What Are the Traits and Care Requirements of the Azawakh Breed?

Azawakh: a fine coat and an active daily routine

The Azawakh has a notably slender, upright outline and a very short, fine coat. Minimal coat length should not obscure the larger decision: whether there is time for shared activity and access to a securely enclosed exercise area.

Understanding the outline

The FCI description places the body in an upright rectangle. Its height-to-body-length proportion is 10:9, with a slightly lower ratio allowed in females. Hair is short and fine; hair may be absent on the belly. These details help distinguish the Azawakh from simply describing any lean hound.

FCI height is 64–74 cm for males and 60–70 cm for females, with a separate allowance of 2 cm either side. Weight is 20–25 kg for males and 15–20 kg for females. Those figures describe the standard; they are not a feeding target for an individual dog.

A simple but regular coat routine

The earlier UK guide places grooming in the weekly category. AKC advice specifies a weekly soft-bristle brush, rubber mitt or hound glove, with nail care as needed. It also suggests letting mud dry before brushing it away rather than automatically bathing the dog.

The UK shedding field says No. That category cannot promise an absence of loose hair or predict a person’s allergy response. Choose a coat-care routine based on the dog in front of you, rather than reading the field as a guarantee.

Shared activity matters

The UK guide lists more than two hours of exercise, a large house and large garden, with either town or country as the setting. AKC guidance stresses exercising with the dog rather than leaving it alone to exercise itself. It gives running with an adult dog or a daily half-hour of shared play in a well-fenced area as examples.

That play example and the UK daily category answer different questions. Use them to plan a varied routine, then adapt it to age, condition and individual needs; half an hour of play is not a universal replacement for the rest of the day’s activity.

Two useful comparisons

Sloughi have a short, dense coat and a body slightly shorter than their height. Saluki include both smooth and feathered coats and have a body length approximately equal to height. These differences in proportions and coat make them useful comparisons without treating the three breeds as interchangeable.