Concise charasterictic of the breed:

Proud, indipendent, wonderful, aristocratic with sensitive & tender spirit. In past: In its origin country (Afghanistan) very veneratied mostly for its very good skills for hunting. Today: Fellow and favourite pretty. In spite of that many people don't like him for its turbulent and impulsive nature.

Something from history:

History of the breed is very long and is accompanied with many legends. One of it speaks about Noem, who took on his ark dog and bitch of afghanhound. Lately the dogs rescue the ark as blocked with its long muzzles holes in the ship. Legend? In the fact firstly we hear about Afghanhound from Summers' earthen charts.

The breed was used mostly for hunting and guarding. To thieve or to kill the afghanhound means death penalty for convicted person.

Into Europe were imported by Mr. B. Muray in 1897, where they were very popular for hunting and races. It is clear that exterior of the breed was really different from today's visage. Experts distinguish today 13 diferent types of afghans. For us is necessary to know only two of them: a) mountain type (longer bushy hair, slower speed), b) prairie type (thin hair, higher speed). Both those types were in breeding worked up and many years bred to apperance of this date.

In the Czech Republic were imported in 1965 by Mr. Jiří Badalec, director of ZOO in Liberec city.

Temperament:

Only one word can describe nature of afghan - it is CELEBRITY! It is extremly perceptive breed, inventive, sensitive. Afgan needs human partner, not guardian.

It is necessary to train Afghan very delicately and without violence. Afghan remembers every wrong and hit. Shortly - it is not breed for everyone. You have to think twice before you will buy Aghan. Puppies of Afghan chained in forests are too often story of unconforming new owners.

It is really not important how many exhibitions and races new owner completes, it is important to give Afghan tender and homely home.

Use and Application

As mentioned above the Afghan Hound is a hunter. It hunts with its eyes and his hereditory dispositions command it to chase and catch everything that is moving. This fact is always necessary to consider when planning the employment of the dog as well as quite ordinary walks. Not many owners dare to let the dog off the lead. Very often hares run in the field and nothing can stop the AH to chase them. The Afghan Hounds love moving and they are said not to be even when running with a flying silky coat. Terefore it is necessary to provide the dog with a satisfactory abundance of movement. They can take part in various types of races or they can walk a lot. In other respects the breed is mostly very calm, loving higher places of armchairs, sofas, from where they can, from under half-closed lids, watch surrounding bustle.

A well-kept AH is a dog born to be exhibited. Lots of to-become owners recruit out of the visitors of shows, where they can see the final "product" with a beautiful long coat. We should know that the way to such a dog trimming is long and demanding, it needs time as well as money. So it can happen that some owners give up such neverending brushing, bathing and additional purchase of expensive cosmetics, they simply let the dog cut.

It is also uneasy to match e.g. a race and an show career. If you often spend time outside or on the race track the coat "wears out", not even mentioning the horror when you have to brush out various needles, trigs, leaves etc.

Despite that I think it is a greyhound like anybody else and it needs to run. It would be cruel to let it out only into a concrete courtyard in absolute drought.

In conclusion we can say that the AH kept either for exhibitions or for races or in a family, is most of all an outgoing, friendly dog that especially needs a lot of love and understanding for its sensitive nature.

Care and Health

As said before the care of the AH is focused on the coat. There exist a lot of opinions how to take care of it. Nearly everybody owns his own recipe to keep a silky and untangled coat. Generally speaking the foundation is a first/quality feeding, vitamins esp. vitamin H biotin firms Cannina, Arnolds, Chassot, Biofaktory Horní Počernice), high-quality cosmetics, brushes (J.P. Héry, Khara, KW, 1A11 systém etc.) and most of all a lot of perseverance.

Brief Outline of Coat Care

* We should habituate a puppy to bathing and the touch of the brush.

* We regularly bathe - opinions vary - on average from once a week to once a month.

* We use high-quality cosmetics - shampoo, conditionning rinse, balsam, oils - almond, yoyoba, mink; it is not recommended to brush dry coat.

* It is essential to consider various types of coat and therefore to find an optimum routine and cosmetics. (Beginners should follow advice especially if they want to show their dog - how to treat the coat - trimming on the back and foreface etc.)

Who hopes to show his dog should start training his puppy´s "stand", moving in a ring, get it used to the presence of other dogs. It is advisable for the first time just to see the show with your puppy. For every beginner the show can be the source of experience and contacts with other owners. The conditions of your participation at different shows and the results are published in cynological press (Svět psů, Pes přítel člověka), on internet pages ČMKU etc. But most information should be passed by the breeder; he should warn to-be owners of possible inconvenience they would face at shows. Unfortunately today´s shows do not lack of problems - in judging and especially in human relations. The remarks such as "That´s horror - what they have brought here! Look at the monster! They had better sit at home!" etc. are able to drive a gentle female soul to tears and that of a male to a strong conviction to invest his money on something more sensible than exhibition fees and petrol.

But in spite of all this you can draw best of the show day even if you have not won.

Health

According to get-at-able sources we can find out that the breed of AH is not apt to any special ilnesses such as e.g. liver fits, cancer, deafness, progressive atrophy of retina, blidness etc.

Certainly like in other breeds it is necessary to choose a puppy from a healthy breed and without any hereditory disease of parents. This information can be got especiallyfrom the breed advisor (see next chapter).

Average life expectancy is about 10 years.

System of the breed, contact to the kennel club, breeding conditions.

Nowadays the breed is organised in two clubs, where 200 puppies are bred annually. The detailed system of the breed is included in The Breeding and Evaluating Rules of the club.

Therefore just briefly:

Beginning breeders should know that every owner who wants to produce puppies or cover with a male dog has to be organised in one of the clubs. Or at least arrange the breed with the knowledge of the club. For owners of a bitch it is necessary to found a breeding station with a registered name. The breed advisor or ČMKU will tell how to start such a station. Of course it is possible to raise a litter on behalf of another station if they agree.

Bitches and dogs are listed into the breed after a successful evaluation. The information about it can be obtained from a breeder, a breed advisor or a club magazine.

Dogs can be listed into the breed from 18 months and bitches from 24 months. Show experience is not necessary for being listed into the breed.

Sighthounds Owners Club

- historically oldest club breeding greyhounds with the tradition of 50 years. It brings out a regular club bulletin, a year - book, convenes a yearly member meetings, special and club exhibition. The number of members varies between two and three hundred.

The Club Chairman: Mr. Vladimír Panuška

The Breed Advisor: Mrs. Milada Lančová

Approximate price:

The price is, of course, divers and should not be the main key for your choice of a dog. It is also understandable that not everybody can invest more than 10,000 Crowns on purchase. It is up to the breeder - how much he sells for and what the price includes.

As the main source of knowledge about newborn puppies are adverts I strongly recommend to call and then personally visit more breeders and make up one´s mind of the breed and especially the breeder. Unfortunately, you cannot always rely on words of so-to-be specialists who praise their litters only and offensively accuse other breeders. At the same time I stand for writing a purchase agreement which can "protect" both the breeder and the purchaser.