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Afghan Hound

gilpster

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Hi I'm new to this forum but am an experienced dog owner, having come from a family who bred working terriers and I then went on to own boxers from my teens to date when the last one died recently. I currently have a lovely 5yr old dalmation and I would also love to own an afghan hound, (as a pet only)... BUT I have two children one age almost 3yrs and the other 4yrs. I also have a cat and a couple of rabbits.

I have read a lot around the afghan breed and have an idea what I would be taking on, but a number of people have tried to put me off with tales of aggressiveness towards young children and small animals.

I have found a breeder who tells me that providing the afghan is raised with cats/dogs/young children, then there will not be a problem and she thinks we would make a good home. Recently a contact who used to breed affies in the 80's told me that I would be "inviting a killer" into my house by taking on an afghan and it's really un-nerved me as obviously my children's welfare is paramount over my own desire to own an afghan.

Does anyone have any advice here? My husband thinks we should go for a whippet instead and wait until the kids are older before thinking of an afghan.

Our dalmation is well behaved, no aggressiveness at all and has a daily walk of 1 to 2 hours. She isn't trustworthy around small animals or livestock and has selective recall hearing so I'm used to the idea of a sighthound being the same.
 
I have a afghan, she is 13yrs old this year and she is a wonderful old girl but she is very wary of strangers and very territorial. With people she lives with she is the softest daftest cuddle monster when she wants to be, I have never considered her to be untrustworthy but I havent any children at home. I think that you should consider however that afghans are a lot of work, the coat is a huge undertaking and changes as puppies move into adults require a huge amount of dedication if your afghan is not to turn into a matted mess. I keep our old girl clipped now so she doesnt have to be bothered but that in itself is expensive. Also they are originally a guarding breed and that should not be underestimated.

Im not trying to put you off but affies are a lot of work. We have Jazz and four non ped whippets and I do have to say the whippets are so much easier

I hope that helps
 
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Hello

We had an Afghan hound when I was growing up but my brother was about 6 when we got the dog, so not as small as your two. We were told by the owner (we rescued him) that the dog had snapped at a child but were assured this was because the child had deliberately stamped on the poor dog. Zak was the softest dog in the world with us - I remember using him as a pillow when he lay down! - but once my Dad decided to see whether he was really soft and stupid by conducting an ill advised 'burglar' experiment....

Coming in off a night shift at about 6am,total darkness, Dad decided not to greet Zak as usual but stayed quiet. He came in the porch, entered the living room...and found afghan hound jaws firmly placed around the back of his neck...

I tell this not as a sign of Afghan nastiness (we never saw this in Zak, but we were always careful and always told very young children to stay away) but an example of guarding behaviour. They are crap off lead (we had to be in enclosed areas before we could let him off, recall non existant). Zak also had separation anxiety and howled like demon if we went out - but again we didn't know if this was typical affie or because of his past. I would have one again but with young children I'm afraid the work involved in Afghan coats would put me off, and I'm not usre I'd recommend any breed of pup with kids so young, just because you can't be everywhere at once (although many people on here have got sighthounds and small kids together with no probs) As for behaviour with small animals, look at this:

DSC_1381.jpg


He used to eat food out of the same bowl as the rabbits!

Our whippets are fab, and I'd always recommend them with kids due to temperament, but again with pups as you know they nip, mouth, jump up and scratch (long nails) and you can't always be in the room. Ours are pretty well trained but still jump up at kids for a kiss if we are not on the ball and could scratch or knock them over. You can never tell how a kid will react, although yours will already be used to dogs of course.

I'd wait a bit longer for the affie and maybe get a whippet in a year or two.

Hope this helps.
 
Hi, i have 2 Affies & honestly would NOT recommend them with young children and/or small furries.

However, i also have whippets & would recommend them without any hesitation, they have wonderful temperaments & are absolutely great if bought up with young children & cats etc.

What you have to remember about Affies is altho one may have the sweetest temperament they can also be totally unpredictable & they act on their instincts, unlike a whippet that if annoyed or aggrevated they may give a warning growl or bark, an affie doesnt, it will go straight in for the kill & i have seen this personally. They are not a dog that wants to please you, they want to please themselves.

They want to be fussed on their own terms when they feel like it NOT when you want to fuss them. They are incredibly high maintenance even if you clip the coat down. Also from experience i personally would say they are NOT a pack dog & far prefer to be "the only one".

Please think carefully, in my honest opinion i think you would be far happier with a whippet & it would be a wonderful companion for your children, in hindsight altho i love my affies dearly if people had of been honest with me & i had of been given the correct & truthful information on the breed i would have stuck to whippets any day.

I think an affie is suited to a quiet household with perhaps an older couple where they can be the only one & have all the time & care lavished on them that they deserve.

Good luck with whatever you choose.
 
Hi all,

many thanks for taking the time to reply to me and I have found all the information very helpful. I was already doubtful that this is the right time to have an afghan but was blinded a little by the fact that pretty much all the literature suggests they make good family pets. The fact that they are guard dogs is skirted over in much of the info which seems to concentrate more on the sighthound part of their temperament.

I have wanted one since I was about 9yrs old but I am happy to wait until a more appropriate time in the future.

I won't be put off by the grooming though! Thats one of the reasons I want one believe it or not!!

I'm not sure what to do now though as our elderly boxer died some time ago and we did want to get another dog eventually which would be a playmate for our dalmation Lucy, (who is the biggest softie), as well as being good with the kids. I completely take on board the info about whippet youngsters jumping up and mouthing etc, but I think pretty much all puppies do that and it would just be a matter of time and patience, as well as teaching the kids how to respond to the puppy.

Our children are very good with Lucy and have been raised to behave correctly around dogs, though I am aware that a dog is an animal and kids being kids are prone to being unpredictable themselves so I am not niave in thinking that there is a completely "safe" breed of dog out there.

I guess I wanted something which would compliment our family so that probably isn't going to be an affie?!

I have read quite a bit about whippets but have never known one.

They sound pretty much what we might be looking for but I really love going out for walks and am also a keen runner so the dalmation gets a good 1 hour exercise a day at least, and a few times a week I take her jogging.

Would this be too much for a whippet as I understood they are good for short bursts but not distance?
 
I think you are being very sensible & are obviously giving getting another dog lots of thought.

Whippet pups dont "jump up" or "mouth" any more or any less than any other pup, you are exactly right in what you are saying that it is the way the pup is brought up & the way the children are taught to respect it.

All i would say is that whippet pups at 8 weeks are quite tiny, so adequate care needs to be taken around young children & large dogs that the pup is not dropped or fell upon & obviously given ample time to rest somewhere safe & quiet whenever it wants to.

The exercise is to be built up gradually & whilst an hour jogging or walking would be way too much for a very young pup, once fully grown it would not be a problem, mine are happy to go walking round the lakes for 2-3 hours at a time & i know some people do take them out on bikes etc.
 
Hi all,many thanks for taking the time to reply to me and I have found all the information very helpful. I was already doubtful that this is the right time to have an afghan but was blinded a little by the fact that pretty much all the literature suggests they make good family pets. The fact that they are guard dogs is skirted over in much of the info which seems to concentrate more on the sighthound part of their temperament.

I have wanted one since I was about 9yrs old but I am happy to wait until a more appropriate time in the future.

I won't be put off by the grooming though! Thats one of the reasons I want one believe it or not!!

I'm not sure what to do now though as our elderly boxer died some time ago and we did want to get another dog eventually which would be a playmate for our dalmation Lucy, (who is the biggest softie), as well as being good with the kids. I completely take on board the info about whippet youngsters jumping up and mouthing etc, but I think pretty much all puppies do that and it would just be a matter of time and patience, as well as teaching the kids how to respond to the puppy.

Our children are very good with Lucy and have been raised to behave correctly around dogs, though I am aware that a dog is an animal and kids being kids are prone to being unpredictable themselves so I am not niave in thinking that there is a completely "safe" breed of dog out there.

I guess I wanted something which would compliment our family so that probably isn't going to be an affie?!

I have read quite a bit about whippets but have never known one.

They sound pretty much what we might be looking for but I really love going out for walks and am also a keen runner so the dalmation gets a good 1 hour exercise a day at least, and a few times a week I take her jogging.

Would this be too much for a whippet as I understood they are good for short bursts but not distance?
You could think about a greyhound or a lurcher, a retired racing greyhound (some are still younsters that have just not made the grade) will be happy to take as much exercise as you want to give it and they really are superb family pets once they have settled in.
 
Thanks again for all advice. It is so very much appreciated.

I had thought of a rescue greyhound but I have to consider the fact that my children are very young and I'm wary of having anything other than a puppy, (blank slate).

Please don't judge me on that as I really hate saying it and I feel guilty as I know there are so many adult dogs in need of loving homes, but I just cannot take the risk at this moment in time but for the future, absolutely yes.

I was planning on using a crate for another dog, mostly for it's own refuge as it might want time out from the family, (I know I do sometimes!).

Lucy is very soft and the cat often kicks her out of her own bed so there will be no worries about her, but you are right in that the children might accidentally fall over it or step on it and that is something to be aware of.

The exercise advice is reassuring and the more information I get about whippets the more I think that one would be a lovely addition to the family....
 
Thanks again for all advice. It is so very much appreciated.I had thought of a rescue greyhound but I have to consider the fact that my children are very young and I'm wary of having anything other than a puppy, (blank slate).

Please don't judge me on that as I really hate saying it and I feel guilty as I know there are so many adult dogs in need of loving homes, but I just cannot take the risk at this moment in time but for the future, absolutely yes.

I was planning on using a crate for another dog, mostly for it's own refuge as it might want time out from the family, (I know I do sometimes!).

Lucy is very soft and the cat often kicks her out of her own bed so there will be no worries about her, but you are right in that the children might accidentally fall over it or step on it and that is something to be aware of.

The exercise advice is reassuring and the more information I get about whippets the more I think that one would be a lovely addition to the family....
Not judging at all - in fact we had to do the same thing. My brother had a very upsetting time with a rescue dog, after 4 years of trying absolutely everything the dog had to be returned to Dog's Trust. I have a 12 year old son with social/ communication difficulties and absolutely could not risk this happening to us, however small the risk, as if he got attached and then the dog had to go, this would have affected him for a very, very long time. This is why we got pups.

I know most rescue dogs are a joy but we just couldn't risk it - however I do volunteer at a greyhound rescue kennels, taking the dogs for walks and socialising them and know that this is what I want to do when the lads have left home - rehome greys/ lurchers, especially the golden oldies and black ones that people overlook:wub:

We got our whippies with a view to taking long walks when on holidays/ at weekends etc but knew this wouldn't be possible everyday - during the week they get about an hour a day. The great thing about whips is if you can't take them out for a long walk, they don't go loopy! However, if you are taking long walks everyday with your Dalmatian anyway, really consider a lurcher pup. They are better in bad weather, have more energy, would be bigger more robust pups and would be a comparable size to the Dalmatian when fully grown. They are bloody cute as well - I love the scruffy rough coated ones ;)
 
Worth remembering there are lots of pups in rescue, too, not just adult dogs :)
 
I think maybe a lurcher might be a bit too big for our family.... my cousin had one years ago and it was the size of a horse and loopy too!

Our dalmation is smaller than average so probably a whippet would compliment her better, and she's pretty soft too so I don't want her to get knocked about.

I'm not going to do anything about it until end of July as we have some holidays planned, so time to search and keep an eye out in the rescue centers for puppies too.

Once again, thanks for all the helpful advice.
 
I think maybe a lurcher might be a bit too big for our family.... my cousin had one years ago and it was the size of a horse and loopy too!
Hiya

Lurchers come in all sizes depending on what it is crossed with. A lurcher is a cross between any sighthound and another non sighthound dog - so you could have a whippet crossed with a Bedlington terrier which gives you a dog the size of the big whippets (about 21/22 inches at the shoulder.) The one you saw probably had deerhound in it which would account for its mahoosiveness and strength!! It's temperament and intelligence would also depend on the cross eg it could have collie in there for intelligence and obedience or terrier for working/ stamina etc. I wouldn't rule them out completely. I'm definitely getting a beddy whippet one at some point. :D :D Google them so you can see the sizes.

Esty
 
I agree that Bedlington/whippet crosses are incredibly cute... though I would be worried as to how much terrier personality was in there?!
 
I agree that Bedlington/whippet crosses are incredibly cute... though I would be worried as to how much terrier personality was in there?!

I would totally agree with you. Have to say i am not a fan of terrier temperaments. Stick with your original idea of a whippet pup & you wont go far wrong :)
 
Yes indeed! My dad bred terriers throughout my childhood and I don't fancy all that again.

Anyway, after days of research have now decided that we are definitely going to go for a whippet puppy so its now a case of finding one.

... watch this space!
 
In my home we have a lurcher...three quarter whippet an one quarter beddy. A whippet. A large lurcher. A 2 year old Afghan. A nearly 4 month Afghan pup.

Love them all to bits

The large lurcher is the most vocal and a complete cuddle monster.

The little lurcher loves to learn tricks an loves to jump on the kitchen table

The whippet thinks its his divine right to sleep with me

The adult afghan makes me feel safe as he will make a noise if he thinks some is amiss.

The pup is learning not to piddle in the kitchen

They all have their plusses.....and negatives.....wouldn't swap any of them!

Good luck with your choice
 
wow! That sounds like a busy home!

I really do adore afghans.... another time for me is sensible I think, though interesting that the affies are in a multi-dog household.

Do they all get along?
 
All my mutts get along together :)

4 of them sleep in my room every night.

Our smallest lurcher sleeps in my daughters room....he is her muttley.

Affies are lovely dogs (they are a huge commitment because of the grooming)....my two are very different.....one is quite aloof and doesn't like lots of fuss, whereas the other is a cuddly boy.

Both my affies are entire, 2 of my other boys are neutered because of health and rescue policies.
 
I have 3 Lurchers

all differnt sizes.

Pepa stands at 22" and a cuddle monster sleeps with daugter.3 years old

Phoebe stands at 23" she's a rescue can be very nervy with starngers and shys away from them shes my babie follows me like my shadow she sleeps with daugter.not sure on age?

Pagan stands at 27" hes one on his own very bounsey but hes the baby and will carm down fingers crossed sleeps with us. coming up to 12months.

wouldent be without any of them trying to talk OH into another but know luck as YET :b

when we get a bigger house and more land would like an irshwolfhound.
 

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