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Slovenský Kopov
Calm, sociable, musical and single minded on a trail. From Slovakia.
Houndmedium breedSlovakiaStandards checked
Standards checked: this profile's facts are checked against the breed standards of the AKC, The Kennel Club and the FCI, as described on our methodology page.
Gallery
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Photos show different individual dogs from licensed libraries, not one dog growing up. Stage labels are approximate, the way a careful editor would judge them.
About the Slovenský Kopov
Slovakia produced the Slovenský Kopov, a medium sized scent hound bred to follow scent trails for hours, on game from rabbits to boar, baying so hunters can follow. Expect a companionable, musical dog who treats every walk as a detective story. Food motivation is total, which helps training and hurts waistlines.
History
Described as calm, sociable, musical and single minded on a trail, the Slovenský Kopov was not shaped for the show ring first: it was kept in Slovakia to follow scent trails for hours, on game from rabbits to boar, baying so hunters can follow. The breed is on the FCI books, and its standard there is the one used internationally. The adult stands 16 to 20 in at the shoulder and weighs 33 to 44 lb. Dense double coat of medium length: a harsh, straight outer coat over a thick, dark undercoat.
Personality
Calm, sociable, musical and single minded on a trail is the record's Slovensky Kopov, the Slovak Hound: Slovakia's black and tan mountain hound, developed in the twentieth century from the Carpathians' old brandlbracke type stock into a specialist boar dog of famous courage and endurance. Kopovs are persistent, brave and good natured, known among European hunters for staying with wounded boar and for an excellent nose in steep country. Puppies are bright, tan marked charmers; adults are compact, devoted companions. Owners describe Slovakia's pride: a small nation's big hearted hound.
Temperament and traits
Energy (4/5)
Trainability (3/5)
Grooming needs (3/5)
Shedding (3/5)
Barking (4/5)
Good with children: Good with children
With other dogs: Good with dogs
With strangers: Friendly with strangers
Apartment life: With enough exercise
Coat and care
Coat: Dense double coat of medium length: a harsh, straight outer coat over a thick, dark undercoat. It sheds seasonally and needs regular brushing.
Colors: Standard colors: black and tan.
Measure meals rather than free feeding; this breed does best on a routine of consistent meals, training in short sessions and daily exercise matched to its type. Brush weekly and check ears, teeth and nails as part of the routine. Long ears drag through everything and need weekly cleaning. Weight creeps up silently in this food loving type, so weigh monthly.
Exercise and grooming
Exercise
Sixty to ninety minutes a day of Slovak mountain exercise: the Slovensky Kopov is Slovakia's black and tan hound, the country's mountain boar dog, bred to hunt wild boar and deer in the Carpathian forests with unusual persistence and a willingness to bay and hold dangerous game. Long hikes, tracking and free running in secure areas fill the programme. Expect a companionable, musical dog who treats every walk as a detective story, per the overview. Food motivation is total, which helps training and hurts waistlines. Puppies need gradual building on a compact, powerful frame.
Grooming
Brush weekly and check ears, teeth and nails as part of the routine, per the care notes, working through the short, dense black and tan double coat: minutes a week, more at the seasonal sheds. Long ears drag through everything and need weekly cleaning, exactly as the notes say. Weight creeps up silently in this food loving type, so weigh monthly and measure meals rather than free feeding. Nails need trims, teeth benefit from brushing. Puppies need kind ear handling habits from the start.
Training and daily life
Training
Train the Kopov with food, patience and respect for a brave, determined nose. Food motivation is total, which helps training and hurts waistlines, per the overview. Recall exists in two states, reliable when the nose is idle and fictional when it is trailing boar scent, so the goal is management plus manners: secure areas, long lines, an emergency response and excellent household skills. Tracking formalises the profession. Kindness and clarity produce a polished, devoted companion.
Living with a Slovenský Kopov
The Slovensky Kopov suits active, experienced rural households that want Slovakia's national hound: calm, sociable and musical in the record's words, good with children, good with other dogs and friendly with strangers, it rates flats as possible only with the full Carpathian programme delivered. Expect a companionable dog of unusual courage and persistence for its size. Owners describe the complete Slovak mountain dog: a boar hound with a lion's heart in a handy frame, and a gentle, devoted family member after hours.
What a Slovenský Kopov costs
Food cost
About $27 per month for a typical 38 lb adult eating roughly 2.5 cups a day of a standard quality food ($1.60 per lb). Full breakdown in our food expense calculator.
Activity and exercise
Plan 60 to 90 minutes a day of walks, play and training. Under exercised dogs of most breeds invent their own projects, and they rarely pick good ones.
Insurance cost
Typical US range $35 to $62 per month for accident and illness cover. Estimate only, based on market ranges for this breed's risk profile; see the insurance estimator and the insurance guide.
On the monthly figures above, a typical adult year runs to about $320 for food and $420 to $744 for insurance, before routine vet care, grooming and gear. Year one costs more: vaccinations, spay or neuter surgery, a crate, bedding and training all land at once.
Growth: puppy to senior
How weight typically builds with age for a medium breed, and when full size arrives.
| Stage | Age | Typical weight |
|---|---|---|
| Puppy | 8 weeks | about 5 to 6 lb |
| Puppy | 4 months | about 11 to 14 lb |
| Young | 6 months | about 17 to 23 lb |
| Young | 9 months | about 24 to 33 lb |
| Adult | 12 months | about 29 to 39 lb |
| Adult | 18 months | about 33 to 44 lb |
| Adult | Full grown | 33 to 44 lb (standard range) |
| Senior | From about 8 years | Healthy weight stays in the adult range; watch for slow gain or loss |
Growth pattern follows the size class growth curves published by the Waltham Petcare Science Institute, applied to the adult weight range in the breed standard. Individual puppies vary; steady growth matters more than hitting any single number, and your vet's growth checks come first.
Life stages
Puppies need socialisation, ear care habituation, gradual exercise building and secure fencing audited before the nose fully engages. Adolescents are at maximum stamina and determination, and tracking plus long lines carries the household through. Adults enjoy a sturdy prime: keep weight measured, ears clean and the mountain trails serious. Ten to twelve years puts senior status around eight to nine: twice yearly checks, joint friendly exercise and continued sniffy rambles. Old Kopovs stay gentle, musical and devoted.
Health
Hip screening and eye checks are the standards for scent hounds, and the long ears need watching for infection. Keeping this food loving type lean is itself a health measure.
Conditions to know about
- Hip dysplasia: Hip screening is a standard for scent hounds, per the record. Ask for scores in writing, and keep this compact boar dog lean and hard.
- Eye conditions: Eye checks are the other standard named in the record. Ask for current results for both parents.
- Ear infections: The long ears need watching for infection, in the record's words: weekly cleaning is the prevention, and head shaking or ear odour books the vet visit.
- Weight management: Keeping this food loving type lean is itself a health measure, per the record. Measured meals and monthly weighing are the programme.
Facts follow the Slovenský Kopov breed standard (AKC, The Kennel Club and FCI standards agree on the essentials for this breed). Health notes summarize the conditions breed clubs and veterinary bodies most often flag for this breed. They are general information for choosing and caring, not a diagnosis or a substitute for your vet.
Gear for Slovenský Kopov owners
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Slovenský Kopov questions
How long do Slovenský Kopovs live?
A typical lifespan is 10 to 12 years. Weight control, dental care and screening for the breed's known conditions give a dog the best chance of reaching the top of that range.
How much does it cost to keep a Slovenský Kopov?
Food for a typical adult runs about $27 a month at a standard quality tier, and accident and illness insurance usually falls between $35 and $62 a month in the US. Try the full cost calculator for a complete year one and yearly picture.
Are Slovenský Kopovs good with children?
Good with children. As with every breed, supervise dogs and children together and teach children to respect the dog's space.
How much exercise does a Slovenský Kopov need?
Plan on 60 to 90 minutes a day, split between walks, play and training games. Puppies and seniors need gentler, shorter sessions.
What does Kopov mean?
Kopov is the Slovak hunting hound term, and the Slovensky Kopov is the Slovak Hound: the country's only scent hound breed, developed after the Second World War from local Carpathian hound stock.
Kopov or Alpine Dachsbracke, what is the difference?
Carpathian and Alpine cousins: the Kopov is the bigger, black and tan Slovak boar dog. The Dachsbracke is the smaller, leggy basset type Austrian. Both are determined, musical mountain trailers.
Are Kopovs good family dogs?
Yes, for active experienced families: calm and sociable at home in the record's pattern, notably brave afield. Boar dog determination needs real exercise, scent work and recall management.
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