Updated: 12/17/2008
American
Azawakh Association
The Official Site of the National Parent
Club
The
Azawakh Standard
American
Azawakh Association Standard
General
Appearance:
The
Azawakh is an African sighthound of Afro-Asiatic type that appeared in Europe
towards 1970 and comes from the middle basin of Niger, among others, from the
Valley of the Azawakh.
For hundreds of years, he has been the companion of the nomads of the
southern Sahara.
Particularly leggy and elegant, the Azawakh gives a general impression of
great fineness. His bone structure and musculature are transparent beneath fine
and lean skin. This
sighthound presents itself as a rangy dog whose body fits into a rectangle with
its longer sides in a vertical position.
Faults
– Heavy general appearance
Head
– Long, fine, lean and chiseled, rather narrow, without excess. Length of
muzzle/length of head = 1:2.
Length of back skull is 50% length of head.
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. Width of the skull/length of head = 4:10.
The width of the skull is 40% 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.
Faults:
Wide back skull, prominent stop
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.
Disqualification:
Overshot or undershot bite.
Eyes: Almond
shaped, quite large.
Their color is dark or amber. Eyelids are pigmented.
Disqualification:
Light eyes; i.e. bird of prey eyes.
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
rises when the hound is attentive.
Body and Neck:
Length of body/height at withers – 9:10.
Length of body is 90% height of hound.
This ratio may be slightly higher in bitches.
Fault:
Body too long
Neck: Good
reach of neck, which is long, fine and muscular, slightly arched.
The skin is fine and does not form a dewlap.
Topline:
Nearly straight, horizontal or rising toward 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 at the withers.
Fault:
Hip bones placed distinctly lower than withers.
Croup: Oblique
without accentuated slant.
Forechest:
Not very wide.
Chest:
Height of chest/height at withers – about 4:10.
Height of chest is 40% of height at withers.
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.
Disqualification:
Ribs curving in reverse at the bottom of the chest, which gives the
aspect of a violin case.
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. It is covered with the same type
of hair as that of the body.
It is carried hanging with the tip slightly raised, but when the dog is
excited, it can be carried above the horizontal.
Forequarters
and Hindquarters
Forequarters - Seen as a whole: long, fine, almost entirely
vertical; set perfectly well set.
Shoulders:
Long, lean and muscular and only slightly slanting seen in profile.
The scapulo-humeral angle is very open (about 1300).
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 and prominent with lean muscles.
The coxo-femoral angle is very open (about 1300).
Stifle – The femoro-tibial angle is very open (about 1400).
Hock – Hock joint and hock are straight and lean, without
dewclaws.
Feet – Round shaped, with fine and tightly closed toes; the pads
are pigmented.
Gait – Always very supple (lissome) 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
and Coat –
Skin – Fine, tight over the whole body.
Hair – Short, fine, down to none on the belly.
Color – Fawn, clear sand to dark fawn, brindled, white, black, gray,
blue, grizzle, parti-color, and all shades of brown to include chocolate. The
head may or may not have a black mask.
There may be white markings on the legs, bib and at the tip of tail.
Fault
– Significant flesh coloring or depigmentation.
Disqualification
– Harsh or semi-long coat. Coat not identical to the standard.
Size
and Weight
Height
at withers:
Males – 25 – 29 inches at the withers
Females – 23 ½ - 27 ½ inches at the withers
Disqualification
– Size deviating more than an inch from the norms of the standard
Weight:
Males – 44 – 55 pounds
Females – 33 – 44 pounds
Character
and Temperament – Quick,
attentive, distant, reserved with strangers and may even be savage, but he can
be gentle and affectionate with those he is willing to accept.
Disqualification: Timid character, panicky or aggressive to the
point of attack.
Disqualifications
Lack
of type (in particular, translating as a recent crossing with another breed)
Unilateral
or bilateral cryptorchidism
Prominent
non-accidental anatomical deformation
Non-acquired
disabling anomaly
All
spotted crippling defects
