AZAWAKH
Country of Origin: Mali
Patronage Country: France
Utilization
Sight hunting. The nomads considered the dog equally as a “show
piece” and as a companion.
F.C.I. Classification: Group 10
Section 3: Short haired sighthounds without working trial
Brief Historical Summary
It is an African sighthound of afro-asiatic 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 leggy and elegant, the Azawakh sighthound gives a general
impression of great fineness. His bone structure and musculature is transparent beneath
fine and lean tissues (skin). This sighthound presents itself as a rangy dog whose body
fits into a rectangle with its longer sides in vertical position.
Important Proportions
Length of body/height at withers: 9:10. This ratio may be
slightly higher in bitches.
Height of chest/height at withers: about 4:10.
Length of muzzle/length of head: 1:2.
Width of skull/length of head: 4:10.
Head: Long, fine, lean and chiselled, rather narrow, without excess.
Cranial Region: The skull 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.
Facial Region
Nose: Nostrils well opened. The nose is either black or brown.
Muzzle: Long, straight, fine towards the front without exaggeration.
Jaws: Long and strong.
Cheeks: Flat.
Teeth: Scissor bite.
Eyes: Almond shaped, quite large. Their color is dark or amber. Eyelids
are 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 rising towards the hips.
Withers: Quite prominent.
Loin: Short, lean and often slightly arched.
Hipbones: 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.
Quarters
Forequarters: Seen as a whole: Long, fine, almost entirely vertical; set
perfectly well-set.
Shoulders: Long, lean and muscular and only slight slanting seen in
profile. The scapulo-humeral angle is very open (about 130o).
Feet: 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 130o).
Stifle:The femoro-tibial angle is very open (about 145o).
Hock: Hock joint and hock are straight and lean, without dewclaws.
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 leaping. 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 body.
Coat
Hair: Short, fine, down to none on the belly.
Color: Fawn with flecking limited to the extremities. All shades are
admitted from clear sand to dark fawn. The head may or may not have a black mask and the
list is very inconsistent. The coat includes 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 the shape of tracing on the foot. Black brindles are tolerated.
NOTE:The American Azawakh Association recognizes all colors which occur naturally in
Africa. These include the above colors along with white, black, grey, blue, brindle,
grizzle, parti-color, and all shades of brown to include chocolate.
Size and Weight
Height at the withers: Dogs: between 64 and 74 cm. (25-29 inches)
Bitches: between 60 and 70 cm. (23 1/2 - 27 1/2 inches)
Weight: Dogs: about 20-27 kg. (44-55 lbs.)
Bitches: about 15-20 kg. (33-44 lbs.)
Faults
Any departure from the foregoing should be considered a fault and the
seriousness of which shall be penalized in exact proportion to its degree.
