборигенная Борзая". Russian Federation for Hunting Dogs / Russian Kynological Federation – via Bakhmull.com.
- PMC 10834484.
- PMID 3721989.
- ^ "Afghan Hound". Aubrey Animal Medical Center. Archived from the original on 16 August 2016.
- ^ Laudermilch, Eileen (1996). ""Chylo….What?" Chylothorax in the Afghan Hound". Afghan Hound Review. No. Sept/Oct.
- ^ OCLC 232611746.
- ^ Coren, Stanley (15 June 2011). "Picasso's Dogs". Modern Dog. Vancouver. Archived from the original on 3 December 2020. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ The Philosophy of Virginia Woolf: A Philosophical Reading of the Mature Novels
By A. O. Frank
Published by Akademiai Kiado, 2001
ISBN 963-05-7850-6, 978-963-05-7850-9 165 pages, pg. 151
- ^ Lessner, Matthew (2010). "Fires of Rome - Set In Stone (M83 Remix)". Run Productions. Archived from the original on April 18, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
Further reading
- Afghan Hounds (The World of Dogs) Race L., publisher Kingdom Books, PO Box 15, Waterlooville PO7 6BQ, 1999, England, 240 pages, ch 4, pages 81–83, contributed by Natalia Ghersiova, Russia.
- Encyclopedia "Russian Hunting". Scientific edition, publisher "Big Russian Encyclopedia", 1998, pp. 11–12, 187–188
- Indigenous Lop Eared SightHounds From Central Africa To China By Dr. Dominique de Caprona (C) de Caprona 2011
- The reviving and breeding of the ancient Bakhmuul breed from Afghanistan in Russia was appreciated in the US and several respective articles were published in the world known The Afghan Hound Review International Issue November–December 1992 p. 128
- "Two Afghan Hound Breeds In Russia!" The Afghan Hound Review July–August 1995 pp. 102, 104 "The Russian Scene" and in The Afghan Hound Review May–June 2002 pp. 22, 24, 26, 28 "Aboriginal Afghan Hounds".
External links
- Afghan Hound at Curlie– An active listing of Afghan Hound links.
- Afghan Hound – Full Breed Profile