Afghan Hound Standard
FCI-Standard N°
228 / 03. 06. 1998 / GB
ORIGIN
: Afghanistan.
PATRONAGE
: Great Britain.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 24.06.1987.
UTILIZATION :
Sighthound.
CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group
10 Sighthounds.
Section 1 Long-haired or fringed Sighthounds.
Without working trial.
GENERAL APPEARANCE
: Gives the impression of strength and dignity, combining speed and power.
Head held proudly.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT : Eastern or Oriental expression is typical of breed.
The Afghan looks at and through one.
Dignified and aloof, with a certain keen fierceness.
HEAD :
CRANIAL
REGION :
Skull : Long, not too narrow with prominent occiput. Well balanced and mounted
by a long « top-knot ».
Stop : Slight.
FACIAL
REGION :
Nose : Preferably black, liver permissible in light-coloured dogs.
Muzzle : Long, with punishing jaws.
Jaws/Teeth : Jaws strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e.
the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
Level bite tolerated.
Eyes : Dark for preference, but golden colour not debarred.
Nearly triangular, slanting slightly upwards from inner corner to outer.
Ears : Set low and well back, carried close to head.
Covered with long silky hair.
NECK : Long, strong with
proud carriage of head.
BODY :
Back : Level, moderate length, well muscled.
Loin : Straight, broad and rather short.
Croup : Falling slightly away to stern. Hipbones
rather prominent and wide apart.
Chest : A fair spring of ribs and good depth.
TAIL : Not too short.
Set on low with ring at end. Raised
when in action. Sparsely feathered.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS : Forelegs straight and well boned, straight with shoulder viewed from
front.
Shoulders : Long and sloping, well set back, well muscled and strong without being
loaded.
Elbows : Close to rib cage, turning neither in nor out.
Pasterns
: Long and
springy.
HINDQUARTERS : Powerful. Great length
between hip and hock with comparatively short distance between hock and foot.
Stifles : Well bent and well turned.
Dewclaws : May be removed.
FEET : Forefeet strong and very large both in length and breadth, and covered
with long, thick hair; toes arched. Pads
well down on ground. Hindfeet long,
but not quite as broad as forefeet; covered with long thick hair.
GAIT / MOVEMENT
: Smooth and springy with a style of high order.
COAT
HAIR : Long and very fine texture on ribs, fore and hindquarters and flanks.
In mature dogs from shoulder backwards and along the saddle, hair short and
close. Hair long from forehead
backwards, with a distinct silky « top-knot ».
On foreface hair short. Ears
and legs well coated. Pasterns can
be bare. Coat must develop
naturally.
COLOUR : All colours acceptable.
SIZE : Ideal height : dogs 68-74 cm (27-29 ins); bitches 63-69 cm
(25-27 ins).
FAULTS : Any departure from the
foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the
fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.
N.B. : Male animals should
have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.