RNSWCC Official Lecture to the Judge's Training Scheme
Wendye Slatyer (Calahorra Afghan Hounds, Australia)
(Page 4)
AFGHAN HOUND AUSTRALIA NEWSLETTER
(VOLUME 1 NUMBER 1 SPRING 1996)
PUBLISHED BY SAHJOBE PTY LTD, 501 LAWS FARM ROAD, LOWER PORTLAND
NEW SOUTH WALES 2756, AUSTRALIA, TELEPHONE 61 45 791 266
FACSIMILE 61 45 791 255, EMAIL (sahjobe@eagles.bbs.net.au)
GENERAL APPEARANCE
The gait of the Afghan Hound should be smooth and
springy with a style of high order. The whole
appearance of the dog should give the impression
of strength and dignity combining speed and power
The head must be held proudly.
In her official lecture prepared for the Royal New South
Wales Canine Council Judges' Training Scheme,
Wendye Slatyer (Calahorra) says..."The general outline
of an Afghan should be HARD and ANGULAR and
instantly convey the impression of an efficient hunting
dog, albeit the most glamorous of them all. They should
be sharply defined, never rounded, blurred or soft, -
they MUST be athletic. At the same time, they should
exude an air of undeniable quality, and great pride of
ace while visibly demonstrating their quite unique
lend of elegance, substance, and function.
An Afghan should be a balanced, medium sized, well
boned dog, basically square in outline but he must also
be long in leg. The correct Afghan lacks exaggeration
in any point of conformation and should be totally
functional ."
CHARACTERISTICS
The Afghan Hound should be dignified and aloof with
a certain keen fierceness. The Eastern or Oriental
expression is typical of the breed. The Afghan looks
at and through one
The RNSWCC lecture continues..."Having sorted out the
basic anatomy of the Afghan, what else makes him so
very special? Apart from his very distinctive outline,
he is unique because of his distinct, silky topknot,
prominent hipbones, sparsely feathered, low set and
ringed tail, huge feet, Oriental expression, coat pattern
especially the saddle in mature dogs and the possibility
of bare pasterns, his presence and bearing, and overall
arrogant attitude that says 'I AM the King of Dogs"'.
The regrettably brief Australian/English standards ask
for the gait to be smooth and springy with a style of
high order, and require the whole appearance to give
"the impression of strength and dignity combining speed
and power."
The American standard gives a more accurate word
picture, stating unequivocally..."The Afghan Hound is
an aristocrat. whose whole appearance is one of dignity
and aloofness with no trace of plainness or
coarseness......eyes gazing into the distance as if in
memory of ages past. The striking characteristics of
the breed...stand out clearly. giving the Afghan Hound
the appearance of what he is - a king of dogs, that has
bred true to tradition throughout the ages..."
Taken together, those standards give you a perfect
summing up of the Afghan's characteristics, the all
important BREED TYPE. Any discussion of breed type
in the Afghan Hound would not be complete without
detailed understanding of the HEAD.
Afghan Hound Australia Spring 1996
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