CHANDHARA Afghan Hounds
True quality that is timeless.
You may have found this site because you were looking for a puppy, or because you were looking for information on the breed. Puppy seekers should start by looking at the page titled "What you need to know when buying an Afghan Hound puppy" , This covers choosing an Afghan Hound breeder, and things the breeder will want to know about you.
The Afghan Hound is one of the true "Ancient" breeds with a heritage dating back 16,000 years to the mountains of central Asia, and Afghanistan.
Afghan hounds are known as elegant, exotic and highly athletic sighthounds that originated in the highly mountainous and rugged country of Afghanistan. They are one of the oldest breeds in the world with their ancestry tracing back thousands of years to the first descendants of the prehistoric wolf. Modern research of canine origins at the DNA level has them listed as one of the “ancient” breeds from which modern dogs now descend.
Unlike modern breeds which have been selected for obedience, not independence Afghan Hounds were prized for their intelligence. Yes, Afghan Hounds can be “obedience trained” but using very different methods, repetitive exercises are not necessary, and the Afghan Hound will lose interest.
As a companion they are very easy to live with, they enjoy free running, having fun, playing “tag” and leaping over tall things with a single bound - then flopping down on the grass in the sun, in the snow, or on the couch in the home relaxing.
The section "Myths and realities" will explain the many conflicting pieces of information about the breed that you will find on the internet and in telephone conversations.
How it all began!
Long ago and far away, on a beautiful day in June - the 10th of June to be precise - the first Chandhara litter was born. There were 9 puppies, 6 males and 3 females, and this puppy named Chandhara Abdul Azraya, became my first show dog along with his litter sister Chandhara Zaraya Yasmin. Abdul had a successful show career and Yasmin went on to be a champion producer and she is in the pedigrees of Afghan Hounds alive today.
This site is here for the benefit of the breed with information that you will not find in any one place. There are no modern books on the breed that have been written with this in mind, there are too few Afghan Hounds with owners or breeders for any publisher to be willing to publish one, and self publishing costs money. If you find the information here to be of value, and would like to support it, you can simply
Buy Me a Coffee!
Check for updates - I will be adding a section on color inheritance in the Afghan Hound, with examples of the different colors, how they must be registered with AKC and the many unofficial descriptions.
I still have a few copies of Afghan Hound Review available and also copies of the classic breed book The Complete Afghan Hound by Constance O. Miller and Gilbert, now long out of print and never to be reprinted.
For those of you who are interested in American breed history I have copies of my Retrospective of the 20th century, published in AHR (now OOB) available in a docx file, and copies of my research in the complete history of the first 100 years from the first imports to the west in PDF format. This was published in 12 newsletters 2019/2020. For copies please write to me by e-mail at Afghanhounds@chandhara.com.
********************************************************************************************
If you are thinking of buying an Afghan Hound puppy or need advice about one that you currently own, write to me at afghanhounds@chandhara.com. I have always been available to answer questions from people no matter where they obtained their puppy. My efforts towards any potential rescue situations that might occur have been and will continue to be doing everything I can to help people keep their dogs so that they never do end up in rescue. If that is unavoidable eg due to death or incapacity of an owner, I will direct them to known and reputable dedicated Afghan Hound rescue groups, NOT the bogus “rescues” that you might find on the internet. If you are thinking of adopting a dog, be very careful. Make sure that you are dealing with a legitimate entity.
**********************************************************************************************
This site is being edited - For anything to do with Afghan Hounds you can reach me at afghanhounds@chandhara.com . For anything else you can contact me at shuntcrowley@yahoo.com . I am still not back on Facebook but plan on getting back on there soon. Stephanie Hunt-Crowley