"The king of dogs" is the way American Kennel club describes this dog, "dignity and aloofness...proudly carried head, eyes gazing into the distance as if in memory of ages past."

That is quite a description, one that is well deserved because that is the only way that an Afghan hound could be described, he is a true aristocrat!

The Afghan hound is a breed that they have recently discovered that goes back several thousand years; it is believed that the afghan hound is one of the oldest breeds known to man. The origin of the Afghan hound is thought to come from a dog that not only produced the Afghan but another breed that comes from Russia, making them have the same point of origin.

The people of Afghanistan refused to sell their dogs to outsiders and it is because this reason the Afghan hound did not appear in the rest of the world until the 20th century, even though it is a breed that has been in existence for the past 9,000 years, it wasn’t until the 1930’s that the breed was even recognized and since then only two representatives of the breed have taken the best in show award. It’s like why even bother to officially recognize it if you are not even going to give it a prize every now and then… Just an interesting note: the Afghan hound is the first dog in history to be cloned.

The Afghan hound is a big dog that can stand 25 to 30 inches at the shoulder and he can weigh 46 to 61 pounds. Almost any solid color is accepted but absolutely no part-colors or any spots.

The coat of the Afghan hound is particularly difficult to take care of because the more you brush it the easier it mats up, to properly groom the Afghan hound, you need special grooming tools. The Afghan hound has a long feathery coat that has an almost silk texture to the touch, it is recommended that you never trim the coat so that it can grow out and be a beautiful as possible.

In its natural environment the Afghan hound was used by the tribesmen of Afghanistan to hunt wolves, fox and gazelle hence the long coat that was designed to keep him warm on the long hunts on the cold mountain slopes.

The Afghan hound is a very beautiful dog that is a pleasure to look upon, he is aloof and dignified but he can be a lot of fun also, when it comes to training, well that is another matter altogether. The Afghan hound has a mind of his own and without proper training he will completely ignore any commands that his owner gives him. When training the Afghan hound. make it gently but at the same time firm, let him know what is expected from him. If these dogs are not trained in obedience, they have the tendency to become destructive around the house, not to mention extremely disobedient, some people have said that the Afghan hound is just not very intelligent and that is why they can be so difficult, I really have no opinion on the matter.

The Afghan hound is a breed that needs to be socialized at an early age because they can become shy and aloof with strangers if they are not.

This is a breed that needs a lot of exercise; it is recommended a big yard to vent some energy and surely, a nice long walk every day. Yes, the Afghan loves to move around, he has a lot of energy to spread.

If you are looking for a puppy then I recommend finding a good responsible breeder that takes care of his animals, a good breeder will have all the necessary vaccines up to date and the puppy checked by a vet for the problems that are usually found in the breed. If you go to a puppy mill, you should know that their puppies are not well cared for, they are not socialized and they usually have a lot of health problems, so even if the price of the dog is less, you might end up paying a lot more in the end to keep him healthy.

Claudia Miclaus : Buzzle.com