Transylvanian Hound

Good-natured, courageous, enduring. The basic character of the Hungarian Hound is quiet, even, but also determined and lively. He even stands extreme weather conditions.

The Erdelyi Kopó is an ancient Hungarian breed, which has been determined by the peculiarities of the climate, the territory and the hunting conditions. The breed reached its climax in the Middle Ages, at a time when it was the favourite hunting dog of the aristocracy. Regarding its original use, it was pushed back into the path-less woods of the Carpathian mountains, due to the developments in agriculture and forestry. As a result of the influence of the various conditions of the terrain, two varieties of the Erdelyi Kopó evolved: the long legged and the short legged variety. These two varieties were always kept together.

Originally the long legged Hungarian Hound was used for hunting big game like buffaloes and later bears, wild boars and lynxes, while the short legged Hound was used for hunting small game like foxes or hares in overgrown terrain and chamois in rocky areas. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Hungarian Hound was nearly extinct. The determined breeding was resumed in 1968. Nowadays a significant number of dogs of the long legged variety exists in Hungary and in the neighbouring Romania; the short legged variety disappeared.