Saluki

Breed Standard

Head

 Long and narrow, skull moderately wide between the ears, not domed, stop not pronounced, the whole showing great quality. Nose black or liver. Ears Long and covered with long silky hair hanging close to the skull and mobile. Eyes Dark to hazel and bright; large and oval, but not prominent. Teeth Strong and level.

Neck

Long, supple and well muscled.

Chest

Deep and moderately narrow.

Forequarters

Shoulders sloping and set well back, well muscled without being coarse. Forelegs Straight and long from the elbow to the knee.

Hindquarters

Strong, hipbones set well apart and stifle moderately bent, hocks low to the ground, showing galloping and jumping power.

Loin and Back

Back fairly broad, muscles slightly arched over loin.

Feet

Of moderate length, toes long and well arched, not splayed out, but at the same time not cat-footed; the whole being strong and supple and well feathered between the toes.

Tail

Long, set on low and carried naturally in a curve, well feathered on the underside with long silky hair, not bushy.

Coat

Smooth and of a soft silky texture, slight feather on the legs, feather at the back of the thighs and sometimes with slight woolly feather on the thigh and shoulder.

Colors

White, cream, fawn, golden, red, grizzle and tan, tricolor (white, black and tan) and black and tan.

General Appearance

The whole appearance of this breed should give an impression of grace and symmetry and of great speed and endurance coupled with strength and activity to enable it to kill gazelle or other quarry over deep sand or rocky mountains. The expression should be dignified and gentle with deep, faithful, far-seeing eyes. Dogs should average in height from 23 to 28 inches and bitches may be considerably smaller, this being very typical of the breed.

The Smooth Variety-In this variety the points should be the same with the exception of the coat, which has no feathering.