Afghan Hound
A gold coated Afghan Hound
Other names	Baluchi Hound, Sage Baluchi, Tazi, Ogar Afgan
Country of origin	Afghanistan
Traits Weight Male 20-27 kg (45-60 lb) Height Male 61-73 cm (24-29 in) Coat Long and fine Color Any Litter size 6-8 puppies Life span 11-13 years

The Afghan Hound is a very old sighthound dog breed. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, The pound or pound-mass (abbreviation lb, lbm, or sometimes in the United States #) is a unit of Mass A centimetre ( American spelling: centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one hundredth Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. Sighthounds, also called gazehounds, are Hounds that primarily hunt by speed and sight instead of by scent and endurance as Scent hounds do The dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated Subspecies of the gray wolf, a Mammal of the Canidae family of the order Dog breeds are groups of closely related and visibly similar domestic Dogs with characteristic traits that are selected and maintained by humans bred from a known foundation Distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat and its tail with a ring curl at the end, the breed acquired its unique features in the cold mountains of Afghanistan, where it was originally used to hunt hares, and gazelles by coursing them. Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Hares and jackrabbits are Leporids belonging to the Genus Lepus. A GAZelle (ГАЗе́ль is a series of mid-sized Trucks Vans and Buses made by Russian car manufacturer GAZ. It's local name is Tāzī (Persian: تازی). Other alternate names for this breed are Balkh Hound, Baluchi Hound, Barutzy Hound, Shalgar Hound, Kabul Hound, Galanday Hound or sometimes incorrectly African Hound.

Description

Appearance

This Afghan is black and brindle; however, the photo shows it with a reddish tinge to the coat, which can occur in a black-coated dog.

The Afghan Hound is tall, standing 24 to 29 inches (63-74 cm) in height and weighing 45 to 60 pounds (20-30 kg). The coat may be any colour, but white markings, particularly on the head, are discouraged; many individuals have a black facial mask. Some are almost white, but particolour hounds (white with islands of red or black) are not acceptable and may indicate impure breeding. The long, fine-textured coat requires considerable care and grooming. The long topknot and the shorter-haired saddle on the back in the mature 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.

Temperament

An Afghan in the show ring, demonstrating the unique appearance of its high-maintenance coat.

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" as defined by author Stanley Coren. Stanley Coren (b 1942 is a Psychology professor and researcher who has become best known for a series of books regarding the intelligence of Dogs Through television ^[1] The Afghan Hound has many cat-like tendencies and is not slavish in its obedience as are some other breeds. Obedience training usually refers to the training of a dog and the term is most commonly used in that context The Afghan hound has a leaning towards independence. Owners should not be surprised if their Afghan hounds sometimes choose to ignore commands. Although seldom used today for hunting in Europe and America where they are popular, Afghan hounds are frequent participants in lure coursing events and are also popular in the sport of conformation showing. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Lure coursing is a Sport for Dogs that involves chasing a mechanically operated lure Dog sports are activities that involve Dogs There is much discussion about what exactly defines a Sport for dogs In a conformation show, judges familiar with specific Dog breeds evaluate individual Dogs for how well they conform to published Breed standards

Health

Mortality

Afghan Hounds in UK surveys had a median lifespan of about 12 years,^[2] which is similar to other breeds of their size. ^[3]

In a 2004 UK Kennel Club survey, the most common causes of death were cancer (31%), old age (20%), cardiac (10. 5%), and urologic (5%). ^[4]

Morbidity and Health Concerns

Major health issues are allergies, and cancer. Allergy is a disorder of the Immune system often also referred to as Atopy. Cancer (medical term Malignant Neoplasm) is a class of Diseases in which a group of cells display uncontrolled Sensitivity to anesthesia is an issue the Afghan hound shares with the rest of the sighthound group, as sighthounds have relatively low levels of body fat. Anesthesia, or anaesthesia (see spelling differences; from Greek grc αν- an-, "without" and grc αἲσθησις Sighthounds, also called gazehounds, are Hounds that primarily hunt by speed and sight instead of by scent and endurance as Scent hounds do

Afghan hounds are also among the dog breeds most likely to develop chylothorax, a rare condition which causes the thorassic ducts to leak, allowing large quantities of chyle fluid to enter the dog's chest cavity. A chylothorax is a type of Pleural effusion. It results from lymphatic fluid accumulating in the Pleural cavity. Chyle is a milky Fluid ( Bodily fluid) consisting of Lymph and emulsified Fats or free Fatty acids (FFAs This condition commonly results in a lung 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 not necessarily, but often fatal. Most surgical options have roughly a 50% success rate, and multiple surgeries are common. While this condition is extremely rare, Afghan hound owners would be wise to keep this information at hand, as the condition can be difficult to diagnose. When selecting an Afghan hound puppy, it is also advised to inquire about chylothorax in the dog's lineage, as there is some indication that the condition may be genetic.

History

The breed was always thought to date back at least to the pre-Christian era, and recent discoveries by researchers studying ancient DNA have revealed that the Afghan Hound is in fact one of the most ancient dog breeds, dating back for many thousands of years. Fourteen ancient breeds of dog have recently been identified through advances in DNA analysis. Its original native name, Tazi, betrays its connection to the very similar Tasy breed of Russia. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending The proximity of southern Russia and Afghanistan argues for a common origin for both breeds. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/ officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan ( Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت,

Initially, Afghan people refused to sell their national dog to outsiders; the breed was not seen in Europe and America until after the turn of the 20th century. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The AKC and CKC did not recognize the Afghan Hound until the 1930s. The American Kennel Club (or AKC) is a registry of Purebred Dog pedigrees in the United States. Originally export of this dog was prohibited and the first to arrive in England and the United States was at the turn of the 20th century. Captain Banff imported "Zardin" from Afghanistan around this time and he was first shown at the Crystal Palace Kennel Club Show in 1907, making a tremendous impact. ^[5]

In 1983, Chris Terrell was the last breeder-owner-handler to win Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, with his Afghan Hound Ch. The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a two-day benched Conformation show that takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York City every year Kabik's The Challenger, also the last time a dog from the Hound group has been awarded Best in Show. ^[6] An Afghan Hound has taken the top honor at just one other WKC Dog Show, in 1957.

On August 3, 2005, Korean scientist Hwang Woo-Suk announced that his team of researchers had become the first team to successfully clone a dog. Events 8 - Roman Empire General Tiberius defeats Dalmatians on the river Bathinus. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Hwang Woo-Suk ( Korean: 황우석 born 29 January 1953 is a South Korean. Cloning in Biology is the process of producing populations of genetically-identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as Bacteria, Insects The dog, an Afghan Hound, was named Snuppy. Snuppy (born April 24 2005) is the world's first cloned Dog. This Afghan Hound clone was created by Hwang Woo-Suk and his Later that year, a pattern of lies and fraud by Hwang Woo-Suk came to light, throwing in doubt all his claims. Hwang Woo-Suk ( Korean: 황우석 born 29 January 1953 is a South Korean. Snuppy, nonetheless, was a genuine clone, and thus the first cloned dog in history.

Famous Afghans

• Sylvie from Balto
• Snuppy (see above)
• What-a-Mess

References

External links

• Afghan Hound at the Open Directory Project - An active listing of Afghan Hound links. The Open Directory Project ( ODP) also known as dmoz (from directory