The Afghan hound is a dog breed common in the cold mountains of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Northern India. Also called Galanday Hound, Tāzī, Balkh Hound, Shalgar Hound, Baluchi Hound, BarakzaiHound, Kabul Hound, and other people mispronounce it as African Hound.

It is defined by a thick, fine and silky coat, its ring curled tail and high hip bones.

A few facts about the Afghan hound:

• It is a tall dog growing to a height of 74cm or 29inches.
• A mature dog can weigh up to 27kgs
• It exists in many colors: fawn, gold, brindle, white, tricolor, gray, blue, cream and red.
• Requires a lot of care and grooming due to its long textured coat
• It has a unique coat with a long topknot and a short-haired saddle on its back.
• Its high hipbone is also unique.

It is independent, hostile to smaller animals and has a high prey drive. As a result, the dog was traditionally used for hunting. But these dogs also make a good companion and are used in intuitive therapy. Genomic studies have identified the Afghan hound as one of the oldest dog breeds. It is not easy to train due to its low intelligence and obedience levels. Trainers rank it last in a list of 138 dog breeds.

You will find this dog breed in sports of conformation showing, animated TV shows and feature films. The dog exists in several variants: Khalag is one of the oldest Afghan hound variants introduced in Europe in 1920. Bakhmull Tazi /Bakhmull/Tazi Bakhmull/Aboriginal Afghan Hound is also another breed common in Russia.

The life span of the Afghan hound is 11 to 13 years, with cancer being a primary concern for this breed. It is also prone to bloating and is quite sensitive to anesthesia.