Living with an Afghan Hound

An urban legend says that all painters have painted at least once in their life an Afghan hound. One of them was Picasso. Who,
 as a companion of Afghan hounds himself, had said … “I see the node at the top of the head, the long skull, the so unique way
 that an Afghan hound lies like a camel, with his front legs bending under the body, with the slightly sloping eyes, staring
 away, as if thinking of the centuries that passed … like a sculpture expressing the East “.

He has painted in many of his works the Afghan hounds in his known unique way, obviously inspired by his own dogs (Kabul
 and Kazbec their names). His best-known work with an Afghan hound is “Femme au chien” (Woman with dog) of 1962, which
 was sold by Christies in London for about $ 11,000,000 in 2012. In addition to painting, Picasso has also created sculptures
 on the Afghan Hound.

Most known artwork is a sculpture he created for the city of Chicago in 1962, which is located at Daley Plaza. Picasso did not
 accepted to get paid for this project, although a significant (for that time) amount of about $ 300,000 was collected through
 donations. He also refused to reveal the subject.

But what is that that makes the Afghan hound  so special that many consider it as the king of all dogs? Indicative and not
 restrictive: The ruddy-to-snob-style, his rhythmic gait, the long and silky coat, as well as the expression of the face – mainly
 due to the shape of the eyes  which confirms his Asian origin. The perfect parting in the head coat is one of its characteristics.
 And, yes, it’s natural! The most obscene and neglected Afghan, will have a perfect parting: It’s natural!

The Afghan hound (in its homeland, it is called Kalang Tazi or Tazi Svei or Sang-e-Tazi) is one of the oldest breeds of dogs.
 There have been speleographies of more than 7,000 years of age with dogs with the shape of an Afghan hound. It is also one
 of the few pure breeds, so its proximity to the dog’s archetype (the wolf) exceeds 60%. 

It was a breed protected by the Emperor of Afghanistan, and the attempt to export an Afghan hound from the country was
 punished with death by decapitation. Now, the reason why the royal family of Afghanistan was under its protection is not easy
 to answer. Maybe because it was a precious dog since it is the only breed of dogs that is suitable for the three roles: Hunting,
 guard and sheepdog. Maybe because he has this arrogant style – so familiar to these … circles. However, it cannot be
 coincidental that in Ancient Rome, the cousins of the Afghan, the Italian Greyhound, had the same treatment: only the ruling
 class had the right to have such dogs. Rest of people could lose their hand if they dared to feed such a dog!

In the Western world and in modern times no one gets an Afghan hound because he is a good hunter or sheepdog or fearless
 guardian. You choose it simply because you like it!

The first dogs of this breed that arrived in Europe were a gift of the Emperor of Afghanistan to the ambassador of Great
 Britain. There, somewhere in the 1920s, the ambassador returned to his homeland with his precious gifts, and since then
 Great Britain has become the country-godfather of this breed.

Researchers – mostly of British origin – assume that the Afghan hound came from the Persian Saluki, which, when found in the
 mountainous areas of Afghanistan, has developed over the years a dense and long fur to protect itself from the extreme
 weather conditions of mountainous Afghanistan. Some, going back in time, consider that the Persian Saluki and the Sloughi
 of the Arabian Peninsula in turn come from the Egyptian hound, which is originated from the Greek hound. The researchers
 also believe that the other sector of the Greek hound is the Italian Greyhound, which, through the Celts, arrived in Great
 Britain and in turn formed the basis for the Irish Wolfhound and Scottish  Deerhound (both been mixed with the Tibetan
 Lhasa Apso.

Another Saluki branch is Azawakh which is found in North and West Africa and was the Tuareg dog.

The Afghan hound is a lazy. Sleeps endless hours a day – and at night – which makes it suitable to live in an apartment. It is
 enough for him to go 2-3 times a day for a 30-minute walk and 2-3 times a week to be able to run free in a controlled and
 fenced area. Fenced because if you leave it in open space, most likely, it will disappear. Free because, even for a while, he has
 to be allowed to run. And it is running too fast. At speeds of up to 60 km/h. So if the area is not fenced, you have no hope of
 reaching it as long as it decides to run away.

Although the Afghan hound loves his companion (he does not have the notion of “boss”), loves the family with whom he
 shares  the same home – especially children, but his soul is somewhere in Kabul. The Afghan hound has learned to live in vast
 areas. Afghani hunters do not even need to use weapons. They just leave their dogs free to hunt. The dogs kill smaller or
 bigger animals. They eat the first one as a fee, and the rest let them be collected by the “hunters”.

Living with an Afghan hound is easy. Just keep some basic rules: The main rule is that you are not his boss. And even if you
 feel that way, he does not feel the same, so it does not matter how you feel. You are comrades and members of the same herd.
 If you are suitable for the head of the herd, then he accepts you as the leader and all will be perfect.

If you lose your temper and yell, if you punish in any way, you will lose his appreciation and respect.

You can just tell him: “You disappointed me. I did not expected you to do that”. Of course he does not understand exactly what
 you said (although researchers have proven that a dog can learn about 250-300 words). But he understands the tone of your
 voice. And as a prolific and arrogant that he is, he does not like to be offended.

It is also good to accept the fact that your bed and couch  belong also to him.

Let’s make it clear here that Afghan hounds do not have subcutaneous fat, so they need a soft substrate to rest. In their
 natural environment, the steppe lawn is sufficient. So, a two-seater sofa is perfect at home. Besides, their personality does not
 allow them not to share with you what you enjoy. This includes food. You may have served them the nicest and most nutritious food (eg liver and chicken backs with carrots, egg white, rosemary and extra virgin olive oil), but even if you eat  zucchini, they will eat your food. Preferably by stealing it. However regardless how much they eat, they do not grow fat. You see a dog in the size of a small pony and weighs 50 pounds. If you see Afghan, you think he is starving and had no food the last three weeks. Remember, they do not have subcutaneous fat.

There are thousands of stories to write about this breed. As we can imagine exactly as for every dog of any breed or even of half breed.

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2. We write about the Afghans just for a simple reason: We live together with two of them!

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/EIXNeWKHe7E