Grooming requirements for an Afghan Hound?

Hello! I'm really looking for those with personal experence with the breed, who have either showed, groomed, bred, or own this breed.My question is how many times a week do you groom your Afghan Hound and what do you do grooming wise? (bathe, brush, etc) also if you could list the supplies you use that would be great!

From my personal experience with shih tzu (and speaking to afghan hound owners), grooming can be fairly simple, but you are going to be tearing your hair out trying not to tear out theirs when they go through the puppy stage... From about 9 months to 2 years of age, they will be changing out their adult coats - you will brush them, turn around, and they will be matted again (this is true of my shih tzu's puppy-coat stage as well).I know I am not an afghan hound owner, but for my shih tzu I use a med/coarse comb (narrow tines on one end and wider ones on the other) and a pin brush with very long pins, and NO HEADS. Heads tear and break the coat, and do not allow the brush to go to the root of the coat to straighten out all the hairs.

If I was you I would shoot Chetco an email, she is probably the only Afghan Hound owner on this site, at least the only one I have seen. Just a thought.

That depends partly on whether or not your afghan is a show dog. When I was showing an afghan, I never brushed them dry. They were bathed every 2 weeks, complete with water softener to soak in first, conditioners, they were given salmon oil daily, and they were kept with their side coats oiled and wrapped. When you brush an afghan, when his coat is wet, you won't break any hair.If your dog is just a pet, a thorough grooming once a week is enough. The exception is a puppy changing to adult coat - then they need to be groomed daily because they mat up almost as soon as they jump off the grooming table! But that stage passes quickly.The supplies you need for an afghan are a good quality pin brush, a wide-toothed comb for finishing, and a small slicker for gently teasing out mats. You also need a spray bottle with either plain water, or water and conditioner, or better yet, a lanolin-based conditioner. You need to mist the coat lightly as you're brushing - both to get rid of static and to prevent hair breakage. (I'm assuming you know how to do line brushing, because that's the method you use.)

For a pet Afghan, a 40 minute grooming per week will usually suffice. The key, is to never allow them to become matted.Bathing frequency depends on your hound's lifestyle, and type of coat. The darker coats are easier to care for, as the light coats are ultra fine, tangle more, show dirt and oils, and hold onto dirt more. The frequency will also depend on how much the hound is outdoors, and what type of yard they have.Normally, my light colored hounds are bathed every 6 weeks or so, and the dark ones, every 2-3 months.( as adults)When showing a hound, they get weekly baths, and daily brushing of about 30 minutes.Here are some great grooming tips, from Anna Stromberg:http://www.afghansofgrandeur.com/pubs/coatcare.html. She is the handler for Grandeur Kennel, and has shown several hounds at Westminster, including Tryst.My own grooming tools, are a metal pin brush with rounded tips, a human hair brush, a small slicker, a good hound comb ( with rolling teeth), and a Furminator, I also use scissors to trim and shape around the feet.A Furminator is worth its weight in gold for the shedding season ( about now) I like to use an anti-static spritz, to keep the hair from whipping. I use Show-Sheen ( for horses) to keep the hair around the feet from grass staining.Show Sheen:http://www.kyhorse.com/store/groomingsupplies/showsheen.htmFurminator:http://www.furminator.com/I slice off a palm sized piece of this grill cleaning stone to clean up the saddle:http://www.instawares.com/grill-brick-grill-cleaner.mco15238.0.7.htm?gclid=CKS9-tPa8qACFRGkiQodGkMfFw&( but I get them at a local restaurant supply for much, much less!)