Breed

# Afghan Hound

The Afghan Hound is a hound breed from Afghanistan, standing males 18.5–27 in · females 24–27 in at the withers, weighing males 55–65 lb · females 45–66 lb. Recorded lifespan is 12–14 yrs.

![A photograph of the Afghan Hound](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lg/afghan-hound.webp)

Breed group

Hound

Origin

Afghanistan

Height

males 18.5–27 in · females 24–27 in

Weight

males 55–65 lb · females 45–66 lb

Lifespan

12–14 yrs

Among the 500 breeds here with recorded measurements, the Afghan Hound is taller than 61% of the measured breeds, heavier than 62%, one of 33 in the Hound group, one of 2 from Afghanistan.

Compare the

Afghan Hound

with another breed

## Living with the Afghan Hound

Two breed references score every breed they cover from 1 to 5 on the things an owner lives with day to day. These are the Afghan Hound’s, with what a 1 and a 5 mean on each row.

Around people and other dogs

Affection with family

4 of 5

1 independent · 5 devoted

Good with young children

4 of 5

1 not suited · 5 very good

Good with other dogs

4 of 5

1 not suited · 5 very good

Openness to strangers

2 of 5

1 reserved · 5 everyone is a friend

Watchdog / protective nature

3 of 5

1 unbothered · 5 vigilant

What they will ask of you

Energy

4 of 5

1 couch potato · 5 busy all day

Exercise needs

4 of 5

1 a short walk · 5 a job to do

Playfulness

4 of 5

1 only when invited · 5 non-stop

Barking

2 of 5

1 only to alert · 5 very vocal

Around the house

Shedding

4 of 5

1 barely · 5 constantly

Drooling

1 of 5

1 a dry mouth · 5 keep a towel

What they tolerate

Tolerates being alone

2 of 5

1 poorly · 5 well

Tolerates hot weather

5 of 5

1 poorly · 5 well

Tolerates cold weather

5 of 5

1 poorly · 5 well

Rated 1 to 5 by the American Kennel Club and DogTime, averaged where both rate the same thing, and read from their breed pages in 2022. Nobody at Woof & Beyond has met this breed — these are the publishers’ judgments, not ours.[Afghan Hound on AKC](https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/afghan-hound/)[Afghan Hound on DogTime](https://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/afghan-hound)

## Breeds that look like the Afghan Hound

A neural network trained to tell breeds apart by sight read all 510 photographs in this reference, and these are the 6 it placed closest to the Afghan Hound.

- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/schapendoes.webp)Schapendoes](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/schapendoes/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/lhasa-apso.webp)Lhasa Apso](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/lhasa-apso/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/polish-lowland-sheepdog.webp)Polish Lowland Sheepdog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/polish-lowland-sheepdog/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/skye-terrier.webp)Skye Terrier](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/skye-terrier/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/shih-tzu.webp)Shih Tzu](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/shih-tzu/)
- [![](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breeds/pyrenean-sheepdog.webp)Pyrenean Sheepdog](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/breed/pyrenean-sheepdog/)

Side by side

Height 0–38 in

1. Afghan Hound18.5–27 in
2. Schapendoes15–19 in
3. Lhasa Apso10–11 in
4. Polish Lowland Sheepdog16–20 in
5. Skye Terrier10 in
6. Shih Tzu11 in
7. Pyrenean Sheepdog16–21 in

Weight 0–220 lb

1. Afghan Hound55–65 lb
2. Schapendoes26–55 lb
3. Lhasa Apso15–18 lb
4. Polish Lowland Sheepdog30–50 lb
5. Skye Terrier35–40 lb
6. Shih Tzu9–16.5 lb
7. Pyrenean Sheepdog18–33 lb

Lifespan 0–20 yrs

1. Afghan Hound12–14 yrs
2. Schapendoes12–15 yrs
3. Lhasa Apso12–14 yrs
4. Polish Lowland Sheepdog12–14 yrs
5. Skye Terrier12–14 yrs
6. Shih Tzu10–18 yrs
7. Pyrenean Sheepdog~15 yrs

Nothing here was grouped by hand. The ranking is an opinion about appearance, not about ancestry, which is why it sometimes puts together breeds no kennel club would — and why it is worth looking at the photographs rather than taking the order on trust.

## Guides that mention the Afghan Hound

Every guide on this site whose text actually discusses this breed.

- [How Fast Can Dogs Run?](https://www.woofandbeyond.com/how-fast-can-dogs-run/)

See the

Afghan Hound

on the breed map

Read about the

Afghan Hound

on Wikipedia
