Afghan Hound Dog Breeds
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Height at the withers: Males 68 – 74 cm, Females 63 – 69 cm
Average Weight: Males 20 – 27 kg, Females 20 – 27 kg
Afghan Hounds are quite unique looking dogs, they are elegant and dignified while at the same time they have a powerful and proud look about them which is enhanced by the fact these dogs carry their heads high.
An Afghan’s head is long although never too narrow and they boast a very prominent occiput. Their forefaces are long with a strong and powerful looking jaw. Their muzzles are long and darker in colour than the rest of their bodies although dogs with lighter coats often have liver coloured noses which is acceptable under the breed standard.
Their eyes are typically dark in colour with a triangular shape that slants slightly at the edges which gives the Afghan their oriental look. Their ears are set low and back on a dog’s head, they carry them close and they are covered in silky, long hair. An Afghan’s neck is long and elegant while at the same time powerful looking especially as these dogs carry their heads so high.
Shoulders are set well back on their forequarters being well-muscled and powerful with long and well developed straight front legs. Their chest is deep and their rib cage well sprung. An Afghan’s body is moderately long with a level back that dips to their backends. An Afghan’s hip bones are prominent and set wide apart on powerful, well-muscled hindquarters. Their front feet are large with arched toes and their back feet are long but not as wide and their front paws.
An Afghan’s tail is set low with a slight amount of feathering and has a ring on the end of it. When moving or excited, these dogs carry their tails high which adds to their proud look and appeal.
When it comes to their coat, an Afghan Hound boasts having luxurious hair that’s soft to the touch and fine in texture covering a dog’s entire body. Their thick coat was needed in their native Afghanistan because it protected them from the often harsh temperatures they were bred to hunt in.
There are many accepted coat colours for the Afghan Hound with the ones that are acceptable for Kennel Club registration being as follows:
- Black
- Black & Brindle
- Black & Cream
- Black & Silver
- Black & Tan
- Black Masked Cream
- Black Masked Gold
- Black Masked Red
- Black Masked Silver
- Blue
- Blue & Cream Domino
- Blue Domino
- Brindle
- Brindle Domino
- Cream
- Cream Brindle
- Gold
- Oyster Brindle
- Red
- Red Domino
- Shaded Mask Cream
- Shaded Mask Gold
- White
Gait/movement
When an Afghan Hound moves, they do so with great purpose and elegance always showing a lot of drive and covering lots of ground when they are on the move.
Faults
The Kennel Club frowns on any exaggerations or departures from the breed standard and would judge the faults on how much they affect a dog’s overall health and wellbeing as well as their ability to perform.
Males should have both testicles fully descended into their scrotums and it is worth noting that a dog can be a little lighter or heavier as well as slightly taller or shorter than set out in the Kennel Club breed standard which is only given as a guideline.