Afghan Hound dog

The Afghan Hound is a hunting dog from Afghanistan. It has a distinctive coat which is long, fine and silky.  It requires constant care because it could curl up and lose its lustre.  The origin of this breed can be found in the Saluki breed, that came to Afghanistan through Persia. In Afghanistan it would need a proper coat for the hostile climate of the mountains of this country, developing the long coat that characterizes the current Afghan hound, and with which today, attracts many people who buy this breed.

History

The origin of the Afghan hound is ancient, with the first record in about 1000 BC in the area of modern Afghanistan. It was used as a hunting dog.  The antiquity of this race has not been corroborated by anyone but the first records date from the nineteenth century, which does not mean they did not exist before, but more that the Afghan nomad did not bother to record the race in writing.

The first illustration made of the Afghan hound is from 1813.  This breed came to England in 1920 and soon succeeded in being recognized by the British Kennel club just six years later.
In 1880, when the war ended between the Afghans and the British, British army officers took home some of those dogs whose characteristics as hunting dogs in the harsh conditions of the Afghan mountains, had attracted attention.

In Europe, the Afghan hound has maintained its natural activity like hunting dogs and security, a task that was already in its homeland. Also, thanks to its elegant look, agility and speed, it has become a companion dog and racing dog.
Use

Initially, the Afghan hound was used to pursue prey detodo types, who were in the mountains of the Afghan country, such as hares, foxes, gazelles, jackals, wolves, deer, and even snow leopards.

Another function of the Afghan Hound was the monitoring of the camps of nomadic tribes and their cattle, functions, together with those related to hunting, gave the Afghan hound enormous popularity among the nomads of Afghanistan (even setting aside a day of festivities dedicated to the Afghan hound.)

It has been sought to use the race in Europe for greyhound racing, but this has never been achieved. The problem comes from the fact that Afghan hounds are too smart for this kind of racing, not chasing the mechanical rabbit as a Greyhound would, but plans a real strategy to catch the hare across the central area of the track and descend upon them.

Physical and character

Its main physical feature is its long hair, in addition to its long head and its tail ending in a ring. Hair color can be of any type. They are also extremely agile and fast.  Regarding their nature, these dogs are often dependent and a bit leery. They also have great strength and courage, even compared to other wild animals such as leopards or wolves.