Charlotte Foster
In its homeland of Afghanistan, the Afghan Hound was responsible for its people as a working and family dog for hunting. The animals carried this out independently in higher mountain regions – their quite independent character still bears witness to this today. Since they are extremely fast and persistent runners, they need a lot of exercises. Basically, they are people-oriented and friendly.
Elegant hunters with a long history
Afghan Hounds have been with humans for more than 10,000 years as hunting and guard dogs. The ability to hunt independently made them valuable providers for the people in the villages. The fur noses, also affectionately known as “Tazi”, are excellent runners and, as eye hunters, particularly tough when hunting. In 1890 the first Afghan hounds arrived in Great Britain, where they have been deliberately bred since the 1920s. Thanks to their beautiful long fur, the idiosyncratic greyhounds quickly became stars of breeding shows. As a result, the breeding of the animals split into pure show dogs with an extremely long coat and sporty companion dogs with a shorter coat, which demonstrates their elegance and speed at dog sport events.
Nature of the Afghan Hound
By nature, representatives of the breed are oriented towards hunting. This characteristic poses problems for the owners of the slender fur noses in densely populated areas, because the animals want one thing above all: to run and hunt. Because they hunted independently, they can only be trained to a limited extent on demand. This makes freewheeling even more difficult. Once the Afghan’s hunting instinct has been awakened, it will only come back when it sees fit. In the apartment, on the other hand, the friendly animals like to make themselves comfortable on the sofa and enjoy extensive cuddling sessions with their people. The fur noses are very careful with children.
Training and keeping the Afghan Hound
Afghan hounds are headstrong and peaceful at the same time, which is what makes this breed so appealing. When keeping this human-related breed, pay attention to physical exertion. Some greyhound clubs offer coursings or races where the animals can let off steam. The upbringing of the oriental beauties often proves not to be easy, since the animals do not like to be subordinate by nature. With dog experience and a lot of patience, however, it is quite possible to teach the Afghan the basic commands.
Grooming the Afghan Hound
Anyone who chooses an Afghan hound as a family dog or companion dog usually does not have a great deal of effort with grooming. In these cases, regular thorough brushing of the proud greyhound is sufficient. Show dogs, on the other hand, require more demanding grooming.