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The Afghan Hound is one of the oldest, if not the first sighthound dog breed. 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. Its local name is Sag Tāžī (Persian: سگ تازی) or Tāžī Spai (Pashto: تاژي سپی). Other alternate names for this breed are Kuchi Hound, Tāzī, Balkh Hound, Baluchi Hound, Barutzy Hound, Shalgar Hound, Kabul Hound, Galanday Hound, or sometimes incorrectly African Hound.

The Afghan Hound is tall, standing 24 to 29 inches (61 to 74 cm) in height and weighing 45 to 60 pounds (20 to 27 kg). The coat may be any colour, but white markings, particularly on the head, are discouraged; many individuals have a black facial mask. Some specimens have facial hair that looks like a Manchu moustache that are called “mandarins.” Some Afghan Hounds 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.

The temperament of the typical Afghan Hound can be aloof and dignified, but happy and clownish when playing. The Afghan Hounds’ intelligence and reasoning skills have made it a successful competitor in dog agility trials as well as an intuitive therapy dog and companion. Genomic studies have pointed to the Afghan Hound as one of the oldest of dog breeds (P. Savolainen et al. Science 298, 1610 Nov 22, 2002.)

The breed has a reputation among some dog trainers of having a relatively slow “obedience intelligence” as narrowly defined by author Stanley Coren^[1] or a recent survey of dog obedience judges.^[2].

However, these tests are subjective, and reliant on obedience tasks, for which Afghans are not naturally inclined. The Afghan Hound has many cat-like tendencies and is not slavish in its obedience as are some other breeds. It is an independent dog, with strong pack allegiance and prey drive, which has helped it survive as a breed for several thousand years. Afghans are likely to refuse or ignore commands from humans or trainers with which they have not developed a close working relationship, but even 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.

Afghan Hounds in UK surveys had a median lifespan of about 12 years and 18 years if the dog is taken care of.^[3] which is similar to other breeds of their size.^[4] 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%).

Major health issues are allergies, and cancer. 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. Afghan hounds are also among the dog breeds most likely to develop chylothorax, a rare condition which causes the thoracic ducts to leak, allowing large quantities of chyle fluid to enter the dog’s chest cavity.^[6] 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 causing 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.

The Afghan Hound needs to be taken on a long daily walk or jog. While out on the walk the dog must be made to heel beside or behind the person holding the lead, as in a dog’s mind the leader leads the way, and that leader needs to be the human. Dogs who do not get to go on daily walks are more likely to display behavior problems. Teach them to enter and exit door and gateways after the humans. They will also enjoy running free in an open fenced, safe area.