Azawakh

Afghan HoundBorzoi

Azawakh – General Description

The Azawakh is a sighthound dog breed from Africa.

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Classification and Standards

• FCI Group 10, Section 3, #307
• AKC Hound (FSS) The AKC Foundation Stock Service (FSS) is an optional recording service for purebred dogs that are not yet eligible for AKC registration.
• KC (UK) Hound
• UKC Sighthounds and Pariah

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Character & Temperament

Unlike other sighthounds, the primary function of the Azawakh in its native land is that of protector. It develops an intense bond with his owner, yet can perform independently from its master. With those they accept, Azawakh are gentle and extremely affectionate. With strangers many are reserved and prefer not to be touched, but are not inherently aggressive. Although raised to protect livestock, they do not have innate aggression toward canine nor human unless they are threatened.

Azawakh have high energy and tremendous endurance. They are excellent training companions for runners and are nearly impervious to heat. They will happily run in weather over 100 degrees Fahrenheit that would kill a Greyhound. They often dig holes in the garden.

Many Azawakh dislike rain and cold weather.

Azawakh are pack oriented and form complex social hierarchies. They have tremendous memories and are able to recognize each other after long periods of separation. They can often be found sleeping on top of each other for warmth and companionship.[3]

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History

Bred by the Tuareg, Fula and various other nomads of the Sahara and sub-Saharan Sahel in the countries of Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, and southern Algeria, the breed is used there as a guard dog and to hunt gazelle and hare at speeds up to 40 miles per hour. The austerity of the Sahel environment has ensured that only the most fit dogs survive and has accentuated the breed’s ruggedness and independence. Unlike some other sighthounds, the Azawakh is more of a pack hunter and they bump down the quarry with hindquarters when it has been tired out. In role of a guard dog, if an Azawakh senses danger it will bark to alert the other members of the pack, and they will gather together as a pack under the lead of the alpha dog, then chase off or attack the predator. The Sloughi, by comparison, is more of an independent lone hunter and has a high hunting instinct.

They are relatively uncommon in Europe and North America but there is a growing band of devotees. Azawakhs have a range of temperaments from lap dog to quite fierce. Lifelong socialization and firm but gentle handling are critical. Well socialised and trained, they can be good with other dogs, cats, children, and strangers. Azawakh may be registered with the FCI in the USA via the Federación Canófila de Puerto Rico (FCPR).[4] European FCI clubs and the AKC recognize the FCPR as an acceptable registry. The AKC currently recognizes Azawakh as a Foundation Stock Service[5] breed and they are eligible to participate in AKC-sanctioned Companion & Performance events. The breed will enter the AKC Miscellaneous Class on June 30, 2011. The American Azawakh Association (AAA).[6] is the AKC Parent Club for the Azawakh. Azawakh may be registered with the UKC and ARBA. The breed is not yet registered by CKC. Azawakh are eligible for ASFA and AKC lure coursing and NOFCA open field coursing events.

Origin

Recent genetic, blood protein and archaeological studies as well as direct observation in the field offer a glimpse into the origin of the contemporary Azawakh breed. He comes out of the population of pariah dogs of sub-Saharan Africa—also called bush dogs or senji–and is also closely related to the Sloughi of the Maghreb. Despite morphological similarities, mitochondrial DNA evidence shows that he is only very distantly related to other sight hounds. Azawakh have a rare glucose isomerase allele (GPIB) that occurs only in foxes, jackals, Italian wolves, Sloughi dogs and a handful of other quite unrelated rare dogs found mostly in Japan. The presence of the GPIB suggests an ancient differentiation of the Azawakh from other dog populations near the base of the dog family tree divergence from wolves or perhaps a uniquely African cross-breeding with local African canids such as jackals. Petroglyph rock art dating from 8,000 to 10,000 years ago during the Green Sahara (also known as the Holocene and Neolithic Subpluvial) shows cursorial dogs in conjunction with hunters. Archaeologists have found dog bones buried in Holocene settlements in the Sahara. At the close of the Holocene Wet Phase in the 4th millennium BCE, the Sahara returned to desert and created a formidable physical barrier to travel. Together, this evidence suggests that the Azawakh population has a unique genetic heritage that has been largely isolated from other dog populations for millennia.

In the common era the Sahel dogs are almost totally isolated from northern dogs by the Sahara, but the ties to the pariah dogs to the south are extremely close. Azawakh are virtually indistinguishable from the Sahel pariah dog population from which they are drawn. In addition to a basic physical structure, the Azawakh share a number of unique traits with the pariah dogs:

• intense suspicion of the unknown
• strong guarding instinct
• pack hunting behavior
• complex social hierarchies
• unique vocalizations
• extra pre-molar teeth
• strong instinct to dig dens

Throughout the Sahel, very elegant puppies can be found among rustic siblings. The Sahel nomads do not have the same breed concepts as in the West and, unlike the Bedouin of the North, do not recognize a strict separation of al hor (noble) from kelb (mongrel) dogs. The nomads act as an extra level of selection on top of the intense natural selection pressure of the Sahel environment. The approach to selection is diametrically opposed to Western breeding. Instead of selecting which dogs to breed upon maturity, they decide which puppies should live. This approach has the advantage of maintaining a large reservoir of genetic variability and resilience.

The peoples of the Sahel control dam lines and cull puppies heavily at birth according to locally held aesthetic criteria that we do not fully understand. In the Sahel, color is not a selection criterion. The alpha male dog from the local population is usually the sire. Unless it is a wet year, only one puppy from a litter might be selected to live. Females are usually culled unless the family projects a need for more dogs in the future.

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Size & Appearance

Morphology is very similar to that of the Middle Eastern and North African sight hounds, all swift, high-bred coursing hounds, although there are several obvious differences. For example, a short, flat back combined with long legs place the hips higher than the withers. The Azawakh is almond eyed and thin. It moves with a distinctly feline gait and can be found in a variety of colors as well as varying degrees of refinement, though format is basically constant.

The standards call for a hound from 33 to 55 pounds (15 to 25 kg); its height is 24 to 29 inches (61 to 74 cm). The coat is very short and almost absent on the belly. Its bone structure shows clearly through the skin and musculature. Its muscles are “dry”, meaning that they lie quite flat, unlike the Greyhound and Whippet. In this respect it is similar in type to the Saluki.

In Africa, Azawakh are found in a variety of colors such as red, blue fawn (that is, with a lilac cast), grizzle, and, rarely, blue and black. The Azawakh in its native land also comes with various white markings including Irish marked (white collar) and particolour (mostly white).[1] Because of this wide color variation in the native population, the American standard used by the AKC and UKC allows any color combination found in Africa. In the United States, the FCI standard is modified to have no color restrictions at a minimum and there is a strong sentiment that the FCI standard should be heavily edited or replaced.[2]

Colors permitted by the FCI breed standard are clear sand to dark fawn/brown, red and brindle (with or without a dark mask), with white bib, tail tip, and white on all feet (which can be tips of toes to high stockings). Currently, white stockings that go above the elbow joint are considered disqualifying features in France, as is a white collar or half collar (Irish marked).

The Azawakh’s light, supple, lissome gait is a notable breed characteristic, as is an upright double suspension gallop.

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Health & Maintenance

Azawakhs are an incredibly sound coursing hound. Serious coursing injuries are rare. The dogs heal very quickly from injury.

Azawakh have no known incidence of hip dysplasia. There is a small occurrence of adult-onset idiopathic epilepsy in the breed. Wobbler disease or cervical vertebral instability does rarely occur. Some breeders believe this is a largely developmental problem where puppies grow too quickly due to a high-protein western diet.

Like the Basenji, the Azawakh bitch often has a single annual estrus. Unassisted birth of healthy puppies is the norm. Litter sizes are usually from 4 to 6 puppies but litters as small as 1 and as large as 8 occur.

Azawakh need a fairly high level of exercise and should have regular runs off lead in large enclosed areas to run off steam. The dogs are very social and emotional. They need a master that provides firm but fair leadership. Azawakh thrive companionship of other Azawakh.

References

1. Tombouktous-azawakhs.de (German) – http://www.tombouktous-azawakhs.de/epa.html
2. 02/03/2009, Moore and Reiter, The Azawakh Club of America – http://sahelhound.com/a-new-standard-of-the-azawakh//
3. Tombouktous-azawakhs.de – http://www.tombouktous-azawakhs.de/ece.html
4. Federación Canófila de Puerto Rico – http://www.fcpr2000.org/index-en.html
5. Smart, Sylvia (2008), Dog Breeders Professional Secrets: Ethical Breeding Practices, Dogwise Publishing, p. 44, ISBN 1-929242-59-X, 9781929242597 – http://books.google.com/books?id=io270OahEdMC&lpg=PA4&ots=rvvNm3Jw7M&dq=%22foundation%20stock%20service%22&lr&pg=PA44#v=onepage&q=%22foundation%20stock%20service%22&f=false
6. American Azawakh Association – http://azawakhs.org/

• Colour, Pattern and Marking Varieties of the Azawakh in the Regions of Origin, 2005, Dr. Gabriel Meissen. – http://www.tombouktous-azawakhs.de/epa.html
• Dogs of Africa, 2003, by Sian Hall, Alpine Blue Ribbon Books.
• Dog’s Best Friend, 1999, by Ursula Birr, Gerald Krakauer and Daniela Osiander, Park Street Press.
• The Functional Saluki, 1993, Dan Belkin, Ph.D., Transcribed from a seminar given at the Saluki Club of America National Specialty. – http://saluqi.home.netcom.com/belkin.htm
• The Genetics of the Dog, 2001, Anatoly Ruvinsky and J. Sampson, CABI Publishing
• Genetic evidence for an East Asian origin of domestic dogs 2002, Savolainen P, Zhang YP, Luo J, Lundeberg J, and Leitner T, Science 298: 1610-3
• The Genetic Impoverishment of the Azawakh Breed, 2003, Elisabeth Naumann. – http://azawakh.concept-elevage.com/genetiquegb.html
• Sloughi, 2004, by Dr. M.-D Crapon de Caprona, Kennel Club Books.
• American Azawakh Association – http://azawakhs.org/

Photo Credits

1. Azawakh (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
2. Jörg Dahl [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
3. Azawakh (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
4. Pleple2000 [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
5. T. Bjornstad (Own work) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
6. T. Bjornstad (Own work) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
7. T. Bjornstad (Own work) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
8. Azawakh (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
9. Jörg Dahl [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
10. Jörg Dahl [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
11. Lilly M (za zgodą mojej znajomej – wikipedystki) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
12. Pleple2000 [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
13. Pleple2000 [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
14. Pleple2000 [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
15. Pleple2000 [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
16. Azawakh (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
17. Azawakh (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
18. Jörg Dahl [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
19. Jörg Dahl [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
20. Jörg Dahl [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons
21. Jörg Dahl [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

This article is licensed (except where noted) under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article Azawakh

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Breed Standard

Azawakh

FCI-Standard N° 307 / 03. 06. 1998 / GB

TRANSLATION : Mrs. Peggy Davis.

ORIGIN : Mali.

PATRONAGE : France.

DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 22.08.1994.

UTILIZATION :

Sight hunting. The nomads considered the dog equally as a « show piece » and as a companion.

F.C.I. CLASSIFICATION :

• Group 10 Sighthounds.
• Section 3 Short-haired Sighthounds.

Without working trial.

BRIEF HISTORICAL SUMMARY :

It is an African sighthound of afro-asian type which appeared in Europe towards 1970 and comes from the Nigerian middle basin, among others from the valley of the Azawakh. For hundreds of years he has been the companion of the nomads of the South-Sahara.

GENERAL APPEARANCE :

Particularly high in the leg and elegant, the Azawakh sighthound gives a general impression of great fineness. His bone structure and musculature are transparent beneath fine and lean tissues (skin). This sighthound presents itself as a racy dog whose body fits into a rectangle with its longer sides in vertical position.

IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS :

• Length of body/height at the withers = 9 : 10. This ratio may be slightly superior in the females.
• Depth of chest/height at the withers = about 4 : 10.
• Length of muzzle/length of head = 1 : 2.
• Width of skull/length of head = 4 : 10.

BEHAVIOR / TEMPERAMENT :

Quick, attentive, distant, reserved with strangers and may even be unapproachable, but he can be gentle and affectionate with those he is willing to accept.

HEAD :

Long, fine, lean and chiseled, rather narrow, without excess.

CRANIAL REGION :

Skull : It is almost flat, rather elongated. The width of the skull must definitely be inferior to half the length of the head. The directions of the axes of the skull and the muzzle are often slightly divergent towards the front. The superciliary arches and the frontal furrow are slightly marked. On the other hand, the occipital crest is clearly protruding and the occipital protuberance marked.
Stop : Very slightly marked.

FACIAL REGION :

Nose : Nostrils well opened. The nose is either black or brown.
Muzzle : Long, straight, fine towards the front without exaggeration.
Jaws/Teeth : Jaws long and strong. Scissor bite.
Cheeks : Flat.
Eyes : Almond shaped, quite large. Their color is dark or amber. Eyelids pigmented.
Ears : Set quite high. They are fine, always drooping and flat, quite wide at the base, close to the skull, never a « rose ear ». Their shape is that of a triangle with a slightly rounded tip. Their base raises when the hound is attentive.

NECK :

Good reach of neck which is long, fine and muscular, slightly arched. The skin is fine and does not form a dewlap.

BODY :

Topline : Nearly straight, horizontal or slightly rising towards the hips.
Withers : Quite prominent.
Loin : Short, lean and often slightly arched.
Hip bones : Distinctly protruding and always placed at an equal or superior height to the height of the withers.
Croup : Oblique without accentuated slant.
Forechest : Not very wide.
Chest : Well developed in length, deep but without reaching elbow level. It is not very wide but must have enough space for the heart, so, the sternal region of the chest must not abruptly become narrow.
Ribs : Long, visible, slightly and evenly curved down to the sternum.
Underline : The sternal arch is accentuated and joined without abruptness to the belly which is tucked up very high below the lumbar arch.

TAIL :

Set low, long, thin, lean and tapered. Is covered with the same type of hair as that of the body and has a white brush at its extremity. Is carried hanging with the tip slightly raised, but when the dog is excited, it can be carried above the horizontal.

LIMBS

FOREQUARTERS :

Seen as a whole : Long, fine, almost entirely vertical; legs perfectly well-set.
Shoulders : Long, lean and muscular and only slightly slanting seen in profile. The scapulo-humeral angle is very open (about 130°).
Forefeet : Rounded shape, with fine and tightly closed toes; the pads are pigmented.

HINDQUARTERS :

Seen as a whole : Long and lean; legs perfectly vertical.
Thighs : Long with prominent and lean muscles. The coxo-femoral angle is very open (about 130°).
Stifle : The femoro-tibial angle is very open (about 145°).
Hock : Hock joint and hock are straight and lean, without dewclaws.
Hind feet : Round shaped. Pads are pigmented.

GAIT / MOVEMENT :

Always very supple (lissom) and with particularly high action at the trot and the walk. The gallop is bouncy. The Azawakh gives a great impression of lightness, even elasticity. The movement is an essential point of the breed.

SKIN :

Fine, tight over the whole of the body.

COAT

HAIR :

Short, fine, down to none on the belly.

COLOR :

Fawn with flecking limited to the extremities. All shades are admitted from light sable to dark fawn. The head may or may not have a black mask and the blaze is very inconstant. The coat has a white bib and a white brush at the tip of the tail. Each of the four limbs must have compulsorily a white « stocking », at least in shape of a trace on the feet. The black brindling is admitted.

SIZE AND WEIGHT :

Height at the withers :

Males : between 64 and 74 cm.
Females : between 60 and 70 cm.

Weight :

Males : about 20 – 25 kg.
Females : about 15 – 20 kg.

FAULTS :

Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.

• General appearance : heavy.
• Skull too wide.
• Accentuated stop.
• Body too long.
• Hip bones placed distinctly lower than the withers.
• Distinct depigmentation of the nose.

ELIMINATING FAULTS :

• Timid character, panicky or aggressive with attack.
• Lack of type (in particular when showing a recent crossing with another breed).
• Strong non-accidental anatomical deformation.
• Disabling anomaly – not acquired.
• All obvious redhibitory vices.
• Upper or lower prognathism.
• Light eye : i.e. bird of prey eyes.
• Ribs curving in at the base of the chest which thus takes on the look of « violin box ».
• Coat not conforming to the standard.
• Harsh or semi-long coat.
• Absence of any white marking at the extremity of one or more limbs.
• Size out by more than 3 cm from the standard measures.

Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioral abnormalities shall be disqualified.

N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.

© Fédération Cynologique Internationale