Afghan Hound Breed Standard

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Afghan Hound

The Kennel Club Picture Library - © David Dalton.

General Appearance
Gives the impression of strength and dignity, combining speed and power. Head held proudly

Characteristics
Eastern or Oriental expression is typical of breed. The Afghan looks at and through one.

Temperament
Dignified and aloof, with a certain keen fierceness.

Head and Skull
Skull long, not too narrow, with prominent occiput. Foreface long with punishing jaws and slight stop. Skull well balanced and mounted by a long ‘top-knot’. Nose preferably black, liver permissible in light-coloured dogs.

Eyes
Dark for preference, but golden colour not debarred. Nearly triangular, slanting slightly upwards from inner corner to outer corner.

Ears
Set low and well back, carried close to head. Covered with long silky hair.

Mouth
Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping lower teeth and set square to the jaws. Level bite tolerated.

Neck
Long, strong, with proud carriage of head.

Forequarters
Shoulders long and sloping, set well back, well muscled and strong without being loaded. Upper arm long and sloping. In profile this brings the elbow vertically below the wither. Forelegs straight and well boned, elbows close to ribcage, turning neither in nor out.

Body
Back level, moderate length, well muscled, back falling slightly away to stern. Loin straight, broad and rather short. Hipbones rather prominent and wide apart.A fair spring of ribs and good depth of chest.

Hindquarters
Powerful, well bent and well turned stifles. Great length between hip and hock, with comparatively short distance between hock and foot. Dewclaws may be removed.

Feet
Forefeet strong and very large both in length and breadth, and covered with long, thick hair; toes arched. Pasterns long and springy, pads well down on ground. Hindfeet long, but not quite as broad as forefeet; covered with long thick hair.

Tail
Not too short. Set on low with ring at end. Raised when in action. Sparsely feathered.

Gait/Movement
Smooth and springy with a style of high order.

Coat 
Long and very fine texture on the ribs, fore and hindquarters and flanks. In mature dogs, from the shoulder backwards and along the saddle, hair short and close. Hair long from the forehead backwards, with a distinct silky ‘topknot’. On the foreface hair short, ears and legs well coated. Pasterns can be bare. Coat must develop naturally. Any evidence of clipping or scissoring should be penalised.

Colour
All colours acceptable.

Size
Ideal height: dogs: 68-74 cms (27-29 ins); bitches: 63-69 cms (25-27 ins).

Faults
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

Note
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

Last Updated - July 2007

Glossary of Canine Terms

Health Information

The Kennel Club operates health screening schemes with other organisations.  Some are clinical veterinary screening schemes and some are DNA screening schemes, which may be relevant to this breed.

The current health screening requirements and recommendations for Kennel Club Accredited Breeders of this breed show what is required and recommended for the sire and dam of any litter of this breed bred by an Accredited Breeder.

Breed specific summary results from the Purebred Dog Health Survey in 2004 are available.  Individual summaries are only available where the breed response rate was greater than 15%.

Recommended Reading

All the below publications are available from the Online Shop 

Breed Standards

Kennel Club Breed Standards

Kennel Club Breed Standards are available for most breeds indicating the qualities which competition judges normally take into account and the standard or model which breeders endeavour to achieve.

The Breed Standards can be purchased by group.
 Illustrated Breed Standards

The Kennel Club Illustrated Breed Standards

Containing full descriptive standards for 192 breeds, as well as representation for the six Kennel Club recognised breeds that are currently without standards, this beautifully illustrated volume is a must for all dog enthusiasts.

This third edition has been completely revised and updated by a panel of experts and incorporates the very latest standards for breeds in each group.

Breed Clubs and Societies 

 
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