AHI: Do you remember the first time you saw an Afghan Hound? How long after that until you had one? Was this your first breed? How long have you had the AfAffliction?

Oh yes I do.. I was about 9 or 10 and one of my neighbours brought with them a golden colored male. I remembered this guy took pictures of his afghan sitting on his Harley Davidson  bike.. It was sooo breathtaking. That dog really LIKED to sit there and being admired.

A little after that we got another afghan moving in and this was a black and tan..

I was all over that dog too.

My parents had Rough Coated Collies and I went for long walks every day with them, and I would always take the black afghan with me..... I could not stop looking at that dog. He was so spectacular in my eyes.

I had some friends that shared the same excitement over that dog and we made a pact - when we were grown up - we would have an AFGHANHOUND.

In the end I was the only one ending up with one, and that love has lasted for nearly 30 years ( since I bought the first one)

AHI:  What were the qualities you first admired in the breed? Are those the same qualities you treasure today? Are there any you’ve come to regret?

What I admired in these two first afghan hounds were their regalness, and still being silly clowns. Their beauty of course and their way of moving and that sort of wild attitude they both had - without being aggressive or anything they were super sweet in temperament both to people and other dogs.. but they LOOK wild.

I thought they were the most beautiful dogs I ever seen.. but when looking back - I KNOW they were not really.. just ordinary pets.

I still like their wild appearance and regal attitude at the same time. I think both these things are the essence of an afghan. They still "fill" my eyes everytime I look at them. It is still EXCITING to watch them and to be among them every day.

Genhanna

 

AHI:  Tell us about your first Afghan(s)? Background, personality, pedigree? Are they behind your current program?

The first afghan in the family came together with my husband.. he was of Scandinavian/American lines through his grand sire Ch Panameric Of Stormhill. He had everything I looked for in afghans.. wild, arrogant and sweet , lovely head and expression, lovely outline standing and moving.. he could have been more eye-catching on the move though... he was the father of our first litter, but they not in the lines of today..

Some years after that we bought him a wife. She was of same lineage.. linebred on Ch El Khyrias Hazztafers parents and also with Panameric of Stormhill in her pedigree.. we thought they were a perfect couple.. and they were...We bred some champions already from that very first litter although we sold the puppies to inexperienced homes.....

We kept a male from that litter,  Ch Alphavilles Tough n Tiny.

When we bred her again we kept a bitch.and she IS BEHIND all of our dogs...

AHI:  Who were people that mentored you through the years?  What kind of impact did they have on you? Do you consider anyone to still be your mentor?

The first really mentors I had.. without knowing that they were... were Christina Jernberg of El Khyrias Afghans, Peter Stulhofer of Chapeau Claque afghans ( breeder of our first afghan).. They answered ALL my million questions and always did it happily. They are really the base of all the knowledge I have today

Some years later I came in contact with Karin Fonsholm of El Kamas afghans and she helped me a lot too... and was very generous with her pictures and films...

More laterly ( last 10 years or so) I owe a lot to Jan Reital, Tifarah Afghans. She is always there for me and I treasure her a lot for that.

None of my mentors ever say what I should do, but they have always been there to answer my questions and help by sort of guiding me into the right path..

As a tribute to where they have led me - I am always open to help others whenever they ask me things. I think that is something you always owe the new people in the bred (or other breeds)

Bertil   

AHI:  When and how did you start showing? Did you, and do you, enjoy it? What has been the most notable change in showing over the years?

I started showing  as soon as I was old enough.. my first dog shows were when I was 7 years old with my parents dog...so of course we showed the first afghan from puppy age. He did well at shows and I still enjoy showing.  Not so much for the winning part, even if it is always nice to win... my biggest thrills are always TOGETHER with the dogs at the other end of the lead.. we are there to have a fun time... thats it!

Many people have said to me that I need to be more of a determined WINNER in my OWN mind to really win the big wins...but I leave that to others.

All my dogs shown has become champions and some have won quite a lot also SBIS and so on so its not that I cant do it.. I just see it in another way I guess..

.. but I am also very happy to say that I am very proud of seeing people who have bought my dogs win as much as they have done. I take great pride in selling great dogs to people who really have the talent to do something with them, and being able to sit back and enjoy the ride.

What really has changed is peoples attitude towards showing dogs. Today some people see it as a battle of life and death... not just the relaxed atmosphere we used to have around the rings. If their dogs don't win - some people don't treat them well.  It is not the dogs fault if the judge YOU have entered him under does not like him.. RIGHT?!

Ok it is Ok to be serious inside the showring and in your preparations.. but do not overdo it and always remember to have a fun time with your dogs.. that is my motto.

Phoebe

AHI:  When did you breed your first litter? Was there a grand scheme or specific goal behind that breeding? Have your goals changed over the years? If so, how?

The first liter came in 1984 from the foundations dogs.  After all what my mentors had taught me.. I knew that linebreeding was the path I wanted to follow.. and I still am on the same path I am happy to say. Of course I outcross.. but linebreeding is the foundation in my way of breeding. Now my dogs have shown that they are healthy enough to be linebred on - maybe I  believe I  would have changed if  they have proved otherwise. The reason they ARE able to linebred on are of course thanks to the people behind them and their goals...

Health is very important to me.. not only body health but also a healthy mind...

AHI:  Have you always had the same kennel name? Where does your kennel name come from?

Yes we have always had the same kennelnamne. It is originally from a german popgroup from the early 80's," Alphaville"… I thought it suited our dogs.. and the rest is history

AHI:  Do you have any special friends in the Af world? Have they (and if so how have they) played a part in your AfAffliction? 

I have lots of friends in the afghanworld, all over the world. I always trust them when asking them stuff and I think they trust me back. We help each other and support each other's breedings and always talk about ideas etc.

Some are closer than others… but I guess that is normal. For me it is very important to have people also from other breeds to be able to discuss lines, ideas and combinations with, in an open way. That HELPS me a lot in my own breeding.. and I hope I have helped some too.

AHI:  Do you have an all time favorite Afghan Hound(s)? Name(s)? Why?

‘In dogs that I have not bred myself I have 5 really big favourites.

Ch El Khyrias Hazztafer  for his regal attitude, and a KING in all aspects that I have never seen in another dog. He is a dog to SEE live and not on pics. His movement was also breathtaking.

Ch Kulanas Victory Express, Stylish  regal attitude and movement. She made me decide for 100% that I would outcross..and I am very happy to say she is behind several of my winners of today.

Ch Kabiks The Challenger, same as above. He was the first afghan outside Sweden that really took my breath away. In fact I wrote to them in 1980's to talk about importing semen from him… the Terrell's never answered, either then never got my letter (no emails back then) or they thought I was some crazy kid from the other side of the globe..and that I was not serious.. who knows...But sometimes I wonder what could have been produced from a breeding to him..

Ch Calahorra Turban. Her pictures were always so lovely. I have never seen her move or anything so the love for her is on overall picture standing and her HEAD! Lovely lovely type of head..so rarely seen today

Ch El Kamas Wladimir. Stylish, regal and with movement that would have blown away many of today's top winners!.

All these dogs are in my head when breeding today and most of them are INSIDE my lines too. They are still raw models of what I like to see in an afghan

AHI:  Do you have a particular favorite from your kennel (current and all time)? Name? Tell us about them?

Gosh I must be kennel blind as I love them all  smile)

But there are some to be mentioned.

Gehenna - as she is behind EVERYTHING we have...and without her they would not have looked the way they are today. (See picture at top of 'Conversation')

Ch Shesellsseashells - she had it all, showmanship, attitude, show temperament, movement AND the ability to PRODUCE it... she was a joy to live with and we owe her a lot. She is behind all current dogs and the one we linebred on today.           (Picture on right)

Her son Ch Alphavilles Sneak Preview. He also have the attitude, show temperament, movement, body structure to match everyone out there... and an ability to produce himself and his mums look and style regardless who he was bred to.

For me he is one of the greats

Ch Alphavilles She's a Perfect Ten. As she combines the showing and producing ability from her mum, Shesellsseashells and her grand dam Kulanas Victory Express. She is one of those girls you never forget.

Shesellsseashells

Alphavilles That's It That's Me, a son of She’s a Perfect Ten and still very young, but he has already proved he has both the ability to be a great showdog AND produce..so he is really one for the future

They are the ones at home that really stick out in my eyes.. but there are several others that I have sold and that have shown the same ability to be great showdogs AND produce it in other kennels... and I see them as equally important in my breeding programme because of  their ability to show and produce -it helps me produce more dogs with the same ability.

AHI:  What characteristics do you place the greatest value on (conformation, temperament, ???)?  Why? Do they drive your breeding decisions?

HEALTH is important, Conformation is important. They must be SOUND from all angles, temperament must be open and nice. I like my afghans to be sweet and get along with others.

TYPE, style and movement are other parts that are important.. but without soundness and health it does not matter how good showdogs they are.

So I always look for any weakness in the health and soundness area when I evaluate a possible studdog... if that is Ok ..I look at his look and style area.. pedigree is important too.. but mostly in finding the type I prefer.

AHI:  What do you think are the most important factors in breeding? Are there any techniques or tools that can help someone thinking about starting a program?

I think that is a lot like gardening.. some have the eye for it and some don't.  And if you don't have the eye for it - use mentors to help guide you into what is important and what will work. That is how I did it - and I hope and think that this is the reason I am where I am today.

It is not that easy as mating to the top winner....you need to know what lines fit another and why .. and the only ones that can help you there are the breeders of those lines..IF they are willing to part with their knowledge.

AHI:  Do you perceive any predominant faults in today’s Afghan Hounds? If so, is there anything behind those faults (like following the flavor of the day)? ..and a way out?

Going back to soundness and functionality..and not just looking for showy movements from the side. THEN you can add all the flashiness you want.. they will still be AFGHANHOUNDS.

Lovely Head and expression is a rarely seen thing today.. at least the way I like them to be.

AHI:  Do you feel that today’s Afghan Hound has any worrisome health problems?  If so, what? If not, are there any areas that still deserve some attention before they become a problem?

One problem is that so many breeders don't see missing testicles as a PROBLEM...In my world it is a big problem that I really want to avoid. Some breeders say to my face they don't care..as long as the others in the litter are of nice quality and able to be shown..

But I don't see my litters as "mine"..they sort of belong to the afghanworld as well.. and therefore it is our duty to produce as healthy and functional puppies as possible..not only pretty ones.

Of course there can always be accidents and you could get a missing testicle in a litter.  But I don't like it when breeders breed to lines/dogs that they KNOW produce it frequently.

Other than that I don't see so many problems in afghans.. most breeders test for hips and eyes etc.. and that is good..

AHI:  What part do you think health tests should play in breeding? How do you use them? Is it specific to your breeding program or a general part of every Afs care?

I test eyes for JC, I have recently started to xray for hip dysplasia. I have always been very careful to use dogs from USA that has been xrayed.. but since it is not custom to xray in Scandinavia it never occurred to me how strange that must look. So I decided to start testing my own dogs as well as health is important.

I want a full dentition and I want SOUNDNESS all over. I also make sure that I know as much as possible about the littermates to the next stud to be used.. so that I am aware of what may come. It has happened that I back off from a lovely dog - if I have found something I did not like in his lines... The same way that I did with one of my " lines" of bitches. She produced nice puppies, but not good enough - so instead of trying to produce better in the next generation.. I stopped and found another way...That is how I see it...I am not saying it is the right way to do it  - but it is MY way

Busybee   

AHI:  What message or advice would you pass on to people just coming to the breed now? Those contemplating a breeding program?

It is important to buy their first dogs from people who care about the breed and are willing to share their knowledge and lines with them. Ask millions of questions and don’t be afraid to ask people you admire if they will mentor you.. I am sure most of them would be happy to do so.

If the first one you buy is not good enough.. buy another more more carefully and start from there instead of trying to bred and see what she produce… It takes generations to get better ones...It is better to start with good quality from the start .

AHI:  Do you have any general concerns about the fancy? (As in things that may drive down the numbers owning, caring for, and insuring that the breed is preserved.)  If so, what should (and/or can) be done about it?

I think that dropping entries and less new homes than needed, is dependent on the fact that so many of today's owners/breeders ONLY care for ribbons. That scares people away from the breed. Yes it is a lot of coat care, yes it is a showy breed... but it is also a LOVELY bred to live with and showing is so much more than ribbons.. If we take good care of all the new ones and give them that special time from our heart.. it will pay back hundreds of times I am sure.

We all have to remember that the new ones today may well be the ones that take the breed into the future... And we owe them the very best  dogs to bring with them.

 Shesuitsus

Yvonne Ljungkvist
   Alphavilles Afghanhounds