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.
One should not penalize a little thigh or shoulder woolly feather, this is a natural breed and not an overly
groomed one.
Colors
White, cream, fawn, golden, red, grizzle and tan, tricolor (white, black and tan) and black and tan.
Please note all of the above colors and pick by conformation (the shape, outline, or form of something,
especially an animal, determined by the way in which its parts are arranged) and not the color, we have no
color preference.
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 Saluki has the greatest size range of any breed, this in accordance with the variety of type and
distribution throughout the countries of origin. There is no preference for size, a quality Saluki is the only
preference. Quite often the Saluki will back off the judge when approached from the front, I find it better to
approach from the side for this reason and after examination, step forward to look at the head and
expression.
The Smooth Variety
In this variety the points should be the same with the exception of the coat, which has no
feathering.
Judge them the same.
Movement although not mentioned in the standard, is a light, easy, effortless, flowing gait. Excessive
pounding, overreaching, bobbing, scooping or tremendous reach and drive, is a waste of energy in a
desert hound that conserves energy for the hunt. Remember the origins and conditions in which the
Salukis were found. The trot served to get the Salukis across great distances from point A to point B across
hot and arid desert conditions, therefore an energy conserving gait was called for.
These are the thoughts that go into both my breeding and judging of the Saluki. In order to keep and
preserve the Saluki as it is and has been since thousands of years BC. Why is it that the modern Saluki
has changed relatively so little that it is still distinguishable from early drawings on tombs and paintings? It
is and will continue to be a living and functioning work of art and antiquity, cherished and preserved by
those who carry on the traditions of a functional hound preserved by those before us. Know this and you
then understand why we are so concerned that fad and fashion do not become part of our breed. When
judging our breed, ask yourself, if I was out in the wilderness with only a Saluki for companionship, which
one could put dinner on the table (or campfire as it may be), for that is the standard of our breed. Know
this and you understand the Saluki.
Loin and Back
Back fairly broad, muscles slightly arched over loin.
Loin: anatomy the area on each side of the backbone of a human or other animal between the ribs and hips.
This area has muscles slightly (very small) arched (intransitive verb to follow a trajectory in the shape of an
arch) over the area between the ribs and hips. If you put this together with the hip bones, the more muscle, the
less hip or topline bone you will see. As the Saluki breed standard calls for a well muscled hound, you should
not see but the tops of the hip bone and the topline should arch (again slightly arched) past the rib cage in a
soft curve, past the hipbone and into the croup. The topline should not be flat, this indicates a lack of muscling
in the loin area, which calls for a broad back. The underline should curve upwards from a long sternum into a
good tuckup (a reference to the body depth at the loin), showing a good length of ribcage.
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.
The foot is very important in a running hound, a flat or splayed foot is weak. Toes should be of a good length
and strong. The pads should be thick and the foot in proportion to the Saluki. The pasterns should be strong,
knuckled over or down should be penalized.
Tail
Long, set on low and carried naturally in a curve, well feathered on the underside with long silky
hair, not bushy.
The tail should be long (extending a relatively great length or height) past the hock is preferable. The tail
should be set towards the end of the croup, however the carriage of the curve is more of an indicator of the
Saluki’s mood.
Example F: Correct side movement
Tri colored bitch with good head
planes, outline and balance. Shows
well arched and strong foot. Body lines
flow.
Excellent head and Pigment: Bitch
showing wonderful ear set, moderately
wide head, dark pigment with excellent
eye shape.
Smooth with good underjaw: Tri
colored dog with strong
underjaw, good front fill, good
arch over loin, strong rear with
good second thigh muscle.