Afghan Hound. Bryony Harcourt-Brown
The close coat on the face of an Afghan Hound allows the easy viewing of these dogs’ wonderful expressions. However, many young Afghan Hounds, say 5–15 months old, carry a lot of soft coat on the face that is termed “puppy whiskers” or “monkey whiskers.” Sometimes a puppy has so much of this coat that it is hard to imagine the beautiful refined head beneath. This coat should be lost naturally at the time of the first big coat change.
EYE PROBLEMS
Cataracts: There are two types of cataract to be discussed here. There is a cataract that causes an opacity of the lens of one or both eyes, appears in the older Afghan Hound, is not considered hereditary and may affect any breed. During the 1970s, however, there was much concern regarding young Afghan Hounds with cataracts. Juvenile cataracts were found to be passed on through families, i.e., inherited. Much work was undertaken to remove and/or exclude dogs carrying this defect from breeding programs with the ultimate goal of eventually eliminating this problem from the breed.
Entropion: Entropion is a term used to describe inversion of the eyelid and eyelashes. This causes irritation to the eyes and may result in eye infection and weeping. The condition is generally considered to be inherited and is thought by some experts to be brought about by the repeated selection of dogs with small eyes (whatever the breed) for breeding. Entropion can be treated by a relatively simple operation. However, dogs affected with this defect should not be used for breeding, even if it has been surgically corrected.
MOUTH PROBLEMS
In Afghan Hounds, the AKC standard calls for a bite in which the upper and lower incisors meet together exactly, a bite known as level. This is a difficult mouth to breed correctly, and it is a bite that is prone to alteration by becoming undershot (with the lower incisors protruding) with age. In addition, a level bite will often cause increased wearing of the incisors. A scissors bite, in which the upper incisors closely overlap the lower, is seen in the breed and is preferred in some other countries, but the level bite is preferred as per the AKC standard.
In some dogs, individual or groups of the lower incisors may protrude out of line, thus overlapping the corresponding upper incisors. This type of mouth is termed a “wry mouth.” The mouth is uneven and may be less efficient in a hunting dog. This type of mouth is unlikely to seriously affect most dogs kept as companions. However, with a wry mouth, an Afghan is not suitable for showing. Since mouth defects are often passed on to future generations, it would be unwise to breed from an Afghan Hound with a wry mouth.
DO YOU KNOW ABOUT HIP DYSPLASIA?
X-ray of a dog with “Good” hips.
X-ray of a dog with “Moderate” dysplastic hips.
Hip dysplasia is a fairly common condition found in pure-bred dogs. When a dog has hip dysplasia, his hind leg has an incorrectly formed hip joint. By constant use of the hip joint, it becomes more and more loose, wears abnormally and may become arthritic.
Hip dysplasia can only be confirmed with an x-ray, but certain symptoms may indicate a problem. Your dog may have a hip dysplasia problem if he walks in a peculiar manner, hops instead of smoothly runs, uses his hind legs in unison (to keep the pressure off the weak joint), has trouble getting up from a prone position or always sits with both legs together on one side of his body.
As the dog matures, he may adapt well to life with a bad hip, but in a few years the arthritis develops and many dogs with hip dysplasia become crippled.
Hip dysplasia is considered an inherited disease and only can be diagnosed definitively by x-ray when the dog is two years old, although symptoms often appear earlier. Some experts claim that a special diet might help your puppy outgrow the bad hip, but the usual treatments are surgical. The removal of the pectineus muscle, the removal of the round part of the femur, reconstructing the pelvis and replacing the hip with an artificial one are all surgical interventions that are expensive, but they are usually very successful. Follow the advice of your veterinarian.
In any breed, the standard is the description of the ideal dog of that breed. All typical specimens of the Afghan Hound will have many attributes that are described in the standard. From a show viewpoint, those Afghan Hounds that are considered the very best of their breed will be those that conform most closely to all aspects of the standard.
However, the standard has to be interpreted by each individual, and although in many respects the majority may agree, there will always be variations and arguments on the finer points among breeders, exhibitors and judges. This is not to suggest unfair bias but to acknowledge the right to individual interpretation and preference. For instance, some judges will see a correctly ringed tail as being more essential to the Afghan Hound to render it typical of the breed, and others would place more emphasis on the correctly shaped eye to give the desired typical expression. Both are important within the judging ring but, if a judge is faced with two dogs otherwise equal, a choice has to be made between them and these may, hypothetically, be the points that separate them.
The Afghan Hound’s abundant coat and graceful, powerful gait are two eye-catching features in the show ring.
Regardless of individual variations in interpreting the standard, experienced and knowledgeable judges have no difficulty in using the standard to obtain a blueprint by which they judge the breed. Likewise, the standard is the guideline by which breeders evaluate their breeding stock and describes the elusive ideal dog that breeders strive to produce with every mating.
THE AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB BREED STANDARD FOR THE AFGHAN HOUND
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.
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;