What is and has been my breeding philosophy? In short - first and foremost, to have and to produce healthy, good tempered Afghan Hounds. An unhealthy or bad tempered dog is useless as a show dog or as a pet. Nobody needs to own a money pit that spends half of it's life at the veterinary clinic, or that cannot reach old age without medication. Nobody wants a dog that the owner cannot live with due to temperament problems. I don't. 

    Secondly I choose to breed AFGHAN HOUNDS - and to me that means breeding to the standard, and also understanding just WHY the standard was written the way it was. It also means understanding the original purpose and function of the breed.  We may need to have glamorously groomed coats for the show ring but the dog underneath should be sound, correct and functional. Hair is just hair, it can be grown and groomed - or it can be clipped off - but the dog underneath does not change.

    Over the years the top winning show dogs in any breed do change in type and style, and many breeds have changed drastically in the past 100 years. This was to be expected as breeders tried to create dogs as close to their breed standards as possible. Afghan Hounds have changed too, but fortunately not in any way that harms their basic health.   Breeders may have different concepts as to the "perfect" Afghan Hound and you should ask the breeder what they are breeding for, some prefer a larger dog as they feel they look more "impressive" in the show ring - others prefer more elegance, some prefer one color over another - but all colors are equal according to the standard. These are just breeder preferences, just as you have yours.

    MY preferences are for a standard sized Afghan Hound, with both elegance and substance. I want all the structural necessities, plus easy to care for silky coats, and that is what I breed for. An Afghan Hound in a normal household should not need to be bathed twice a week - unless he or she was loose in a field and rolled in something unmentionable :) ! I like to see a squarely built dog with strong musculature, and with the unique attributes of the breed clearly evident. My puppies have always been born in my house, and given access to the outdoors from an early age as I believe that puppies need fresh air and sunshine. Time of year and weather does make a difference of course.

    Yes, I breed with the show ring in mind as it is the way that breeders are judged, it is kind of like The Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, but I do not insist that all my puppies go to show homes. Some have not shown their dogs but have participated in lure coursing with great success. Loving lifetime homes are my first preference. Over the years dogs that I have bred have gone to many different countries. Some have become Best In Show winners in their adoptive countries, and have contributed to their breed's future - even coming full circle with descendants coming back to the USA. Others have never been shown but have been successful at lure coursing, racing - and even gardening ;) ! Yes, and some of them have been the greatest couch potatoes and flower bed diggers on the planet :)