AFGHAN HOUND AUSTRALIA NEWSLETTER (Page 2)

(VOLUME 1 NUMBER 2 SUMMER 1997)

THE AFGHAN HOUND DISCUSSION

Continued From the last issue; unless otherwise acknowledged, references are from Wendye Slatyer's RNSWCC Official Lecture to the Judge's Training Schame and other published articles.

You have all heard the expression 'to move right a dog has to be built right'. However in fact this really means to move right FOR THE BREED, a dog has to be built right FOR THE BREED. Pekingese should not move like Shih Tzus, British Bulldogs like French Bulldogs, Gordon Setters like Irish Setters, Old English like Beardies, Belgian Shepherds like German Shepherds and so it goes on.

This was never more true than in Afghan Hounds, which probably more than any other breed, require their very special hallmarks to be present to the maximum degree, and to have perfect balance and total harmony, with each part working in conjunction with the other. This is because the hallmarks of the Afghan Hound are absolutely unique, and not required by any other breed.

In the Afghan Hound, it is not possible to properly understand any particular area without seeing it in relationship'to others, as they mus't all be 'right' or the final result will not be the same, either standing or moving. Therefore we apologise in advance for going into such detail about the forequarters and for quoting so many noted authorities - we found so much fantastic material it was just too difficult to edit everything down. We will probably do the same with feet, pasterns, hindquarters and gait!! As we said, total understanding of the relationship of each part to the other is essential to the proper appreciation of the Afghan Hound.

And so we come to the forequarters and neck, but in order to discuss them we must also touch on PROPORTION, OUTLINE, PASTERNS and FEET, all of which will be discussed in more detail later on.

In a recent issue of Afghan Hound Review, the following critique from Harry Bennett appeared and we reproduce it here because it is so relevant to what needs to be born in mind when first you look at an Afghan Hound... 'His squareness and his beautiful balance were certainly outstanding. He was sound and great-moving for a dog of his or any other age. He had the strength and elasticitiy in his movement that I like to see. He was very efidently set under himself in front and rear, not waiting for trouser enhancement.

Web Editors Note. Please see the AHA homepage for links to several illustrations which support these notes. In particular, please click here to see the illustration for ANGLES

In his seven months of life his innocence could not overshadow his majestic demeanour. There was no question that this puppy was "The Boy Who Would Be King".'

In all dogs, the term "lay of shoulder" refers to where the centre line of the scapula is extended past the topline. It should form a 45° angle with the topline (Angle A). The second term which needs to be thoroughly understood is 'forehand angulation', and this refers to the area where the lower end of the shoulder blade meets the bones of the upper arm. Ideally this is at 90° To obtain maximum function of the forehand, both angles need to be as close as possible to these ideals.

In the early 70's, in articles which were originally written for The AKC Gazette Herman Fellton (Mandith, USA) wrote ... 'The Afghan liound, like....any other breed, must be balanced not only in the proportions of its various parts but also in its angulation fore and aft. We all recognise that the hind legs have a different function to perform than do the front legs in propelling the animal and therefore have somewhat different assemblies.

The shoulder blade (scapula) may be set in at an angle of 45° with the horizontal (see angle A). On the other hand the most effective angle for the hip bone is 30° with the horizontal (see angle D). If we require that the upper arm (humerus) meet the shoulder blade at an angle of 90° (see angle B) and the thigh bone (femur) sets into the hip bone at an angle of 90° (see angle E). some additional angles are necessary to allow the legs to support the animal and to perform their proper function.

In the front legs, the additional change of direction (angle) is at the elbow where the upper arm meets the forearm (radius and ulna) (see angle C). In the rear legs, two additional changes of direction are required: at the stifle where the femur meets the leg bones (tibia and fibula) (see angle F) and at the hockjoint where the leg bones meet the hock or rear pastern (tarsal bones) (see angle G).

The angulation (the totality of the two angles mentioned above) of the front assembly is a governing factor of the "reach" of the front legs, while the three angles of the rear assembly govern the "drive" of the rear legs. They should be in balance with each other. If they are not, we see overreaching, crabbing, side-winding, pacing and other manifestations of a faulty gait. We may also see excessive vertical movement...' (Editor's note: Other factors which may cause faulty gait will be discussed later.)

Forequarters are probably the most contentious issue in Afghan Hounds today - and increasingly becoming more so in almost every breed. We will also deal in this issue of course with neck as it is an indivisible component of correct forehands and refer to pasterns and feet as they are particularly important to an Afghan Hound and you cannot have the correct feet in this breed unless they are allied to correct pasterns with both the requisite length and slope.

The entire construction of the Afghan Hound should be unique, and in order to understand these special features, it is first necessary to view Afghan Hound skeletons in contrast with that of other breeds. Specifically for this exercise, we have chosen those of the German Shepherd and the Dachshund, which should represent "anatomical perfection" as we understand it from text books, particularly with reference to angulation .

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