Caring And Grooming For Your Afghan Hound
- By Chris Rundell
- Published 12/8/2006
- Dogs
- Unrated
Chris Rundell
Chris Rundell is a retired Navy Veteran. He owns and operates Advance Diagnostic Services. Specializing in mobile automotive diagnostics and technician training. Chris writes on various subjects, in addition to 2 local news publications in his hometown. http://mobilediag.net/3
View all articles by Chris Rundell
CARING FOR THE AFGHAN HOUND AS A PET
Ok, now I know some of you reading this have seen an Afghan Hound and exclaimed at their marvelous coats, and either thought to yourselves or said aloud to the owner "How do you take care of that?" Well, our hope is that this will help to enlighten some fanciers, or new owners, of this truly marvelous and unique breed on how to care for your Afghan Hound! I also hope that this will give more confidence to those who love and would like to own an afghan but were intimidated or disueded by the coat care. They are a wonderful breed. Grooming is only one part of it. Think of it this way, all dogs need to be groomed regularly, afghans just a little longer. This also gives you more time to spend with your afghan. You will find that if you take care of them regularly, it is really not a big deal and you will learn to remember all of the other wonderful and endearing qualities of this breed. I will take you through a journey of the afghan coat from puppyhood to maturity and other important grooming factors. So sit back, enjoy and prepare to be enlightened!
THE PUPPY COAT
This section deals with the puppy coat from 9 weeks to 14 months in males and 9 weeks up to their first season in bitches. My reasoning for separating the bitches from the dogs(males) will be explained further on.
Most afghan puppies have a very resilient coat, it is soft in texture and wonderfully fluffy! You will note that at about the age of 3 to 4 months your Afghan Hound puppy will start to grow fuzzies on his or her face, do not despair this is quite normal! They are lovingly known as MONKEY WHISKERS!! This is one of the many endearing qualities of the afghan hound puppy. At this age the coat is quite simple to take care of. You should start them on a bathing/grooming routine. Pick a day once every week for your puppies bath and a good brush through. At this time it is helpful to teach your puppy to lay down to be groomed. This will be most helpful when they have their full adult coats. It is important to make sure while blow drying your puppy that you are mindful of the temperature of your dryer should you chose one with different heat settings. Because of their thick coats, they can become very hot quickly and this is VERY uncomfortable. You want to make his grooming routine something comfortable and enjoyable as you will be spending a large amount of his/her life grooming them. A well taken care of and regularly groomed Afghan Hound is truly a sight to behold!
Also at this age you should pay special attention to their feet. Afghans can grow quite a sensitivity to having their feet touched, so be sure to handle their feet often. Do not make this a forceful issue. If you like, you can teach him to be good about his feet by treating him with something tasty every time he lets you hold his feet. This will make your life easier and your puppies grooming period so much more pleasant. Be sure to check ears and clean them regularly as they get dirty fairly easily.
Teeth are also important. Make sure you check them regularly for any sores, discomfort, bleeding, swelling, redness, lumps or discoloration. If you notice anything or are worried give your vet a call or set up an appointment to have them checked out. There are a few different ways to keep teeth clean. They have special chew toys or bones, there is brushing their teeth. A special note on this DO NOT use human tooth brushes, they have ones made especially for dogs, and DO NOT use human toothpaste! Most don't find it appealing. A lot of people use a baking soda water mixture. This is bland and doesn't seem to offend them as much. Also there are special toothpastes for dogs with flavors they will find appealing, like beef flavored. This takes time for the dog to get used to so start when they are this age, 9 weeks. And last but not least there is laser cleaning, this your vet will do, it is a simple procedure for those who do not want to brush the teeth themselves.
GROOMING TOOLS
Like I said earlier, the afghan puppy coat is pretty tough and resilient. Important tools to have on hand are a slicker brush, this can be used on a puppy coat. I do not recommend using it on an adult coat though it has a tendency to break and pull out the coat. An adult coat is very different in type then a puppy. I will explain this further on. A pin brush, preferably one with longer pins to get through the coat. DO NOT use brushes with the little balls on the tips of the pins. The hair gets tangled around them and pulls which is very uncomfortable!!! You will need a good comb, most supply companies provide a variety of these to choose from. This will be useful when they are at their adolescent age. This I will explain further in the next section. I do not recommend a mat rake. If they are not used properly they can be quite painful. They also rip out a lot of coat and their coats don't look very nice after using a mat rake. Daily brushing almost always prevents having to use a mat rake. Also a good tool but not absolutely necessary is a pumice or stripping stone. This can be used on adolescent dogs during their transition phase. It will help bring out their short haired saddle, also a most endearing quali
ty of the Afghan Hound. This is up to you. And most importantly, you need a good shampoo and conditioner, There are a TON of different types of shampoo, you can check out our coat care section for the types of shampoo we like to use. We found on our coats they work best. I don't recommend cream rinses, I personally haven't found one I like, they don't condition the coat as well as a regular conditioner because they are rinsed out immediately after putting it in so it has no time to sink into the hair follicles and soften. A good conditioner will help you through the transition age. Those are the most common and important tools to have on hand for grooming your pet Afghan.
THE ADOLESCENT AGE
I would have to say this is the age a lot of first time owners will have a tendency to give their Afghans back to the breeders. This is also known as the Transition age. It begins anywhere from 10 -14 months in males and starts anywhere from 10 months to their first season in bitches. Although it is most common for the bitches to transition 9 weeks after their first season. To clear up the meaning of "Transitioning". Transition period is when a young afghan starts approaching sexual maturity. At this point the coat will start changing from a fluffy puppy coat to a softer adult coat. The coat at this age can be very difficult to care for. It has a tendency to mat VERY quickly and quite often. At this age it is IMPERATIVE that you brush and bath them on a regular bases or you will end up with quite a mess on your hands. Males and females transition differently. After a female afghan comes out of her season, approximately 9 weeks later, you will notice that the coat will start coming out as you brush them. Do not despair, this is quite normal. It usually only last about a month. If you can get through this age then the rest of their lives are a breeze!! Some bitches will loose a large portion of their coats and some will keep most of it. It just depends on the individual dog. The males however do not loose a lot of their coat, but it will change in texture. Like the bitches, the coat will go from being fluffy and thick to softer, silkier, and will lay flat against the body. This is the beginnings of their adult coat. It can take an Afghan anywhere from 3-5 years to grow his full adult coat.
Note: Mats
The mats on a transitioning adolescent can be a little tricky to get out. So I will explain how to pick them out. First I would like to say though, it is much easier to deal with this age if you take some time every day to give them a good thorough brush. It will help keep the mats out and this time will seem to go by a lot quicker. But, should you end up with mats, the best way to get out mats at this age is to use a slicker brush, be careful not to brush in the same area of the mat for to long as this type of brush can be a little harsh on the skin. Simply hold the mat in your hand, brush in the other, and brush through the mat first at a diagonal then down the center, this will help break up the mat, continue to do so until the tangle is out. Another method of picking out tangles is with the metal comb. This can be quite useful on smaller mats. When using the comb to pick out a tangle, DO NOT , I repeat DO NOT, start at the base of the mat at the skin and rip the comb through. This is EXTREMELY painful, it rips hair out, and is likely to make brushing time a bad thing in your dogs mind. Instead work through the mat from the very tip and pick the hair apart. This saves your dogs from unnecessary pain and is a lot quicker. When using a comb, something else useful is some type of oil, for example, I use Cowboy Majic which you can get from some pet supply catalog's but cost a lot less at a horse tack shop. You can also get it in larger amounts at tack shops. We are lucky we live just miles from the famous Saratoga Race Track!! You can also use Show Sheen which can be found at tack shops or pet supply catalog's. Another good one is Woopie Oil, this is found only in pet supply catalog's.
Like I said this can be a difficult age, but if you just bare with it for about a month, the adult coat is simple to take care of. Trust me, we have been through this age a lot and I assure you there is light at the end of the tunnel!!! And I assure you it is well worth the work. When you get through it you can pat yourself on the back. You have survived the most difficult part of the Afghan coat. After this, the coat is a breeze!
THE MATURE ADULT AFGHAN COAT
PHEEWW!! Well you got through that age, from here on out its smooth sailing. At this point the coat will grow in length but is a lot more manageable. Most of the care of an adult coat is weekly bathing and brushing. You will, from time to time, get a tangle but mostly from environmental things like sap or sticks and twigs. Also you need to examine pads for cuts or things that may be caught. Also, it is important that you keep the hair from the bottoms of their feet between the pads scissored out. During the winter time they can get snow balls and ice caught in the hair. This experience is not fun for the dog. Coat care on this breed is mostly just being dedicated to weekly grooming. I do know from personal experience though that it is so worth work. They are such unique breed, and have so much to offer in love and affection, and a few laughs here and there (this afghans are known quite well for, as they are quite comical at times). Well I hope this has been of some help and perhaps has helped someone who would give a good home to an afghan but was intimidated by the work.
For more information on Afghans Hounds please visit: http://www.afghansbyrodin.com
Ok, now I know some of you reading this have seen an Afghan Hound and exclaimed at their marvelous coats, and either thought to yourselves or said aloud to the owner "How do you take care of that?" Well, our hope is that this will help to enlighten some fanciers, or new owners, of this truly marvelous and unique breed on how to care for your Afghan Hound! I also hope that this will give more confidence to those who love and would like to own an afghan but were intimidated or disueded by the coat care. They are a wonderful breed. Grooming is only one part of it. Think of it this way, all dogs need to be groomed regularly, afghans just a little longer. This also gives you more time to spend with your afghan. You will find that if you take care of them regularly, it is really not a big deal and you will learn to remember all of the other wonderful and endearing qualities of this breed. I will take you through a journey of the afghan coat from puppyhood to maturity and other important grooming factors. So sit back, enjoy and prepare to be enlightened!
THE PUPPY COAT
This section deals with the puppy coat from 9 weeks to 14 months in males and 9 weeks up to their first season in bitches. My reasoning for separating the bitches from the dogs(males) will be explained further on.
Most afghan puppies have a very resilient coat, it is soft in texture and wonderfully fluffy! You will note that at about the age of 3 to 4 months your Afghan Hound puppy will start to grow fuzzies on his or her face, do not despair this is quite normal! They are lovingly known as MONKEY WHISKERS!! This is one of the many endearing qualities of the afghan hound puppy. At this age the coat is quite simple to take care of. You should start them on a bathing/grooming routine. Pick a day once every week for your puppies bath and a good brush through. At this time it is helpful to teach your puppy to lay down to be groomed. This will be most helpful when they have their full adult coats. It is important to make sure while blow drying your puppy that you are mindful of the temperature of your dryer should you chose one with different heat settings. Because of their thick coats, they can become very hot quickly and this is VERY uncomfortable. You want to make his grooming routine something comfortable and enjoyable as you will be spending a large amount of his/her life grooming them. A well taken care of and regularly groomed Afghan Hound is truly a sight to behold!
Also at this age you should pay special attention to their feet. Afghans can grow quite a sensitivity to having their feet touched, so be sure to handle their feet often. Do not make this a forceful issue. If you like, you can teach him to be good about his feet by treating him with something tasty every time he lets you hold his feet. This will make your life easier and your puppies grooming period so much more pleasant. Be sure to check ears and clean them regularly as they get dirty fairly easily.
Teeth are also important. Make sure you check them regularly for any sores, discomfort, bleeding, swelling, redness, lumps or discoloration. If you notice anything or are worried give your vet a call or set up an appointment to have them checked out. There are a few different ways to keep teeth clean. They have special chew toys or bones, there is brushing their teeth. A special note on this DO NOT use human tooth brushes, they have ones made especially for dogs, and DO NOT use human toothpaste! Most don't find it appealing. A lot of people use a baking soda water mixture. This is bland and doesn't seem to offend them as much. Also there are special toothpastes for dogs with flavors they will find appealing, like beef flavored. This takes time for the dog to get used to so start when they are this age, 9 weeks. And last but not least there is laser cleaning, this your vet will do, it is a simple procedure for those who do not want to brush the teeth themselves.
GROOMING TOOLS
Like I said earlier, the afghan puppy coat is pretty tough and resilient. Important tools to have on hand are a slicker brush, this can be used on a puppy coat. I do not recommend using it on an adult coat though it has a tendency to break and pull out the coat. An adult coat is very different in type then a puppy. I will explain this further on. A pin brush, preferably one with longer pins to get through the coat. DO NOT use brushes with the little balls on the tips of the pins. The hair gets tangled around them and pulls which is very uncomfortable!!! You will need a good comb, most supply companies provide a variety of these to choose from. This will be useful when they are at their adolescent age. This I will explain further in the next section. I do not recommend a mat rake. If they are not used properly they can be quite painful. They also rip out a lot of coat and their coats don't look very nice after using a mat rake. Daily brushing almost always prevents having to use a mat rake. Also a good tool but not absolutely necessary is a pumice or stripping stone. This can be used on adolescent dogs during their transition phase. It will help bring out their short haired saddle, also a most endearing quali
THE ADOLESCENT AGE
I would have to say this is the age a lot of first time owners will have a tendency to give their Afghans back to the breeders. This is also known as the Transition age. It begins anywhere from 10 -14 months in males and starts anywhere from 10 months to their first season in bitches. Although it is most common for the bitches to transition 9 weeks after their first season. To clear up the meaning of "Transitioning". Transition period is when a young afghan starts approaching sexual maturity. At this point the coat will start changing from a fluffy puppy coat to a softer adult coat. The coat at this age can be very difficult to care for. It has a tendency to mat VERY quickly and quite often. At this age it is IMPERATIVE that you brush and bath them on a regular bases or you will end up with quite a mess on your hands. Males and females transition differently. After a female afghan comes out of her season, approximately 9 weeks later, you will notice that the coat will start coming out as you brush them. Do not despair, this is quite normal. It usually only last about a month. If you can get through this age then the rest of their lives are a breeze!! Some bitches will loose a large portion of their coats and some will keep most of it. It just depends on the individual dog. The males however do not loose a lot of their coat, but it will change in texture. Like the bitches, the coat will go from being fluffy and thick to softer, silkier, and will lay flat against the body. This is the beginnings of their adult coat. It can take an Afghan anywhere from 3-5 years to grow his full adult coat.
Note: Mats
The mats on a transitioning adolescent can be a little tricky to get out. So I will explain how to pick them out. First I would like to say though, it is much easier to deal with this age if you take some time every day to give them a good thorough brush. It will help keep the mats out and this time will seem to go by a lot quicker. But, should you end up with mats, the best way to get out mats at this age is to use a slicker brush, be careful not to brush in the same area of the mat for to long as this type of brush can be a little harsh on the skin. Simply hold the mat in your hand, brush in the other, and brush through the mat first at a diagonal then down the center, this will help break up the mat, continue to do so until the tangle is out. Another method of picking out tangles is with the metal comb. This can be quite useful on smaller mats. When using the comb to pick out a tangle, DO NOT , I repeat DO NOT, start at the base of the mat at the skin and rip the comb through. This is EXTREMELY painful, it rips hair out, and is likely to make brushing time a bad thing in your dogs mind. Instead work through the mat from the very tip and pick the hair apart. This saves your dogs from unnecessary pain and is a lot quicker. When using a comb, something else useful is some type of oil, for example, I use Cowboy Majic which you can get from some pet supply catalog's but cost a lot less at a horse tack shop. You can also get it in larger amounts at tack shops. We are lucky we live just miles from the famous Saratoga Race Track!! You can also use Show Sheen which can be found at tack shops or pet supply catalog's. Another good one is Woopie Oil, this is found only in pet supply catalog's.
Like I said this can be a difficult age, but if you just bare with it for about a month, the adult coat is simple to take care of. Trust me, we have been through this age a lot and I assure you there is light at the end of the tunnel!!! And I assure you it is well worth the work. When you get through it you can pat yourself on the back. You have survived the most difficult part of the Afghan coat. After this, the coat is a breeze!
THE MATURE ADULT AFGHAN COAT
PHEEWW!! Well you got through that age, from here on out its smooth sailing. At this point the coat will grow in length but is a lot more manageable. Most of the care of an adult coat is weekly bathing and brushing. You will, from time to time, get a tangle but mostly from environmental things like sap or sticks and twigs. Also you need to examine pads for cuts or things that may be caught. Also, it is important that you keep the hair from the bottoms of their feet between the pads scissored out. During the winter time they can get snow balls and ice caught in the hair. This experience is not fun for the dog. Coat care on this breed is mostly just being dedicated to weekly grooming. I do know from personal experience though that it is so worth work. They are such unique breed, and have so much to offer in love and affection, and a few laughs here and there (this afghans are known quite well for, as they are quite comical at times). Well I hope this has been of some help and perhaps has helped someone who would give a good home to an afghan but was intimidated by the work.
For more information on Afghans Hounds please visit: http://www.afghansbyrodin.com