Canis lupus hominis

Posted in dog breeds | Tagged Afghan hound, dog racing, sight hound | 18 Comments

18 Responses

1. on October 20, 2009 at 5:59 am Jess

   What, are you baiting me? Here are some racing afghans, bred specifically for speed:
   http://www.afghanen.at/startseite.htm?info.htm~hauptframe

   The video is a little funky, but watch the movement of the dogs, specifically, how the legs move, and the motion of the head. Contrast that to the movement in the video you posted. Click around and look at the pictures.

   a very famous racing afghan:
   http://www.afghan-hound.net/nphp/2003/html/azhar.html

   famous racing kennel:
   http://www.taziban.ch/

   Contrast the structure on the racing dogs with the skeletal construction here:
   http://clubs.akc.org/ahca/standard.htm

   and the structure of the dogs here:
   http://www.afghansonline.com/

   and the structure of the dogs in these old photos:
   http://demonpuppy.blogspot.com/2009/05/more-patterned-afghan-hounds.html

   and my perennial favorite:
   http://www.afghanhoundsoz.com.au/Afghan_Gait.htm

   I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about which dogs are more functional. Remember, these dogs were bred to catch fast game. Which of the modern dog types do you think would have a better chance of that? Racing dogs or show dogs?

   I don’t think I need to say anything about the coats, do I?

   Note that if you mention racing afghans in certain circles, you will be told that they were crossed with Salukis for speed. Of course if you mention racing Salukis in certain circles, you will be told that they were crossed with Greyhounds for speed.

   
   
   • on October 20, 2009 at 6:22 pm retrieverman

     It was in my spam filter for some reason.

     
     
     • on October 20, 2009 at 6:28 pm cyborgsuzy

       Probably because of all the links. Glad you caught it, though. These are very interesting.

       
       
   • on October 20, 2009 at 6:27 pm retrieverman

     They have very poor economy of movement. They move so much, yet seem to get nowhere.

     I bet it looks good on a show dog.

     
     
     • on October 20, 2009 at 10:08 pm Jess

       Here’s the real question, at least in my mind: which type is doing a better job of preserving the ‘breed type’ of the COO hounds? Show, or racing dog?

       
       
       • on October 20, 2009 at 11:06 pm retrieverman

         I’ve asked that same question about working strain versus show strain goldens.

         
         
   • on October 20, 2009 at 7:50 pm Pai

     Oh, they look just like the ‘original’ Afghans! I like them a lot more than the show dogs. They look much more reasonable to upkeep, grooming-wise.

     
     
     • on October 20, 2009 at 10:13 pm Jess

       There are differences. In a way, the COO dogs sit between the race and show types. The racing dogs tend to have less pelvic tilt and a longer, more arched loin than the COO dogs. The show dogs a very short, flat loin, short back, very long hind legs, very upright head carriage (this is why the dogs heads in the video bob so much) and very straight fronts.

       I love the coats on the race dogs. That is what I’m going for with my crosses, except I’d like a dog with conformation closer to a COO dog. I got pretty close in my second generation. also, I have a deal with my husband that the dogs must be pretty.

       
       
2. on October 20, 2009 at 10:05 am PBurns

   My Jack Russells run faster than those dogs. Sad.

   
   
   • on October 20, 2009 at 12:37 pm retrieverman

     They are wasting so much movement and energy.

     
     
     • on October 21, 2009 at 12:44 am Jess

       You can find video on youtube of afghans that run well. ‘Runs well’ becomes relative when compared to other sighthounds, however, as they are significantly slower. I don’t know why, since their basic anatomy is not hugely different than many Salukis (remember, I am a land race person.)

       
       
     • on October 22, 2009 at 1:45 am Pai

       When I watched that first clip, I was reminded of rocking horses… just the exaggerated bobbing movement.

       
       
       • on October 22, 2009 at 1:54 am retrieverman

         Have you ever seen them walk in the ring?

         They have a springy gait that is really hard to describe.

         
         
         • on October 22, 2009 at 10:11 pm Jess

           ‘Spring-loaded’ is about the best I can do. Like the joints are under tension and almost snap back. A good Afghan should have what I call the ‘boing’, be able to jump up a great distance vertically, jump up and down on the hind legs easily, jump obstacles easily. They should not have movement that involves flinging the feet about, and it should not be so exaggerated as to become inefficient. The extreme upright head carriage preferred in the ring is actually detrimental to running, there should be a balance between the characteristic springy movement, head carriage, and the running ability.

           
           
           • on October 22, 2009 at 10:55 pm retrieverman

             If retrievers ran like that, they would have problems.

             
             
3. on October 20, 2009 at 5:50 pm Jess

   I posted a reply last night with a bunch of links in it. It must’ve gotten an error, I’ll try again.

   
   
   • on October 20, 2009 at 6:11 pm retrieverman

     Please try it again.

     
     
4. on October 21, 2009 at 4:31 am Rinalia

   I am certainly no sighthound expert, but I’m surprised that black dog in the first clip didn’t just collapse beneath all that coat! I can’t imagine any rabbit would be impressed.

   I remember seeing a video a couple years ago of Afghans hunting in, well, gosh, I think was Afghanistan. I could tell they were Afghans, but they were such a far cry physically and in their movement from the few Afghans I’ve met in person (who were all hair).

   
   

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