Slovenský Kopov

The Slovenský Kopov is a medium sized hunting dog which originated in Slovakia and is found mostly in Europe. This breed was mainly developed for boar hunting and in spite of their size, they are good at it. It has the looks of a typical hunting hound. It has a strong muscular body, a long tail and long legs. It has a short and dense coat and is always black with a few parts tan in color. It has an undercoat too which grows thicker during winter. Bitches of this breed are slightly smaller in stature than the dogs.

It has a slightly dome shaped skull and the brow bones and frontal furrow is quite pronounced. Its ears are quite long and rounded at the end. They usually lie flat against the head. It has almond shaped dark eyed and eyelids come with a black edge. Its ribs are slightly arched and the belly has a moderate tuck.

The breed standards include the ideal size of this breed too. This is mainly to prevent breeders from developing a very large or very small sized dog. It is also called by other names like the Black Forest hound and Slovakian hound. It descends from the scent hounds and has a very sensitive nose. It is also very independent as well as adaptable to different living conditions.

It requires regular brushing. Other than an occasional bath, it doesn’t need a lot of maintenance. After a hunt, they will need to be cleaned to remove external parasites. Cleaning of ears and trimming of the nails will have to be done too. One will need to be very firm with this breed while training them. They can be very affectionate and make very efficient watch dogs as well. It doesn’t trust strangers and hence will have to be trained and socialized well before being kept at home. They also need a lot of obedience training and a weak owner will have a lot of trouble controlling this breed.

It is a very good hunting dog but is not an ideal pet. Apartment living will not suit dogs of this breed. It requires regular exercise and physical activity. A house with an open yard will be ideal to raise this dog. Its sharp sense of smell is very useful for hunting and as it is a very courageous breed, it can hunt alone. It also has an excellent sense of direction and has the ability to follow scents for hours.

As a house dog, it can be trained to behave well with strangers. It likes human company hence will enjoy being a part of the family. This is not a quite hunter and if it gets bored at home, you may have the neighbors complaining for incessant barking. With the right socialization, it can be made to behave well with other pets in the house, especially smaller animals. They make great companions for children at home while being a very alert and aggressive watch dog.