This Site Chosen By Microsoft As THE Afghan Web Link for Encarta
Afghan Hound Database and Breed Information Exchange
(Afghan Hound Debate- preserve the original Afghan Hound?)
This Site Chosen By Microsoft As THE Afghan Web Link for Encarta
Afghan Hound Database and Breed Information Exchange
(Afghan Hound People Listing By Country)AFGHAN HOUND DEBATE
Response 002
Date: 20 Dec 1996
From: Sandy Barnett 101657.3343@compuserve.com
To: Jhickie
Dear Mr Hickie
What an interesting question you pose!
The first description of the Afghan was one in the Indian Kennel Gazette of the Afghan Zardin. The first "breed standard" (1926) described a plains type afghan, the next "breed standard" (1927) described a mountain type afghan. The current "breed standard" was drawn up by a group of people who were either mountain, plains or "blended" type followers - as such they developed a "hybrid breed standard" - ie they developed "one" standard that covered "several different" types of afghans. This standard was based not on WHAT THE AFGHAN WAS ORIGINALLY (ie - in the 1920's) but on WHAT THE AFGHAN HAD BECOME by the late 1940's. Do you doubt this statement? Well, in the early 80's a Mrs Kench Owen wrote in a glossy afghan magazine about the "negotiations" that occured within the US standard making committee. Mrs K Owen states that the US standard for descripton of coat was changed from "long and silky" to "long, thick and silky" and goes on to explain that this was because Leah McConah , a member of the committee, owned a dog called Aly Khyber which had a "thick stand off coat". Similarly Marjorie Lapthorp argued for size to be less than the 28" because here line of dogs were arouhnd 27". Eventually Leah McConah won his point on coat and Marjorie Lapthorp won her point on size. I think we call this horse trading dont we? The point is, todays reference point (the US/UK breed standards), are based on what the breeders of the late 1940's agreed the Afghan should be, at that time - 1947/8. Well... todays dogs look nothing like they did 50 years ago do they! So are breeders failing to preserve??
When people breed a litter, what criteria do they base it on? Do they assess all the pros and cons of the parents, grandparents, great grandparents , assisted with a knowledge of genetics, dominance, recessive traits etc?. Here's a test for your breeders - look at your favorite dogs pedigree and describe in some meaningful detail the eight grandparents - points such colour, height, eye colour, eye shape, proportions etc etc. If your breeders cant do this, how then can they breed with any confidence of how the litter will turn out? Are all the attributes of the ancestors in the pedigree, considered against the points of the breed standard and the best choice of matings then decided?
Breeders breed dogs for a variety of reasons, but in one respect the Afghan is a bit unique. In the UK the Afghan is about 80th in a list of 180 breeds in terms of number of dogs registered each year. For example, there may be 16,000 GSD's registered each year compared to 800 Afghans - yet the Afghan always has more entries at shows than GSD's. At championship shows the Afghan is always one of the highest entries, usually within the top 6 breeds. As a proportion of their registrations, more afghans are shown than most other breeds. The Afghan is first and foremost a show dog - and that is what breeders breed!
Mr Hickie, I think you have posed an excellent question, and to me, the anwer is quite clear. Breeders are breeding and "developing" a show dog, increasingly so. This raises a fundamental question - whats the point of breed standards if they are no longer influencing the development and/or preservation of the breed?
I look forward to following your debate, thank you for initiating it.
Sandy Barnett (UK)