Attila, from our A Litter, superintending B Litter puppy play above.
HISTORY OF THE ERDELYI KOPÓ BREED
Transylvanian Hounds apparently originated when Asian hounds accompanying the Magyars arriving in Transylvania mixed with local dogs and the Celtic Hounds that arrived with the Romans centuries earlier to produce the original Transylvanian Hound, possibly as early as circa 500AD, Erdélyi Kopó (the Hungarian word for Transylvania is Erdélyi, for Hound it is Kopó; Romanians say "copoi ardelenesc") may share a common ancestry with the other well-known Transylvanian and Hungarian hunting dog, the Viszlas.
Kopós were used to hunt large game such as bison, bear, deer, boar and lynx in the heavily forested slopes of the Carpathian Mountains that ring Transylvania on three sides. Kopós were mostly the property of the nobility, who used them for sport hunting all over Transylvania. With such a small number of owners, there were not many of these dogs even in the best of times.
Kopós are a scent hound, called a driving hound. They hunt in packs of no more than four, sent out alone to flush game and drive it back toward the hunters for the kill. Kopós have stamina—they are said to cover as much as one hundred miles in a single hunt.
Kopós do not attack game; they worry it into moving toward the hunters. They have more than a single bark; they can make a variety of sounds. Depending on the sounds made by their hounds, hunters can tell the type and condition of the game coming toward them.
For centuries, Transylvania was part of Hungary. However, through the effects of wars and migration, by the early 20th century Hungarians had become a minority compared with the sizable number of Romanians, Saxons, Roma and other groups. With the collapse of the their government at the end of World War I, Hungary itself was dismembered. Transylvania became part of Romania in 1918; power slipped away from the Hungarians and into the hands of the Romanians who by then were the largest single group in Transylvania.
That was the beginning of the end of the golden age for the nobility and for these dogs. After 1918, the popularity of hunting for sport declined and with it the numbers of these dogs. Less than twenty years later, World War II marked the final end for the nobility. At the War’s end, the Russian Army installed Communist governments in both Romania and Hungary .
The Communists set about destroying all vestiges of the power of the old ruling classes. That policy resulted in the 1947 edict that Kopós, Viszlas and some other breeds were to be eradicated--the official reason was that they damaged crops and game. By the mid-1960’s, the few Kopós left in Transylvania were hidden deep in the recesses of the Carpathians. From 1944 to 1968, no Kopó puppies were officially recorded as being born and some believed the breed had become extinct.
In the mid-1960’s, however, two Kopós were spirited out of Transylvania by some intrepid Hungarians, who reportedly told border guards they were a “gift from the Romanian Communist Party to the Hungarian Communist Party”. With those dogs and the few in Hungary, the Hungarians began a revival that is still underway. Since the fall of their Communist government in 1989, Transylvanians--both ethnic Hungarians and Romanians--have begun to join in that revival. There are good breeders now in both countries, all trying to re-establish this breed.
Today, there may be less than a thousand pedigreed Kopós in the world, with a only a fraction of those being actual breeding stock. Up to 2012, only about one hundred Erdelyi Kopó puppies were registered for pedigree with the FCI, most of them born in Hungary or Romania.
In 2013, we began picking up the beat here in the U.S., which now ranks third in terms of puppies born. In 2014, thirty-four puppies were born to and registered by U.S. breeders, up from twenty-two puppies in 2013 and none before that. We're off to another good start in 2015, as a litter of eight has been born and another litter is expected in April.
A good friend from Indiana, who owns Rommy (formerly Anika), one of our "A" Litter females, is expected to join us as a breeder late this year or early 2016.
Kopós were used to hunt large game such as bison, bear, deer, boar and lynx in the heavily forested slopes of the Carpathian Mountains that ring Transylvania on three sides. Kopós were mostly the property of the nobility, who used them for sport hunting all over Transylvania. With such a small number of owners, there were not many of these dogs even in the best of times.
Kopós are a scent hound, called a driving hound. They hunt in packs of no more than four, sent out alone to flush game and drive it back toward the hunters for the kill. Kopós have stamina—they are said to cover as much as one hundred miles in a single hunt.
Kopós do not attack game; they worry it into moving toward the hunters. They have more than a single bark; they can make a variety of sounds. Depending on the sounds made by their hounds, hunters can tell the type and condition of the game coming toward them.
For centuries, Transylvania was part of Hungary. However, through the effects of wars and migration, by the early 20th century Hungarians had become a minority compared with the sizable number of Romanians, Saxons, Roma and other groups. With the collapse of the their government at the end of World War I, Hungary itself was dismembered. Transylvania became part of Romania in 1918; power slipped away from the Hungarians and into the hands of the Romanians who by then were the largest single group in Transylvania.
That was the beginning of the end of the golden age for the nobility and for these dogs. After 1918, the popularity of hunting for sport declined and with it the numbers of these dogs. Less than twenty years later, World War II marked the final end for the nobility. At the War’s end, the Russian Army installed Communist governments in both Romania and Hungary .
The Communists set about destroying all vestiges of the power of the old ruling classes. That policy resulted in the 1947 edict that Kopós, Viszlas and some other breeds were to be eradicated--the official reason was that they damaged crops and game. By the mid-1960’s, the few Kopós left in Transylvania were hidden deep in the recesses of the Carpathians. From 1944 to 1968, no Kopó puppies were officially recorded as being born and some believed the breed had become extinct.
In the mid-1960’s, however, two Kopós were spirited out of Transylvania by some intrepid Hungarians, who reportedly told border guards they were a “gift from the Romanian Communist Party to the Hungarian Communist Party”. With those dogs and the few in Hungary, the Hungarians began a revival that is still underway. Since the fall of their Communist government in 1989, Transylvanians--both ethnic Hungarians and Romanians--have begun to join in that revival. There are good breeders now in both countries, all trying to re-establish this breed.
Today, there may be less than a thousand pedigreed Kopós in the world, with a only a fraction of those being actual breeding stock. Up to 2012, only about one hundred Erdelyi Kopó puppies were registered for pedigree with the FCI, most of them born in Hungary or Romania.
In 2013, we began picking up the beat here in the U.S., which now ranks third in terms of puppies born. In 2014, thirty-four puppies were born to and registered by U.S. breeders, up from twenty-two puppies in 2013 and none before that. We're off to another good start in 2015, as a litter of eight has been born and another litter is expected in April.
A good friend from Indiana, who owns Rommy (formerly Anika), one of our "A" Litter females, is expected to join us as a breeder late this year or early 2016.
OUR HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY AS BREEDERS
In 2008, we acquired Hannah, a Transylvanian Hound puppy, purely by chance. Hannah opened a whole new world for us. Not only was she the best dog we'd ever owned, she led us to the FCI’s Dog Show of the Americas and Caribbean in Puerto Rico, and to new friends in the U.S., Hungary and Transylvania. Along the way, we've learned about the history of Central Europe, Transylvania, Hungary and Romania as well as the history and proper breeding of this very ancient breed of dogs. We’ve made friends in all those places and we’ve become serious dog breeders.
Hannah and her Hungarian-born mate Avar are the parents of two of the first U.S-born FCI registered and pedigreed litters and the core of our own breeding effort. We work closely with other breeders in the Transylvanian Hound Club in the U.S. and in Hungary and Transylvania to help with the revival of this breed in a way that preserves their ancient bloodlines and unique qualities.
California Transylvanian Hounds is in Walnut Creek, CA, near San Francisco. We are home breeders; our puppies are born and raised in our home, not a kennel. Our puppies are born under close human supervision, with veterinary medical support available 24/7 by data line and telephone, including monitoring devices to ensure there are no complications.
Our puppies are born in a whelping box in a spacious separate room in our home. As they grow and develop, their world expands to fill more and more of that room. We weigh them at birth and at regular intervals thereafter to ensure they are growing properly; our veterinarian sees them soon after birth and regularly thereafter.
We start the puppies' training when they are three days old, following a set of several simple steps that help the pups begin the learning process immediately. For example, we hold each pup in several positions, such as on its' back, for three seconds at a time, we expose each pup to a new smell every day, we acclimate them to several types of surface and we handle them a lot. As the pups grow, we provide them with new challenges and new situations to learn from.
When the puppies are ready, we open the door to the outside and their world expands even more. Their first tentative steps don’t take them far, but they push their limits constantly. When they first venture outside, they can explore the part of our yard that is ringed by a retaining wall, a space about twenty feet wide and one hundred feet long. Soon they are enjoying more and more of our nearly two acres, climbing our steep hillsides and romping through high grass and trees, playing on the lawn and chasing each other all about.
We provide lots of outdoor training aids and toys as well, such as a plastic play structure with dangling objects for them to paw at and chew on, a large cardboard roll they run through and climb over, the usual variety of chew- and pull-toys. Their favorite is a large plastic sand-box that we fill with empty milk bottles--they love to romp and play among the bottles, they love the unsteadiness of the dished top and they love to wade in the water when we turn it into a pool.
The puppies’ parents and brother live, teach and play with them as they grow. The puppies benefit enormously from the lessons they learn from their family/pack, and this interaction continues until they are about twelve weeks old, much longer than is the case with most U.S. dog breeders. We have found this additional time with both parents and siblings is invaluable in the puppies’ learning and development.
All our dogs are fed only organic food, prepared fresh daily. Normally, the puppies are weaned when their mother decides they are ready; our experience is that weaning starts to take place after six weeks. We begin supplementing mother’s milk after about four weeks so they are ready when their mother says it is time.
By the time each puppy leaves us, it is well socialized, through exposure to both parents and its siblings as well as to our own extended human family and friends. We average about one hundred visitors per litter not counting repeats, and with two young grandchildren living next door, our puppies learn about kids right away!
Each puppy learns to understand several commands and to sleep in its own crate. These dogs also start toilet training themselves almost immediately; all we need to do is help them. They start with potty boxes inside at 2 weeks old, then learn to go outside, so they are pretty well trained when they leave us.
Most important, our focus in breeding these Hounds is not to popularize this breed, but to preserve it intact for those people with a genuine interest, people who will take the time and form the bond these wonderful dogs need and deserve. Kopós quickly win over the hearts of everyone who sees them; if you're lucky, a Kopo may choose you!
THE TRANSYLVANIAN HOUND CLUB OF AMERICA
We work closely with the Transylvanian Hound Club at transylvanianhound.com to ensure the quality and character of each litter of puppies. We want to ensure the survival of the Transylvanian Hound breed--after all, any breed as good as this one, any breed that has survived deliberate attempts to kill it, should be allowed to survive!
Since there are so few Kopós and so few bloodlines from which to draw for breeding purposes, we carefully match eligible males and females to preserve and strengthen this breed. That means only a limited number of puppies will be available each year.
If you are interested in a puppy, please contact us for availability as soon as possible. We have close contacts with breeders in the U.S., Hungary and Transylvania. If a puppy is not available in the U.S., we may be able to find one for you there.
FEDERATION CYNOLOGIQUE INTERNATIONAL (FCI) PEDIGREES
Our Hounds are all pedigreed by the Federation Cynologique International (FCI), the international canine organization covering eighty-seven member countries, which recognized Transylvanian Hounds as a breed in 1968 and established their Breed Standard as part of their Group 6, Scenthounds and Related Breeds. Your puppy will come with an FCI pedigree and complete information regarding lineage and awards won by the puppy's parents and forebears. The FCI pedigree is recognized in the U.S. by the United Kennel Club, the oldest and largest such organization in the U.S., which welcomes Kopós at U.K.C. events.
Avar and son Attila have both won their Classes as well as other awards at the FCI Show in Puerto Rico, Avar is an International FCI Champion with several European and American championships, while Hannah won her Breed Certification from the FCI in 2012.
RESCUING THIS BREED
When some people learn we are breeding our dogs and remark they always get a rescue dog, we point out that we aren’t just rescuing one dog, we’re saving an entire breed!
We live and play happily with a pack of three, including Hannah's mate Avar and son Attila from her first litter. Our second litter was born April 4, 2014 and all have found their homes, but we do have more puppies and an adult available (see our separate page) and more litters planned.
Contact us at thekeep@me.com, on Facebook contact Maria Giannelli, or call us at 925-210-1212. For more information and photos, see the Transylvanian Hound Club page on Facebook.
In 2008, we acquired Hannah, a Transylvanian Hound puppy, purely by chance. Hannah opened a whole new world for us. Not only was she the best dog we'd ever owned, she led us to the FCI’s Dog Show of the Americas and Caribbean in Puerto Rico, and to new friends in the U.S., Hungary and Transylvania. Along the way, we've learned about the history of Central Europe, Transylvania, Hungary and Romania as well as the history and proper breeding of this very ancient breed of dogs. We’ve made friends in all those places and we’ve become serious dog breeders.
Hannah and her Hungarian-born mate Avar are the parents of two of the first U.S-born FCI registered and pedigreed litters and the core of our own breeding effort. We work closely with other breeders in the Transylvanian Hound Club in the U.S. and in Hungary and Transylvania to help with the revival of this breed in a way that preserves their ancient bloodlines and unique qualities.
California Transylvanian Hounds is in Walnut Creek, CA, near San Francisco. We are home breeders; our puppies are born and raised in our home, not a kennel. Our puppies are born under close human supervision, with veterinary medical support available 24/7 by data line and telephone, including monitoring devices to ensure there are no complications.
Our puppies are born in a whelping box in a spacious separate room in our home. As they grow and develop, their world expands to fill more and more of that room. We weigh them at birth and at regular intervals thereafter to ensure they are growing properly; our veterinarian sees them soon after birth and regularly thereafter.
We start the puppies' training when they are three days old, following a set of several simple steps that help the pups begin the learning process immediately. For example, we hold each pup in several positions, such as on its' back, for three seconds at a time, we expose each pup to a new smell every day, we acclimate them to several types of surface and we handle them a lot. As the pups grow, we provide them with new challenges and new situations to learn from.
When the puppies are ready, we open the door to the outside and their world expands even more. Their first tentative steps don’t take them far, but they push their limits constantly. When they first venture outside, they can explore the part of our yard that is ringed by a retaining wall, a space about twenty feet wide and one hundred feet long. Soon they are enjoying more and more of our nearly two acres, climbing our steep hillsides and romping through high grass and trees, playing on the lawn and chasing each other all about.
We provide lots of outdoor training aids and toys as well, such as a plastic play structure with dangling objects for them to paw at and chew on, a large cardboard roll they run through and climb over, the usual variety of chew- and pull-toys. Their favorite is a large plastic sand-box that we fill with empty milk bottles--they love to romp and play among the bottles, they love the unsteadiness of the dished top and they love to wade in the water when we turn it into a pool.
The puppies’ parents and brother live, teach and play with them as they grow. The puppies benefit enormously from the lessons they learn from their family/pack, and this interaction continues until they are about twelve weeks old, much longer than is the case with most U.S. dog breeders. We have found this additional time with both parents and siblings is invaluable in the puppies’ learning and development.
All our dogs are fed only organic food, prepared fresh daily. Normally, the puppies are weaned when their mother decides they are ready; our experience is that weaning starts to take place after six weeks. We begin supplementing mother’s milk after about four weeks so they are ready when their mother says it is time.
By the time each puppy leaves us, it is well socialized, through exposure to both parents and its siblings as well as to our own extended human family and friends. We average about one hundred visitors per litter not counting repeats, and with two young grandchildren living next door, our puppies learn about kids right away!
Each puppy learns to understand several commands and to sleep in its own crate. These dogs also start toilet training themselves almost immediately; all we need to do is help them. They start with potty boxes inside at 2 weeks old, then learn to go outside, so they are pretty well trained when they leave us.
Most important, our focus in breeding these Hounds is not to popularize this breed, but to preserve it intact for those people with a genuine interest, people who will take the time and form the bond these wonderful dogs need and deserve. Kopós quickly win over the hearts of everyone who sees them; if you're lucky, a Kopo may choose you!
THE TRANSYLVANIAN HOUND CLUB OF AMERICA
We work closely with the Transylvanian Hound Club at transylvanianhound.com to ensure the quality and character of each litter of puppies. We want to ensure the survival of the Transylvanian Hound breed--after all, any breed as good as this one, any breed that has survived deliberate attempts to kill it, should be allowed to survive!
Since there are so few Kopós and so few bloodlines from which to draw for breeding purposes, we carefully match eligible males and females to preserve and strengthen this breed. That means only a limited number of puppies will be available each year.
If you are interested in a puppy, please contact us for availability as soon as possible. We have close contacts with breeders in the U.S., Hungary and Transylvania. If a puppy is not available in the U.S., we may be able to find one for you there.
FEDERATION CYNOLOGIQUE INTERNATIONAL (FCI) PEDIGREES
Our Hounds are all pedigreed by the Federation Cynologique International (FCI), the international canine organization covering eighty-seven member countries, which recognized Transylvanian Hounds as a breed in 1968 and established their Breed Standard as part of their Group 6, Scenthounds and Related Breeds. Your puppy will come with an FCI pedigree and complete information regarding lineage and awards won by the puppy's parents and forebears. The FCI pedigree is recognized in the U.S. by the United Kennel Club, the oldest and largest such organization in the U.S., which welcomes Kopós at U.K.C. events.
Avar and son Attila have both won their Classes as well as other awards at the FCI Show in Puerto Rico, Avar is an International FCI Champion with several European and American championships, while Hannah won her Breed Certification from the FCI in 2012.
RESCUING THIS BREED
When some people learn we are breeding our dogs and remark they always get a rescue dog, we point out that we aren’t just rescuing one dog, we’re saving an entire breed!
We live and play happily with a pack of three, including Hannah's mate Avar and son Attila from her first litter. Our second litter was born April 4, 2014 and all have found their homes, but we do have more puppies and an adult available (see our separate page) and more litters planned.
Contact us at thekeep@me.com, on Facebook contact Maria Giannelli, or call us at 925-210-1212. For more information and photos, see the Transylvanian Hound Club page on Facebook.