The Afghan
Hound
 CHARACTERISTICS
If you do not like cats,
you might not enjoy the Afghan Hound since
they have very similar personalities. If you
love the hyper, goofy, happy go lucky chase after a Frisbee dogs,
you are interested in
the wrong breed. If you want to go to the park
and expect your
Afghan Hound to jump in the water after a ball as a
Golden Retriever or Black Lab, you might be waiting a
long time. While some will do the above, more likely is
if you do any of the above, the Afghan Hound will look
at you and expect you to entertain them by running after
a Frisbee or jump in the pond yourself to get the
ball.
The Afghan Hound is a hunting sight hound
. For many of them, if it
moves, it belongs to them. While some can live in a
household with cats, ferrets and small pets, many others cannot. No
matter how well trained they are, they can still be very
unpredictable and rely on instinct. That is why they
should never be trusted off leash since if they have an
eye set on a target, they have a sudden auditory
problem. They may come back but as they leave a trail of
dust in your face you will hear them say, yeah, when I'm
done…maybe.
They are
also not apartment dogs and require a yard and a
six-foot fence. Even with that you will see many a front
paws on the top of a six-foot fence as they jump to get
a squirrel. In order to keep them from getting bored and
destructive, they require exercise and walks and usually
do better in pairs. Most can be very stand-offish with
strangers. They also require a great deal of grooming
and do not just look like “those dogs with all that
beautiful hair” without a great deal of work. The
favorite spot is either the bed or the sofa and they
have extendable paws if you have left something on your
kitchen counter you had planned on eating. There are
many great resources on line about the Afghan
Hound.
While they
are a breed that can push many to a padded cell, they
also have some of the most wonderful aspects to their
personality you will find in the Hound Group. They are
very loyal to family members and very loving,
affectionate and playful in the household.
They love attention,
enjoy being lap dogs and since they know they
look good, enjoy strangers cooing over them as they look
away in distain. They excel at training you and learn
very quickly how to wrap you around a paw. Oddly, they
usually win and most people once hooked on the breed
find that there is no other breed they would live
with.
In order to
pick the right dog it might mean that it will not be the
look or breed you always thought you wanted. Whether in
a person or pet if you take the time to look past the
exterior you might see something completely
different.
Still interestd in
adopting an Afghan Hound? Click
here to see
who is available for
adoption!
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