It is certain that an Afghan avoided of a wonderful fur is a rapture for the eye of the layman, the amateur and even of the judge, but an Afghan isn't only a fur, all that is hidden below is very important, even more important …
Let us come on our subject : grooming. Several theory on the matter. I propose you on of them which one was conclusive in my case.
As of the youth, accustom your Afghan to remain on the table and, by recreation, to pass to him a brush on the body. I say well by recreation because to two or three months Afghan doesn't have yet the fur which made your dream. To reach this result, it will be necessary to wait for several month and especially, it will be necessary you are equal to the task.
Thus each day, put your puppy on a table and to facilitate the task later to you, and to return the future meetings of grooming to him less difficult, learn him how to lie down on the side in order to you can brush him. Don't hesitate to congratulate him during these drives. He will understand very quickly that your satisfied when he's calm and, as he loves you, he will make a lot to be pleasant for you.
The hair will grow up slowly. The abundance of the hair depend of the origins, of the food and of your work. Each day you will devote a little more time to this « brushing play ».
Then one day, true work will have « to be started ». I think that towards the age from 7 to 8 months, the serious things will start. Your Afghan starts to have hair everywhere, even on the muzzle often. He isn't pleasant to see …
And well here, it's time to put him on the diet of the adults. The material:
• a brush with metal points (without balls on the extremities) on a very flexible bottom, • a metal comb for the completion, • a brush in wild boar hair for the final key on a ring, • a bath, if possible in height for your kidneys, • an excellent shampoo with proteins, • a cream of rising which avoids with the hair felting, • a lot of courage and serious.
The decision is made, your Afghan must begin the dog shows soon, or then you really want to he resembles to the stars which you could admire in the reviews of the club or in reviews of more general interest for the dog.
Then let us walk on together on this long course. I am not at all in favour of a dry brushing every day, I think the hair is damaged and we tear off some too especially when we begin.
I propose to you to touch each day your dog in order to check a little everywhere that no node was formed.You find one, it isn't a catastrophe because it is recent. To eliminate it, take the root of the hair where the node was formed and open nicely with the fingers while going up towards to the end of the hair.
NEVER SCISSORS AND COMB IN THESE CASES.
To eliminate the heart of the node which will become very small, give a blow of brush.
The favourite places for the nodes are : • ears and more particularly behind, • the chest, where the elbows rub, • the top of the thighs, • the belly for the males.
SO, WHAT TO MAKE IF WE DON'T BUSH HIM EACH DAY ?
• It is very simple, after having checked that there was no node, wash your Afghan each week. • You will brush him then once washed. • the hair being wet and being sheathed by the rinsing cream, you willn't tear off all the hair which you will have put such an amount of time to make push.
THE BATH :
To wash your dog, use a bath-tub, your certainly. I recall, you check well that there is no node. Then, you wet in totality the hair. The hair must be wet to the root. Distribute then the shampoo. Use a shampoo with the proteins which willn't pickle the hair but give to it "the food” he needs. Mass slightly the hair without mixing it. Rinse. Start again the shampoo operation. Rinse again. You pose then the cream of rinsing, either pure, or diluted. Let act and rinse a little. I prefer to leave cream of rinsing, the hair is sheathed and it mixes less quickly. Sponge a little bit the surplus of water
BRUSHING :
In a hot place, put your Afghan on a table and brush him in totality this time, always lying, you will appreciate, him too. Once, he is completely brushed, and it don't remain any node of course, you let him go a little.
Why ? Many people dry immediately the hair with a professional drier certainly very quick but still too long for me.
So, I always preferred to let my Afghan walk in a hot place before start to dry him, only when the hair was almost dry. The drying is thus more a blow-dry that an always long and painful intensive drying for Afghan an the master. Moreover, De plus, a hair subjected too a long time to the aggression of a hot air is damaged. Drying is always made with the dog lying and while starting with the bottom of the legs and while going up gradually to the back. To facilitate and have a good drying I always operated in the contrary feel of the hair then in the reverse direction for finish. The last part to be dried is the head.
Attention with the ears and the droughts. Protect interior of the ear by putting a cotton which you will not forget to remove then.
When your Afghan is dry, put him upright on the table and position back his hair. To check that there doesn't remain any small vicious node, pass the comb which will have to slip naturally into the hair. That he is beautiful your Afghan. You are proud of you and this, rightly.
For washing, brushing and drying, it is necessary to then envisge approximately 3 hours for an adult. If you don't have time to undertake a bath, today, don(t sabotage your work and defer that to tomorrow.
About the shampoo, the cream of rinsing, the brushes and combs, you will find all this while coming to visit a dog show. We have on the market a lot of products.
Between 2 baths, satisfy you to check there is no node which is formed
During the growth of your Afghan, you will cross one time very critical for the development of the hair, this one generally extends from 10 to 5 months according the individuals. It corresponds to the moult during which the hairof baby falls to leave the place to this silky hair of adult. An Afghan hair should not de dry.If it's it is necessary to cure it by using products to nourish the hair end by checking that the foog is well adapted. The time of the moult will be perhaps only during the life or your Afghan where a more frequent brushing will be necessary.
For the females, the periods of the « heats » are also very critical for the state of the hair.
AND THE SADDLE ?
Large question but very simple. It must be natural. Never scissors, never mower… The FALAPA Club gives precise instructions beside to the judges of Afghan hound inviting them to sanction the excessive grooming of the saddle and the neck. So, what can we make? As I say to you a little higher, all must be natural. Admittedly, you can force nature a little helping the hair to fall when the saddle starts to take shape and when the neck starts to dismantled of this thick baby hair.
To help, I understand, draw the hair with the fingers or pass a comb with rather tight teeth but NEVER MOWER OR SCISSORS.
If you lead your Afghan to a grooming man, give the consigns to him.
AND THE SNOOD ? (snood)
How many questions will cause this snood when you will go in dog show. No, Afghan neither fears the cold frileux, nor is sensitive of the ears. We make him wear this snood when he eats or drinks to prevent that he eats the long silky hairs of his ears.
About the mess tin, accustom your Afghan to eat in height and not to the ground. The height will increase progressively with the growth. This will be very salutary for the balances and the legs of your Afghan.
