Afghan Hound breed guide

Independent and dignified, the Afghan Hound is aloof in general but affectionate and extremely loyal to the humans it has bonded with. That loyalty can make an adult slow to adjust to a new home, though it also makes housetraining fairly easy because the dog wants to please its owner.

Afghan Hounds live 12 to 18 years. Sighthounds carry naturally low body fat and tend to be sensitive to anesthesia, so AKC recommends a sighthound-savvy veterinarian for surgery.

Deep-chested like other sighthounds, Afghan Hounds may experience bloat, a sudden life-threatening swelling of the abdomen and owners should learn its symptoms.

The long silky coat of an adolescent or adult needs several hours of brushing a week to stay free of tangles and mats.

A sighthound's instinct to chase makes walking off leash inadvisable and short walks do not give this athletic breed enough exercise. AKC says some owners take leashed Afghan Hounds on long runs once they mature and the ideal is full-out sprints several times a week.

The breed predates written history by a few thousand years and developed in remote locales, so its exact place of origin in what is now Afghanistan, India and Pakistan will never be known. For centuries Afghan Hounds were fleet-footed hunting companions and status symbols of royals, tribal chieftains and aristocrats in Asia's mountain kingdoms.

They belong to the sighthounds, which rely on panoramic vision and explosive speed to spot and pursue prey. The coat protected them in a harsh mountain climate and huge paw pads acted as shock absorbers on punishing terrain.