The Saluki Breed Standard / American Kennel Club
The Saluki standard was adopted in 1927 and remains unaltered to this day. Copied from the 1923 British standard, it is the oldest, unchanged sighthound standard in the AKC.
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 tis 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.
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 tis 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.