Transylvanian scenthound

		Transylvanian scenthound
		FCI standard Nº 241

Origin		Hungary
Translation		Mrs C. Seidler and Mrs Elke Peper
Group		Group 6 Scent Hounds and Related Breeds
Section		Section 1.2.Medium sized Hounds
Working		With working trial
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI		Saturday 30 March 1963
Publication of the official valid standard		Thursday 06 April 2000
Last update		Wednesday 13 September 2000
En français, cette race se dit		Chien courant de Transylvanie
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar		Transylvanisher Laufhund
En español, esta raza se dice		Sabueso de Transilvania
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd		Erdélyi Kopó
In his country of origin, his name is		Erdélyi Kopó

Usage

Hunting Dog (Hound) which is able to hunt independently, also at a great distance from his handler. Excellently suited to the finding and pursuit of a trail. When he finds a fresh scent, he yaps with a whining sound; during the hunt giving tongue to the scent, his barking is resounding, high pitched and ringing. He drives and points game in an excellent manner. He works smoothly alone or being part of a brace.

Brief historical summary

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.

General appearance

The shape and the carriage of the head, the body proportions, the strong muscular limbs and the tail set of the Hungarian Hound correspond to the characteristics of the Mid-European type of Hounds. It is medium sized. The body formation of the Hungarian Hound has adapted to the work over long distances. He is athletically built, neither coarse nor fine boned.

Important proportions

The ratio of the length of the skull to the length of the muzzle is approximately 1:1.
The ratio of the height at the withers to the length of the body is 10:11.

Behaviour / temperament

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.

Head
Cranial region
Head		It is a longish but not pointed Hound head; the difference between the sexes is distinct.
Skull		The skin on the head is close-fitting and free of wrinkles. Skull slightly domed. The occiput is not pronounced. The superciliary ridges are slightly developed.
Stop		Barely pronounced.

Facial region
Nose		The nose is not too bluntly cut off, the colour is black. The nostrils are mobile and wide.
Lips		Dry and tight fitting. The colour of the mucous membrane is black.
Nasal bridge		Bridge of nose straight.
Jaws and teeth		The jaws are strong. The teeth are strong and well developed. Complete scissor bite, according to the dentition formula.
Cheeks		Rounded, only slightly developed.
Eyes		Of medium size, almond shaped, slightly oblique. The colour is dark brown. The lids are close-fitting to the eyeball.
Ears		Set medium high, not too heavy, hanging closely to the cheeks without being folded. They widen from the base and then taper towards the rounded tip. Pulled forwards, the leathers cover the eyes but normally do not reach further.

Neck

Very muscular, of medium length. The skin forms slight folds on the throat. A slight dewlap is permitted but not desirable.

Body
Body		The body has the shape of a prone rectangle.
Topline		Straight.
Withers		Pronounced.
Back		Straight behind the withers with well developed muscles.
Loin		In bitches a slightly longer loin is permitted.
Croup		Slightly sloping.
Chest		The sternum does not protrude. The brisket is broad, long and not too deep. In cross section, it is oval, nearly rounded, to ensure easy breathing.
Underline and belly		Belly only slightly tucked up.

Tail

Set on at medium height, strong. In repose, the lower third of the tail is curved slightly upwards. It reaches, preferably, one to two cm beyond the hocks. When excited, the dog carries his tail curved, yet not curled, over the back. The tail is not docked.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality		Seen from the front, the front legs are parallel and, as a result of the broad chest, adequately far apart.
Shoulders		Shoulder blade well muscled, adequately long and moderately sloping.
Elbows		Close-fitting to the ribcage.
Forearm		Straight and symmetric.
Forefeet		Large with well knit, strong, arched toes. The pads are large, firm and well cushioned. Nails strong and as black as possible.

Hindquarters
Generality		When standing, the hind legs are slightly overstretched beyond the rear; well muscled.
Upper thigh		Long.
Metatarsus		Straight and parallel.
Hock		Low set.
Hind feet		Toes well knit and strong. Pads large, firm and well cushioned. Nails strong and as black as possible. Dewclaws should be removed.

Gait and movement

The stride is long and ground covering, never mincing. The trot is ground covering. When at work, his gallop is extremely enduring.

Skin

The skin of the Hungarian Hound is medium thick. Especially in the throat region it is a little loose but never folded. It has a dark pigment. Bare areas of skin are black.

Coat
Hair		The whole body, even the underside of the belly, is covered by short, straight, dense, flat coat. On the neck, the withers, the back of the upper thighs and the underside of the tail, the coat is longer than on the other parts of the body. Cow-licks and ridges may occur. The coat is coarse to the touch and shiny. Undercoat under the topcoat.
Colour		The primary colour of the Hungarian Hound is black. There is always a not too dark tan point on each eyebrow. Tan markings on muzzle and legs. The tan is distinctly demarcated from the black. On the nose, a white marking may occur, possibly extending to a blaze on the forehead, to a collar around the neck, to the chest, under the chest and to the lower parts of the legs and the feet. A white marking may also occur on the tip of the tail. White on more than one fifth of the whole body is undesirable.

Size and weight
Height at withers		Ideal height at withers: 55 to 65 cm. The decisive criterion is the overall balance rather than the mere measure in cm.
Weight		Minimum 25 kg.

Faults

• Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

Disqualifying faults

Aggressive or overly shy.

Cranial or facial region too narrow, too long or rounded.

Stop very slight or too pronounced.

Short muzzle.

Faulty bite.

Light ears, Terrier or Sighthound like ears.

Wiry coat, soft, wavy or sparse coat.

Brown or blue colour with markings.

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography

https://www.fci.be/

Details: Also available:; Last Updated: 27 January 2024; Hits: 1176

Transylvanian scenthound