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THE AFGHAN HOUND FROM ZARDIN TO THE SEVENTIES - Marna Dods 1972 -© Southern Afghan Club
The 1912 Standard is said to have been modelled on Zardin. He is described as having, amongst other points a long strong neck and long sloping well laid back shoulders, a powerful loin, well ribbed, deep chest, large front feet, powerful quarters with great length between hip and low set hocks. He was well coated and had a saddle.
In 1912 and 1925 the imports destined to have the strongest influence on the breed, namely the 'Bell Murray's' and the 'Ghanzis' arrived in this country. Briefly, the former, who were said to be the desert type hounds were tall, sparsely coated hounds, somewhat Saluki in type, very aloof with long heads and triangular eyes, they had well laid shoulders but their forequarters were set rather more forward than beneath the hound and likewise the hindquarters stretched out further behind.
Whereas the Ghanzi type, said to be the mountain type, were heavier boned, more compact hounds, with very upright head carriage, the forequarters and hindquarters possessing more angulation and being placed further under the hound.
After a comparatively short time these two types became interbred and in 1948 the Kennel Club approved the Breed Standard as it is today, which is based on the best points of both types.
During the last twenty six years that I have been in the breed I have seen many changes. The matter which worries me the most is the change in type. Where is the 'proud aloof hound of truly regal bearing with that certain keen fierceness who looks at and through one?' Where is the triangular eye set and the chiselling of the head rather than the round eye and soft expressions we see so often today?
Strong punishing jaws are hard to find, and weak under jaws are a common fault, possible on account of over fine heads and too refined a skeletal structure altogether. Where is the 'style of high order' with the distinctive springy gait? I can think of very few who have this true movement today. The standard lays down a very distinctive coat pattern, I well remember in 1950 being penalised by one of our oldest breeders for showing a puppy without a saddle. Coat in fact is by and large one of the greatest changes in the breed. When I first owned an Afghan there were very few bitches who did not lose their coats so badly after a season that one would not have shown them, and even dogs were in and out of coat. Today it is relatively unheard of for a dog to go out of coat naturally so that he could not be shown. I remember being told by Mr Hill, the owner of Brantwood Hobar Caleb, that when he used to show this hound, all the older breeders would exhibit great disgust and say this was a Bobtail Sheepdog cross with elephant legs and not a true bare pasterned Afghan. Today many of our heaviest coated dogs have Hobar Caleb in their pedigree.
Speaking of pasterns, we are also tending to lose the correct slopping pasterns and of course the true Afghan large, long and broad front feet with arched toes. This fault, of course is coupled with the straight shoulder and foreshortened forearm. Coat and coat preparation have become almost a fetish in the breed today and some people lay far too much stress on glamour and not enough on the muscular condition underneath. I know from experience that a natural outdoor life, with plenty of free running in mud, snow, wind and rain does not damage the healthy well fed hound and a bath and grooming can soon get him ready for the ring, but far too many of today's Afghans are never allowed to run free and risk getting twigs tangled in their coats.
The standard asks for a tail not too short, set on low with a ring on the end, raised in action and sparsely feathered. This reference to the tail might well be studied by all rounders aspiring to judge the breed, fat too many think the tail should be carried high when the dog is standing, which is not correct. Tails today are a sad problem. In the late forties a bad tail was a rarity, and the ring was a real watch spring tight curl. I have had several dogs break the end of their tails through ringing round a catch gate of chain link fence and suddenly galloping off without it.
Temperaments have also changed a great deal, and hounds today are expected to be far more outgoing, this change is largely due to the American influence. No one wants the shy and highly nervous Afghan, and we still have some of these, but my own preference is for the fearless, aloof hound who is disdainful of strangers, and not the tail wagging, slaphappy everyone's friend.
To sum it up what have we lost? The aloof, truly oriental hound. with true springy gait. The eye shape and chiselling to a certain extent. The coat pattern, in particulary the saddle. The correct feet. The bodies, due to bad rearing and lack of exercise and the ring tail. What have we gained? A friendly, glamorous status symbol, with 3005 registrations in 1971.
Marna Dods - 1972 - © Southern Afghan Club
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Updated 22-06-06