Brief historical summary:
African Sighthound of Afro-Asiatic type. Originating from the Nigerien middle basin and the Valley of the Azawakhs. Companion of nomadic tribes of the Southern Sahara Desert.
Leggy, refined/elegant and taller than long resembling a rectangle. Bone structure and muscle are transparent under fine and lean skin.
Aloof and reserved with strangers.
Skull, Head and Neck:
Eyes: Almond shaped and large. Color corresponding with the coat and eye rims pigmented.
Ears: Triangle set high fine, flat , wide at the base and close to the skull.
Skull: Almost flat, elongated, Width is 40 percent length of the head. The occipital is pronounced and stop slight.
Muzzle: Long, narrow, fine chiseled and narrow.
Neck: Muscular, slight arch, good reach and long.
Top line: Horizontal, nearly straight and or rising towards the withers
Teeth: Full dentition, scissor bite preferred and level bit allowed. Serious faults overshot or undershot bites.
Nose: Nostrils well opened and color of the coat
Body
Length is 90 percent of the hound
Depth of chest is 40 percent of height and withers. It is deep, but not going past the elbows. It is wide enough to give the heart space and not narrow.
Fore chest is not wide. Chest is a curved keel consisting of dry muscle and visible skeleton
Brisket’s underline rises high into the lumbar arch with no interruption
Ribs: long, visible and evenly curved
Back: Nearly straight, horizontal or rising toward the hips
Hip bones are prominent. Equal or higher than the withers.
Croup: Not parallel without a accented slant
Tail: Should reach the hock, thin and lean. Carried in a sickle, ring or saber above the back when hound is not excited.
Height: Males 25 to 29 inches, Females 23 to 27 inches at the withers
Weight: Males 44 -55 pounds, Females 33-44 pounds
3 – 5 ribs should show when in correct weight
Body proportion Length of body/height at withers 9:10 Length is 90 percent of height. It could be slightly higher in females.
Gait:
Graceful, light and agile without a hackney like action. When moving on a trot the front foot should not move past the nose.
Major faults:
Heavy general appearance
Size more than an inch from the norm
Body too long
Hip bones lower than the withers
Overbite and undershot bites
Viciousness