Afghan hound

Afghan Hound

Afghan Hound, fully coated
Other names	Tazi, Tazhi Spay, Da Kochyano Spay, Sage Balochi, Ogar Afgan, Barakzai Hound, Eastern Greyhound/Persian Greyhound
Origin	Afghanistan
Traits Weight Male 20–27 kg (44–60 lb) Height Male 61–73 cm (24–29 in) Coat Long and fine Color Fawn, Gold, Brindle, White, Red, Cream, Blue, Gray and Tricolor Litter size 6–8 puppies Life span 11–13 years
Classification / standards FCI Group 10, Section 1 Long-haired or fringed Sighthounds #228 standard AKC Hound standard ANKC Group 4 – (Hounds) standard CKC Group 2 – (Hounds) standard KC (UK) Hound standard NZKC Hounds standard UKC Sighthound & Pariah standard
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

The Afghan Hound is a hound that is distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat and its tail with a ring curl at the end. The breed was selectively bred for its unique features in the cold mountains of Afghanistan. Its local name is Tāžī Spay (Pashto: تاژي سپی‎) or Sag-e Tāzī (Dari Persian: سگ تازی). Other names for this breed are Kuchi Hound, Tāzī, Balkh Hound, Baluchi Hound, Barakzai Hound, Shalgar Hound, Kabul Hound, Galanday Hound or sometimes incorrectly African Hound.

The Afghan Hound has been identified as a basal breed that predates the emergence of the modern breeds in the 19th Century. It is most closely related to the Saluki.

Today's modern purebred breed of Afghan Hound descends from dogs brought to Great Britain in the 1920s which King Amanullah of the Afghan Royal Family gave away as gifts. Some had been kept as hunting dogs, others as guardians.

Although the breed is demonstrably ancient, verifiable written or visual records that tie today's Afghan Hound breed to specific Afghan owners or places are absent. There is much speculation about the breeds origin and possible connections with the ancient world among fanciers and in non-scientific breed books and breed websites. Connections with other types and breeds from the same area may provide clues to the history. A name for a desert coursing Afghan hound, Tazi (sag-e-tazi), suggests a shared ancestry with the very similar Tasy breed from the Caspian Sea area of Russia and Turkmenistan. Other types or breeds of similar appearance are the Taigan from the mountainous Tian Shan region on the Chinese border of Afghanistan, and the Barakzay, or Kurram Valley Hound.