The Transylvanian Hound, also known as the Transylvanian Scent Hound or Hungarian Hound is a dog breed from the Kingdom of Hungary, Transylvania (found today in Hungary and Romania), historically primarily used for hunting. It is a strong, medium-sized scent hound, characterized by a black body, with tan and sometimes white markings on the muzzle, chest and extremities, and distinctive tan eyebrow spots. It has a high-pitched bark for a dog of its size. The breed was rescued from extinction by focused breeding efforts in the late 20th century. There were formerly two varieties, the tall and the short, developed for different kinds of hunting in the Middle Ages. Only the tall variety survives today.
History
The dog was the favourite of the Hungarian aristocracy during the breed’s peak in the Middle Ages, for hunting various game animals Two height varieties developed to hunt different game in different types of terrain, and both varieties were kept together. The tall variety was used for hunting woodland and grassland big game, such as European bison, bear, boar, and lynx. The short variety was used for hunting fox, hare, and chamois in overgrown or rocky terrain.
The breed declined and was marginalised to the Carpathian woodlands, shrinking with the growth of agriculture and forestry. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the breed was nearly extinct, and not recognised and standardised by the FCI until 1963. In 1968, efforts began to save it. Today, a substantial number of the tall variety of the dogs may be found in both Hungary and neighbouring Romania. However, only the tall variety remains today.
The Transylvanian Hound is, naturally, recognised by the national dog breeding and fancier group, the Hungarian Kennel Club (using the FCI breed standard). The breed was recognised with a breed standard by one US-based group, the UKC, in 2006. The more prominent American Kennel Club publishes no standard for it, though the organisation at least provisionally recognises its existence, announcing its acceptance in 2015 into the AKC Foundation Stock Service Program, for breeders hoping to establish it in the United States.