Afghan Hound
A large sighthound from the mountains of Afghanistan, built to hunt fast game over broken ground. Barely sheds, but the silky coat needs close to an hour of brushing a day, and recall is the hardest thing you will ever teach it.
- Weight
- 23–27 kg
- Lifespan
- 12–18 years
Weight and lifespan are reference ranges from the breed guide. They vary by sex, lineage and individual dog and do not predict your dog’s ideal weight or lifespan. Read the care descriptions alongside the individual dog’s history.
Background and characteristics
The Afghan Hound comes from the mountain and desert country of Afghanistan, where it ran down fast game alongside hunters over ground too rough for close human direction. Having to make its own decisions at speed left a dog that still prefers its own judgement to yours. The long silky coat is functional rather than ornamental: high-altitude nights get cold, and the coat is insulation.
Temperament and living together
People call the breed aloof, which is not quite right. Afghans are affectionate with their own family in a quiet, undemonstrative way; what they lack is interest in obedience for its own sake. Repetition kills their engagement, so short, cheerful sessions work and drilling does not.
Recall is the hardest exercise in the breed, and no amount of training reliably overrides the chase response in open ground. Off-lead means securely fenced, full stop.
Exercise and play
Give an adult two walks of forty to sixty minutes plus two or three chances a week to gallop in a large enclosed area. A properly exercised Afghan is remarkably quiet indoors.
Coat and everyday care
The grooming load is the real decision point. The coat is long and essentially single, so it drops little hair, but shed hair stays in the coat and felts. Kept in show length it needs an hour or more of line-brushing to the skin several times a week, plus regular bathing and thorough drying, with mats forming first at the collar line, behind the ears, in the armpits and on the inner thighs.
Most pet owners eventually clip the body down, which is a perfectly reasonable choice and generally more comfortable for the dog.
Health considerations
On health, start with the sighthound anaesthesia issue: low body fat and different drug handling mean any vet should be told the breed before a procedure. Cataracts, hypothyroidism and hip dysplasia are also reported, and the lean frame means calluses and pressure sores on hard floors, so provide a thick bed.
Home environment and care planning
Practically, ask yourself two questions before committing: can you give thirty to sixty minutes to the coat most days for the next twelve to fifteen years, and do you have reliable access to safely fenced running space? If either answer is no, the breed will not go well, however much you like the look.