Is An Afghan Hound Puppy The Right Choice For Me And My family? By Mitch Endick
The Afghan hound can be an great choice for you and your family, as long as you do not have very young children. Even older children need to learn to respect the hound and leave it alone when it has had enough. You need to have a place where this dog can run or gallop full out for as long as a half hour a day. You must be willing to spend serious time grooming his coat. Because of his aloofness, he may decide to ignore your commands so you must also be willing to spend a great deal of training time with him. Never leave very young children alone with any dog.
*The Afghan hound is all about being an aristocrat. His appearance is one of aloofness and dignity. They are beautiful with a long silky topcoat and the tail has a signature ring curl at the end.
*Temperament. His general temperament is dignified but happy and even clownish. He is a bit independent and sometimes has a personalty somewhat like a cat. Afghans need to be socialized and can be wary of strangers. They either like someone or they do not.
*Approximate Adult Size. Males can weigh in at 60 pounds and stand 27 inches at the withers (highest point of the shoulders) and females can weigh 50 pounds and stand 25 inches high at the withers.
*Ideal Environment. The ideal environment for this dog is a properly fenced, spacious yard or acreage. He loves to run. He does prefer to spend time with his master and would like to sleep indoors. The enclosed area should be kept trimmed and be free of shrubs and weeds that like to hitch a ride on fur. This hound is prone to getting his hair tangled.
*Special Health Considerations. The Afghan Hound is a healthy breed. Cancer and allergies are his main problem. They have low body fat levels and may be sensitive to anesthesia. Additional genetic problems may be dysplasia, juvenile cataracts, enzyme deficiencies and hypothyroidism.
*Grooming. The Hound should not be clipped or trimmed much, especially for showing. His coat is long and fine so he needs plenty of attention. Did I say plenty of attention? I roomed with an Afghan and his owner and the Afghan always liked me. I remember when my room mate spent several hours washing and grooming his pet, getting every single burr out because he wanted his dog to look great and make a good impression on an important date he had that evening. Well, somehow the afghan managed to get out and do his run and when he got back, his coat was so trashed, I though that my roommate was going to cry. It takes plenty of work to keep them looking like they do in the breed photos. They shed in the spring and fall.
*Life Span. The life span is fairly long, being approximately 14 years.
*History. The Afghan Hound comes from Afghanistan where it was bred to hunt gazelles, foxes and wolves. DNA testing reveals that this dog is from one of the most ancient dog breeds. The original name of this dog is a Tazi. There is a similar breed in Russia called Tasy and they are related.
*Special Good Points
The aristocrat of dogs.
Beautiful to watch and have.
Relatively Healthy.
Patient, calm, and has common dog sense.
*Special Bad Points
Can Tend to be shy.
Can tend to be aloof.
Low pain tolerance, a bit of a baby.
Can be hard to train, may ignore commands.
They are fast and can steal food and objects.
Difficult to keep off of the couch. They think that they own the furniture.
Can be difficult to housetrain.
Mitch Endick is a short article writer for the popular pet site: http://www.petpages.com He provides informative advice on all pets including dogs, puppies, cats, fish, reptiles, birds, ferrets, rabbits, mice and even pet bugs. Petpages.com also has an extensive pet classified ads section.
If you are looking for a distinguished, sophisticated larger dog, then the Afghan Hound may be right for you. The Afghan Hound has a long silky coat, curled tail, and tall slender appearance. Its long slim face and long ears help the Afghan Hound project an image of calm magnificence. Their galloping gait gives them the aura of royalty and respect. Afghan Hounds make regal pets that demand attention wherever they go.
The Afghan Hound is considered one of the kindest of dogs. They are very gentle, affectionate and loyal. They are more curious of strangers than suspicious, and are not considered guard dogs by any stretch. They can be more energetic, nervous and timid around small children and would probably be best suited to a home with older or no children. Their sensitive nature demands a lot of loving, gentle attention. If they are not properly trained, then they can be a lot more mischievous and harder to handle.
The Afghan Hound can get up to about sixty-five pounds and therefore they need a lot of room to roam. They need a big yard to run or they will not get enough exercise and their health will suffer. Instinctively they love open spaces and do not do well if kept indoors all of the time. If they do get enough free time outside, then they are generally healthy dogs. They don't have any common illnesses or diseases as a breed. They are, however, very sensitive physically as well as mentally. The smallest of injuries can cause them extreme pain and discomfort. Gentleness is a must with this breed, in their handling as well as in their training.
Before you decide to get an Afghan Hound, you should consider all of the work that will go into maintaining the coat. The hair of the coat is very long and thick. They do tend to shed, although not extreme, the length of the hair can make it seem like a lot. They need to be bathed and brushed almost weekly, especially if you plan to show your dog. Brushing the coat when it is dry can severely damage it and make maintenance a very difficult job. Only brushing the coat when it's wet will keep it shiny and less matted than if you brush it dry. Another maintenance to consider is the need for a snood. A snood is a tubular piece of fabric that acts like ear muffs. The snood keeps the Afghan Hound's hair and ears out of its mouth when eating and drinking food and water.
If the Afghan Hound sound right for you and you're looking for dogs for sale, visit My Dream Puppy on the web.
About the Author: Dean Burton is the owner of MyDreamPuppy.com, a leading provider of dogs for sale. For more information, please visit http://www.MyDreamPuppy.com
