Magyar Agár

The Magyar Agár is the Hungarian sighthound — heavier-boned than a Greyhound and bred to course over long distances on horseback.

History

It arrived in the Carpathian basin with the Magyars over a thousand years ago and was coursed on hare and fox by Hungarian nobility, often alongside riders, which selected for stamina rather than pure sprint. Communist-era land reform removed the estates that kept it and the breed nearly disappeared; Hungarian breeders rebuilt it from rural survivors.

Temperament

The breed is known for being calm and undemanding at home, loyal to its household and reserved with strangers, with more endurance and less nervousness than most sighthounds.

Care and training

It needs room to run and secure fencing. The short coat is easy. Training works through relationship rather than repetition.

Health

Generally healthy, with the anaesthetic sensitivity common to sighthounds. These are patterns for the breed rather than a forecast for one dog; the measured facts are in the panel.