Dog Breeds: The Greyhound

The first documentation mentioning this speedy canine occurred in 1016 when they were included in the Forest Laws made by King Canute. Interestingly, dogs with a similar appearance were carved into Egyptian tombs, dating back 4000 years, which leads one to believe that their origin may have been the middle east, and that they were brought to Great Britain by the Celts who picked them up during their wide ranging travels.

Greyhounds, which can run at speeds up to 37 miles per hour (60 Kilometres per hour), were originally used for large game coursing. In more modern times, this gentle, affectionate, kindly canine has been used in coursing, racing and as companion dogs. They enjoy interacting with children, so can be considered as family pets. Because of their coursing background, it is advisable to keep greyhounds away from rabbits, cats and small dogs.

Greyhounds weigh from 60 to 70 pounds (27-32 Kg) and stand 27 to 30 inches (68 – 76 cm) in height. Their life expectancy is 10 to 12 years.

Greyhounds that have been rescued or retired from racing establishments make great companion dogs, but they chase anything that moves. Because they seldom bark and are used to spending long periods of time in relatively small spaces (being carted from race track to race track in small dog crates or vehicle mounted kennels) they make excellent dogs for apartment dwellers.

Greyhounds have a long relatively wide face and a flat skull. They have a capacious chest which provides ample space for their heart and lungs. Their forelegs are long, straight and well boned. They have fine close hair coloured white, fawn, red, red-brindle, black-brindle and black, plus combinations of the aforementioned colours. Their neck is long, arched and muscular. Their ears are small, fine textured and rose shaped at the base.

Greyhounds enjoy going for walks and if turned loose in a field they will run about. If you want an affectionate companion dog, then you may want to consider getting a greyhound.

Until next time,

Teia

Dog Breeds: The Afghan Hound

Sometimes called the Tazi or the Baluchi Hound, the Afghan Hound is one of the more glamourous of the large breed of dogs. It stands about 25 to 29 inches tall (63-74 cm), weighs 50 to 60 lbs (23-27 Kg) and has a life expectancy of 12 to 14 years.

It has a beautiful long coat and comes in just about any colour. This long coat has one drawback as the dog tends to develop hairballs from grooming itself. There have been incidents where some of these dogs have choked to death on a large hairball, so owners are encouraged to groom Afghans daily to remove any loose hair.

The dogs originated in Afghanistan, hence the name, but they can now be found nearly everywhere. As well as being used as pets, show dogs and herd dogs, because of their strength and speed, Afghans are frequently used in dog races in many countries. They are also highly regarded as excellent competitors in agility trials.

Afghans have an Oriental expression and their eyes appear to look right through you, presenting a very aloof and dignified temperament. Some owners find this breed's Oriental or Eastern personality hard to handle. As well, with their strength and speed, they require extensive obedience training which can be difficult as they have a reputation of being difficult to train. In spite of this, many people hold these dogs in very high regard. One way to ease the difficulty in training is to utilize this breed's strong pack allegiance. Since a daily walk is required to prevent the dog from developing behaviour problems, the Afghan should be made to heel beside or behind the person holding the leash. This will reinforce the dog's natural instinct that the “pack leader” always goes first. In this way the dog will learn that the human is always first and must be obeyed because they are the “pack leader”. With this in mind, the owner should also teach their Afghan to enter and exit doorways after the human.

Afghans have four very distinctive features. Many have a ring (tight curl) at the end of their tail and a saddle of short course hair from the front shoulders to just in front of the hind quarters. Most also have a long topknot and all have high hip bones.

Afghan owners should be aware that this breed has a very high prey drive and as a result they usually do not get along with other small animals, so they should be tightly controlled when around small pets.

So, if you would like a large regal looking dog, you should consider the Afghan Hound as one of the top contenders.

Until next time,

Teia