AFGHAN HOUND Q&A
him, but he had no intention of running away. He was just showing off and let himself be “caught”. He then went on to win the Group. EDITH HANSON
to care for the coat. Also the “Adopt don’t Shop” mentality the AR wackos are spreading. At what age do I start to see definite signs of show-worthiness? I haven’t bred an Afghan litter in many years. When I did I liked to watch them just running around. I would study them at about seven or eight weeks old. I liked to see carriage and attitude. I was lucky that my picks didn’t change. I do know of other lines that have to wait until they are almost six months to evaluate. Thank goodness I didn’t have to deal with that. The most important thing about the breed for a new judge to keep in mind? That they are square. The showiest entry is not nec- essarily the best. The hallmarks of the breed, i.e. topknot, saddle, hipbones and proper croup and a ring or curve to the tail. There is only one “never” in our standard and that refers to the tail: Never carried over the back or carried to the side. Temperament is impor- tant. They don’t have to be a tail waggers, but need to be confident. I won’t put up an entry who won’t raise its tail. The best way to attract newcomers to my breed and to the sport? I wish I knew! My ultimate goal for the breed? To attract new people who will become preservation breeders and not succumb to fads. My favorite dog show memory? Winning the Northern Califor- nia Afghan Hound Club Specialty with my breeder owner-handled Ch Dea Zenga Quinton in an entry of 266. The largest regional specialty ever held. It was so special because it was under Ellsworth Gamble and everybody was there. I’d also like to share that last November I was with seven other former Afghan Hound breeders. None of us have Afghans anymore, we all have champions in small breeds, but all still love Afghans. Afghans were what we talked about. I am not aware of any of my friends who no longer have the breed for anything, but our getting too old to run! RUSS HASTINGS
I started in Afghan Hounds when I was 13 years old. I finished my first homebred champion when I was 16. We only bred ten litters, but had 16 champions and that was mostly in the golden age era mentioned above. I mar- ried into Chesapeake Bay Retrievers in 1976 and had the first Best In Show Chesapeake in the western USA. (The second one overall). I became a handler
and stopped breeding Afghans for a while to not compete with cli- ents. I handled two BIS Bloodhounds and had the #1 Bloodhound. He was ranked in the top Hounds even though we only showed him in California and without advertising. Probably couldn’t do that today! I started judging in 1992 and have judged the breed at the National twice. I have judged specialties all over the USA and in Australia and Skolkluster in Sweden. We now have a Smooth Fox Terrier who just finished her championship, owner-handled, of course, thanks to my new hip. She is Ch Absolutely Here’s To Me from the last litter bred by the late James Smith with Eddie Boyes. We live in the small town of Buhl, Idaho which is close to Twin Falls. We moved here about a year ago from Phoenix Arizona. Since being retired I enjoy researching history. My mother had done extensive genealogy and I like following up on the lives of my ances- tors all the way back to the 12th century. Do I hope the breed’s popularity will change or am I comfort- able with the placement? I do wish we had a larger base. We are at risk of having a very limited gene pool which is never good for a breed. I was most active in the 70s and 80s when it was the “golden age” of Afghans. We had an average entry of 60 or 70 at any show and it took 47 for a three-point major in California where I showed. It is interesting that so many of the Afghan breeders of that time are still in dogs either judging and/or have moved on to smaller breeds. We are getting too old to be athletic enough to show an Afghan! My thoughts on patterned coats vs full coats? Even though my dogs all had full coats, I do love patterned coats as long as they are properly patterned as per the standard. They must have a topknot, foot coat and leg coat. I have put up several patterned Afghans over the years. My thoughts on the impact of structure on movement and the effect it is having in the show ring? We have a problem with unbal- anced movement caused by forward placed and/or straight fronts and over angulated rears. The Afghan is a square breed. We have a problem with long and low. The dog who flies around the ring is not necessarily the best! Are there any misconceptions about the breed I’d like to dis- pel? That they are stupid! No way! They are very clever. Having lived with both Afghans and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers at the same time, obviously there was a big difference. With Afghans, they did not like to be commanded to do something. If you suggested it and they thought it was reasonable, they would comply. They have a great sense of humor. I had a CH early on who thought obedience was a kick, he earned his CD in three shows with the lowest score 192 1/2. And we all remember the beautiful bitch who scored 199 1/2 at our National under a judge who had never given a 200 and then went RWB at the huge specialty the next day. What special challenges do breeders face in our current econom- ic and social climate? It is hard to find new people to be interested in the breed. It seems today people are not willing to put in the time
I have been retired for about seven years. I have a Masters from Stanford and a Bachelors from Michigan State. My career was in Manufacturing Operations Management. When not doing dog things I enjoy Fly Fishing in the rivers and lakes of Pennsylvania and Tennessee. Do I hope the breed’s popularity will change or am I comfortable with
the placement? I would like to see the numbers higher, but we have a sufficiently large population so competition is still good and the gene pool is sufficient. I hope we do not fall much further. My thoughts on patterned coats vs full coats? Patterned coats are perfectly acceptable and should never be penalized. Patterned coats can be very attractive. My thoughts on the impact of structure on movement and the effect it is having in the show ring? This may be controversial, but many, not all, of the big moving dogs I see in the ring have upright shoulder blades and minimal return of upper arm. This is not what our standard requires and it is important that breeders critically examine their prospective sires and dams as well as the grandpar- ents, if possible, to assess the structural soundness. A dog can have good shoulder structure and move well. The key is to find that dog as a breeder and judge. This is a coursing hound and as such needs to be built to fill that role. That is not to say that shoulder structure is the only important thing to look for in assessing a dog as there are many other things the standard describes that need to be weighed.
252 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MARCH 2020
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