Magyar Agar, the Hungarian Greyhound

Posted on 30/01/2018

In the mysterious Ural Mountains, the Hungarian hound has its roots, an unknown breed outside the borders of its country of origin, but with hundreds of centuries on its back. The esteem and consideration of his people was so high that he received his own name, Magyar Agár, the greyhound of the Magyars.

This imposing greyhound has developed its hunting skills over centuries, giving it exceptional sight, strength and stamina. being able to run up to 50 km in just one day. All this together with his splendid character make him an exceptional dog, guarantor of the affection of his fellow Hungarians, who consider him their traditional race.

ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF THE HUNGARIAN LEBREL

The history of the Hungarian hound takes us back to one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world, the Ural Mountains, the natural border that divides the European continent from the Asian one. In them they dwelt the magyars, an ethnic group from Eastern Europe that corresponds to today's Hungarians. In the 7th century, they came to the West, taking his dogs with him, as corroborated by the various archaeological finds.

Still, the ancient hound did not remain unchanged from then on, but the current one It is the fruit of the crossing of this with several ancient races. Their ancestors started to interbreeding with other Asian sighthounds, as a reflection of the different political disputes and control of the area by various empires, such as the Mongol and the Turkish.

Despite being a hunting people, after the settlement of the Magyars in present-day Hungary, greyhound hunting was not favored. The botanical and geographical conditions of the region were adverse, so it had to wait until its deforestation for its popularity to grow, which reached its peak with the invasion of part of the territory by the Turkish Empire in the 15th century.

It should be noted that this greyhound, unlike what happened with its sister breeds and in most of the history of its country, it was not the exclusive possession of the nobility. This favored the existence of two varieties: a bigger one belonging to the upper classes and a smaller one who lived with the peasants. This last variety, popularly known as field greyhounds or hare hunters, became extinct with the passing of the years, with the larger and more robust version of the nobility prevailing.

The physiognomy of the greyhound remained unchanged from the Middle Ages to the end of the Modern Age, when it broke the greyhound in Hungary with the popularization of dog racing. The breeders wanted to improve agility by crossing it with the English greyhound, but in return it lost its strength and differential physiognomic features, resembling its distant relative.

The arrival of the Second World War was devastating not only for humans, but also for canids. Hungarian sighthounds in the country were drastically reduced. So hard was the decline that the breed was believed extinct until the 1960s, at which time interest in the breed was recovered and specimens were located in remote rural areas of the country.

The Hungarian hound came back to life and efforts to regain it, by breed enthusiasts, was rewarded with your appreciation for the International Cynological Federation in 1966 as Hungarian Hound or Magyar Agár. Today, the greyhound is much loved and valued in its country of origin, considering it as the traditional breed of Hungary.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HUNGARIAN LEBREL

The official standard for the Hungarian hound was established by the International Cynological Federation in 2000. Classified in group 10 section 3 as short-haired sighthounds, their physical characteristics They are:

Life expectancy: between 11 and 13 years old.
Size: big.
Height: between 62 and 70 cm.
Weight: between 22 and 31 kg.
Complexion: strong and elegant.
Extremities: long, muscular and tendinous.
Eyes: medium in size and dark, with a lively and intelligent look.
Ears: large and thick, inserted at medium height and folded towards the neck in the shape of a rose.
Snout: strong and elongated with a large and well pigmented nose.
Jaws: strong and powerful with scissor bite.
Neck: medium length, muscular and without wrinkles.
Line: long, strong, thick and slightly curved. It is covered with wire hair at the bottom.
Hair: short, thick, rough and well glued. In winter it can develop a dense undercoat.
Coat colors: All colors and color combinations known in sighthounds are allowed, except: blue, blue spotted with white, brown, wolf gray, black and tan or tricolor dogs.

The Hungarian hound was selecting after generations for the hunt, specializing in sight hunting. Although he has a good sense of smell, his sight is his main sense, which he combines with a run so powerful that can get to surpass the greyhound in some distances.

CHARACTER OF THE HUNGARIAN LEBREL

The Hungarian hound is a stubborn and instinctive dog, a reflection of its genetics intimately adapted to hunting on the move. Despite this, he is a great companion and he earns an important niche with honors in all families that are lucky enough to have one.

Unlike many sister races, this greyhound is reserved, but not shy, what gives you a highlight freshness in his dealings with strangers, both humans and their peers. This facet of a certain shyness has historically been exploited for use as a watchdog, but without notes of aggressiveness. Even so, do not neglect their socialization from the early stages to give him tools with which he can face different adult circumstances without fear.

As we have remarked in the other breeds of sighthounds, we cannot ignore his strong hunting instinct, together with its great physical power and visual hunting in the race. If he is going to live with other animals, we must socialize him so that he learns to relate to them and accept them as part of the family. The problem is that this does not guarantee that it does not see other specimens as prey, so it is not recommended to drop it in open spaces if the call is not reliable and if we are not sure of their obedience to the appearance of the stimulus.

The Hungarian hound is very intelligent, but we start from their consideration as greyhounds, so we must opt for educational methods based on positive reinforcement. This racial group has been misunderstood for their sensitivity, calling them slow and unintelligent due to the poor results obtained after the use of fear-based methods by owners and trainers. If you build your relationship on trust, the results will surprise you.

HUNGARIAN LEBREL DISEASES

The Hungarian hound can be affected by a series of pathologies more frequent in their racial group:

Hip dysplasia.
Stomach twisting.
Gastric dilation.
Hypersensitivity to chemical compounds.
Epilepsy.
Hypothyroidism
Progressive retinal atrophy.

CARE OF THE HUNGARIAN LEBREL

The Hungarian hound is a dog that casino needs daily care thanks to its physical characteristics. Regarding the care of his cloak, since his hair is so short, only need a few brushings per month, always with a brush suitable for its coat to remove dead hair.

To facilitate basic adult hygiene, You must get used to bathing, brushing teeth and maintaining your nails from a young age. Although it is not a breed with a tendency to generate plaques of tartar, it never hurts to brush and adapt its diet to maintain its oral hygiene, avoiding the fearsome plaque and serious associated diseases. You also have to groom his ears, especially after bathing to avoid moisture remaining and can cause an infection.

The greatest care we must take is against cold and humidity, being a breed not very tolerant to low temperatures. For it, we must keep it warm with blankets and a good coat to walk, like a raincoat when it rains and dry it well when we get home, in order to avoid colds and related diseases.

Being a good sized dog, we must try to keep him at a healthy weight and avoid exercises that can cause musculoskeletal injuries, such as bone fractures or muscle tears during high intensity games.

As with other dogs, you should periodically go to the vet for vaccination, deworming and health checks. A stable routine of daily walks and feeding should also be maintained, appropriate to their size.

YOU AND YOUR HUNGARIAN LEBREL

Are you one of the lucky ones who shares your couch with a Hungarian hound? Well, don't wait any longer to share your experience with us. Go ahead and leave us a comment telling us your story. We can't wait to meet her!