Discovered in Afghanistan and the surrounding regions in the 19th century, the Afghan Hound has developed into two distinctive breed types depending upon the region the animal's heritage comes from. These regions are considered the Southern and Western Desert regions and the Northern region of Afghanistan.
Sadly, during World War II, the breed all but vanished from the world only to be brought back in the mid 1920's when they were again reintroduced into society when a select group of the Afghan Hound was brought to Scotland, where they were tended to and thrived upon the exquisite care they were receiving.
The Afghan Hound is considered the aristocrat of dogs. They present themselves as aloof with pride and dignity. Heads held high and a silky coat help add to this appearance. Straight in front with a proudly held head and eyes that seem to gaze distantly, the Afghan Hound is one of great breeding.
Standing at approximately 25 to 27 inches tall and weighing in at 50 to 60 pounds their silky long hair makes them appear much larger than they truly are. Colorings can vary from a cream color to a deep chestnut brown. White colors are considered undesirable if one is planning to use their Afghan Hound as a show dog but they make lovely family dogs.
Afghan Hounds present themselves as courageous and spirited, while not being dominant or overbearing. Frequently mislabeled as aloof, they actually socialize well and are of a very sweet temperament.
Though rarely hostile, they do tend to be suspicious of those whom they don't know and of new situations. Gentle leadership and guidance is the key to training an Afghan Hound, as with any dog. They require clear guidelines of what their owners expect of them as well as consistency.
Requiring plenty of exercise, housebreaking can be facilitated by frequent walks and romps out of doors.
Due to this requirement apartment life is not recommended for this breed of dog.
They are noted for being difficult to housebreak unless plenty of proper exercise and care is taken.
Older and more mature children will do better with the Afghan than with young rambunctious toddlers who may be too rough or intimidate the dog.
Afghan Hounds are ideal for country living. With acreage to play on and a warm indoors bed at night they tend to be very content with their lifestyle. Although they do well out of doors at night, a warm bed is always a nice way to end the day.
Highly sensitive to stress, the Afghan Hound is generally not a good candidate for a high strung busy life style. They tend to get stomach upsets and digestive conditions when living in a stressful situation.
In reality, quite gentle and shy, the Afghan Hound can be compared to the gorgeous girl in school that everyone is afraid to talk to thinking she is a snob or stuck up. Friendly and happy to do their owners bidding, the Afghan Hound is a lovely and gentle dog that will give its owner a lifetime of loyalty if given the chance.