There are few dog breeds native to Afghanistan. The one breed everyone is familiar with is the Afghan hound. For more facts and information, read our guide…
This dog is a sight hound, or a hunter by sight rather than smell. They are long haired, grow to be about 26 inches tall and are easily recognizable by their regal manner. They have a long muzzle, wide at the back of the head and tapering toward the nose. The Afghan hound breed goes back to ancient times, perhaps 4,000 to 5,000 years.
It is a dog that needs to have room to exercise. It is best kept on land where it has room to roam. It is not an apartment type of dog, although it does make a good pet. The Afghan hound is friendly and loyal but tends to be somewhat distant to strangers. Because of its regal bearing, it has often been called the “king of dogs”. If you own an Afghan hound, daily exercise for him is a necessity.
Sage Kooche
The sage kooche is a dog that is pretty well unknown to the world outside of Afghanistan. There have been a few exported to Europe.
The sage kooche is usually 35 inches or more tall. It is a giant of a dog, with hair from short to long with a thick undercoat. It gets its name from the Kooche tribe, a nomadic Afghan group. These nomads keep the dog as animal herders. They are the only people of Afghanistan that keep dogs. The dogs themselves are very independent, with great stamina and strength. They are also intelligent and trustworthy.
Characteristics of the Sage Kooche
The sage kooche is a perfect dog for the nomadic tribe, as it lives well in harsh conditions. It is not so well suited to be kept in a Westerner’s home as a pet. The kooche does not adapt well to other dogs. It is often aggressive towards other dogs and indeed towards people. The kooche often shows its emotions, happy or threatening by growling. This can make it hard especially for children to judge its temperament and create unwanted reactions.
It is also hard to actually tell whether the sage kooche is a full blooded dog. The dog is independent, and as such there are many stray kooche dogs as a great number of the nomadic tribesmen have moved to the city. The kooches have often interbred with the other stray dogs of Afghanistan.
Another note is that the kooche has been used as a fighting dog among the Afghans. Unfortunately, this is a very popular sport there. Most male koochi dogs that are not employed by the Kooche tribe as shepards eventually will die in the dog fights or will be put down.
