"Stuff is eaten by dogs, broken by family and friends, sanded down by the wind, frozen by the mountains, lost by the prairie, burnt off by the sun, washed away by the rain. So you are left with dogs, family, friends, sun, rain, wind, prairie and mountains. What more do you want?"
Federico Calboli
Friday, January 06, 2012
One more irresitible quote
Sent by Black Dog Lady, from a mentor, on her dogs and true "oriental sighthounds" generally:
"These dogs are not fully domesticated, take care to keep them that way."
7 comments:
Anonymous
said...
Apparently that's acceptable with Oriental sighthounds, but not with the politically incorrect wolf-hybrids! Having kept several wolf-hybrids over the tears, I get REALLY peeved when people say they are unpredictable and savage--It just makes me want to attack those kind of people without warning!....L.B.
Acceptable in OUR crowd. There is a real movement in Europe to stop breeding from real old- type fiery hounds, and a less conscious selection for docility in US show circles...
Not sure I ever saw a wolf cross as full of fire and attitude as a couple of saluki- tazi whatever males from COO's; perfectly sane dogs but hard as granite.
One was and still is a Saudi- descended dog of infinite grace who to my knowledge in all his long life has allowed only three male humans to visit his mistress without making serious and strenuous objections (Dr John B and I are two of them).
Another started life as a gazelle hound in the Middle East, became a racer in Europe, then moved to the states to be a stud, where he periodically leaped the fence to kill whitetails (deer not hares).
He also didn't allow strange humans on "his" floor of his owners' house. I got along with him pretty well. Those two were serious salukis!
And before anyone says the obvious, neither ever bit anybody. They didn't have to. But there are those who would neuter both today, for their powerful personalities alone.
I have found the term "game" regarding hunting dogs' attitudes somewhat amusing ever since I've had wolf-hybrids! What tended to be something of a fight between typical hunting dogs and game(as in coonhounds with raccoons mainly, in my experiences), was over and done in seconds, and half-eaten before I could even arrive on the scene! I also find dog historians comments amusing(in an annoying sort of way) that wolves wouldn't have been valuable or viable hunting companions for early man--these are the theorists that dispute man's(or woman's!) taming of wolves and utilizing them for that purpose. Obviously these guys never kept wolves or hybrids themselves, or they'd know better! The problem in modern times isn't getting them to hunt, but trying to keep them from hunting and killing EVERYTHING you come across on an outing, like your neighbors' livestock and cats and Jehovah's Witnesses!....L.B.
Again for L.B - I'm not sure how to address the issue of temperament vis a vis wolf hybrids and sighthounds because I have no experience at all with wolf-hybrids beyond meeting a few and petting them. I have worked to defeat legislation which would have prohibited the owning of both wolves and wolf-hybrids.
In temperament, there is nothing I'm aware of that is really comparable to an Afghan Hound - I have close friends who have Salukis and Greyhounds and I've owned Whippets and other hunting hounds ... Afghans appear to be a thing unto themselves ... they tend to be one person dogs, even within their family units, although their "person's" family members are tolerated. My dogs have always been very protective of me, or whoever in the family belonged to them, and they are staunch watchdogs - not yappy, if they bark, you best check. My dogs have always been hunters, although I've never lived in an area in which I had the opportunity to use a sighthound. They will find rabbits and varmints if allowed to range in open fields or wooded areas, and from time to time, there have been unfortunate (and inadvertant) incidents with deer. We only have cottontail rabbits in this area, but my puppies will generally catch and kill them by three months. My dogs have always been what is referred to as "sharp" ... I always say "please and thank you," and if there is a disagreement we work out an accommodation. Afghans are not exactly "biddable" but they are not dumb. They do surprisingly well in performance activities if a person is smart enough to train them ... generally all I've ever had to do is allow a dog to watch others do the expected skill, and then ask them to do the same ..
I've had Afghan Hounds that were definitely not trustworthy with others, and sometimes even me; it isn't an acceptable trait if the dog has to live in an environment that will bring him into contact with strangers or situations that he could bite or otherwise injure a person, or another animal.
It probably one of those issues which is dealt with on an ad hoc basis, but it is my opinion that Afghan Hounds are not a breed for everyone, and definitely not for a first time dog owner.
My only addition- I would not call it a disagreement-- is that a lot of COO salukis, as opposed to "western" strains (another reason for "show wariness" in this group?) are EXACTLY as you describe. It gets bred out, but not by us.
Send me an email referencing this and I will tell you a funny tale or two NSFB (Not Safe For Blog).
7 comments:
Apparently that's acceptable with Oriental sighthounds, but not with the politically incorrect wolf-hybrids! Having kept several wolf-hybrids over the tears, I get REALLY peeved when people say they are unpredictable and savage--It just makes me want to attack those kind of people without warning!....L.B.
Acceptable in OUR crowd. There is a real movement in Europe to stop breeding from real old- type fiery hounds, and a less conscious selection for docility in US show circles...
Not sure I ever saw a wolf cross as full of fire and attitude as a couple of saluki- tazi whatever males from COO's; perfectly sane dogs but hard as granite.
One was and still is a Saudi- descended dog of infinite grace who to my knowledge in all his long life has allowed only three male humans to visit his mistress without making serious and strenuous objections (Dr John B and I are two of them).
Another started life as a gazelle hound in the Middle East, became a racer in Europe, then moved to the states to be a stud, where he periodically leaped the fence to kill whitetails (deer not hares).
He also didn't allow strange humans on "his" floor of his owners' house. I got along with him pretty well. Those two were serious salukis!
And before anyone says the obvious, neither ever bit anybody. They didn't have to. But there are those who would neuter both today, for their powerful personalities alone.
I love this quote.
I have found the term "game" regarding hunting dogs' attitudes somewhat amusing ever since I've had wolf-hybrids! What tended to be something of a fight between typical hunting dogs and game(as in coonhounds with raccoons mainly, in my experiences), was over and done in seconds, and half-eaten before I could even arrive on the scene! I also find dog historians comments amusing(in an annoying sort of way) that wolves wouldn't have been valuable or viable hunting companions for early man--these are the theorists that dispute man's(or woman's!) taming of wolves and utilizing them for that purpose. Obviously these guys never kept wolves or hybrids themselves, or they'd know better! The problem in modern times isn't getting them to hunt, but trying to keep them from hunting and killing EVERYTHING you come across on an outing, like your neighbors' livestock and cats and Jehovah's Witnesses!....L.B.
Again for L.B - I'm not sure how to address the issue of temperament vis a vis wolf hybrids and sighthounds because I have no experience at all with wolf-hybrids beyond meeting a few and petting them. I have worked to defeat legislation which would have prohibited the owning of both wolves and wolf-hybrids.
In temperament, there is nothing I'm aware of that is really comparable to an Afghan Hound - I have close friends who have Salukis and Greyhounds and I've owned Whippets and other hunting hounds ... Afghans appear to be a thing unto themselves ... they tend to be one person dogs, even within their family units, although their "person's" family members are tolerated. My dogs have always been very protective of me, or whoever in the family belonged to them, and they are staunch watchdogs - not yappy, if they bark, you best check. My dogs have always been hunters, although I've never lived in an area in which I had the opportunity to use a sighthound. They will find rabbits and varmints if allowed to range in open fields or wooded areas, and from time to time, there have been unfortunate (and inadvertant) incidents with deer. We only have cottontail rabbits in this area, but my puppies will generally catch and kill them by three months. My dogs have always been what is referred to as "sharp" ... I always say "please and thank you," and if there is a disagreement we work out an accommodation. Afghans are not exactly "biddable" but they are not dumb. They do surprisingly well in performance activities if a person is smart enough to train them ... generally all I've ever had to do is allow a dog to watch others do the expected skill, and then ask them to do the same ..
I've had Afghan Hounds that were definitely not trustworthy with others, and sometimes even me; it isn't an acceptable trait if the dog has to live in an environment that will bring him into contact with strangers or situations that he could bite or otherwise injure a person, or another animal.
It probably one of those issues which is dealt with on an ad hoc basis, but it is my opinion that Afghan Hounds are not a breed for everyone, and definitely not for a first time dog owner.
My only addition- I would not call it a disagreement-- is that a lot of COO salukis, as opposed to "western" strains (another reason for "show wariness" in this group?) are EXACTLY as you describe. It gets bred out, but not by us.
Send me an email referencing this and I will tell you a funny tale or two NSFB (Not Safe For Blog).
PS Lib calls ALL oriental sighthounds "NOT beginners' dogs."
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