Upír Kutya (Vampire Hounds)

Upír Kutya
Upír Kutya are magical creatures resembling Cane Corso. They are typically known among the vampires as simply Upír, but are known to the outside world as just Vampire Hounds.  

They are typically a pack animal that specializes in tracking and hunting. They are said to only obey vampires, no matter the type. If another magical race has been able to successfully train and handle an Upír it has never been recorded. Upír are said to be difficult to train and even more difficult to handle as a breed.

Appearance and Breed Standards
The Upír Kutya is a large Italian Molosser, which is closely related to the Cane Corso. It is well muscled and less bulky than most other Mastiff breeds. The official Department of Regulation and Control of Creatures standard expects ideal dogs to stand between 6 ft. tall and 6 ft. 5 inches tall at the withers, with females in the lower range of 6 ft. to 6 ft. 3 inches tall and males in the higher range. Weight should be in keeping with the size and stature of these dogs, ranging from 250-300 pounds for males and from 200-250 pounds for females. The overall impression should be of power, balanced with athleticism. An Upír should be moderately tight skinned; however, some dewlap on the neck is normal, and the bottom of the jawline should be defined by the hanging lip.

The head of the Upír Kutya is arguably its most important feature. It is large and imposing. The forehead should be flat and convergent to the muzzle. The muzzle is flat, rectangular (when viewed from above), and generally as wide as it is long. The eyes are almond in shape, set straight and when viewed from the front, set slightly above the line of the muzzle. White eyes are preferred, however, red eyes are accepted.

Traditionally the ears are cropped short in equilateral triangles that stand erect, however, this is not a requirement for them to fit breed standards. Natural ears should hang smoothly against the head, coming to at or slightly below the level of the eyes.

They appear in only one coat color: black.

Life Cycle
Upír pups are born with a black coat and their tails are stubby at birth. Their eyes and ears are closed (they can't hear), they lack teeth and fangs, and their ears are floppy at birth (like any other canine pup) and they can only touch and taste. During this period, they are most influenced by their mother and litter-mates, and will start learning some simple social skills, coordination, and the ranking process. Mostly, they’ll just eat — newborns need to have milk from their mothers about every two hours.

Between two to four weeks, their eyes open, and they can stand and walk. Their sense of smell and hearing develops at this stage as well. This is also the period in their development when their fangs and teeth start coming in, and they’ll even start to bark. By the end of this period, their eyes should be open and they should be able to see quite well.

By five weeks, pups are aware of their surroundings and start really enjoying playtime. It is at this period in their development when Upír pups should be introduced to people/Vampires. Good experiences with people from weeks five to seven will play a large role in how they continue to interact. Even though they’ll start being influenced by people after about a month, pups should remain with their mother and litter-mates for eight weeks to learn important socialization cues.

By week seven, the pups have been weaned and their fangs and puppy teeth have began to develop. This is the period in time that they are first introduced to their adult diet of blood. Once they develop a taste for blood, they will never drink anything else, nor will they need to. Adolescents and adults survive primarily on blood, despite their ability to eat meat. It's very rare to see an Upír eating meat, but not impossible as their bodies function similar to a dhampir.

From weeks eight to ten, a pup will go through a normal “fear” period in which the pups tend to want to stay close to their presumed leader or alpha. This "fear" can be helped with training that is positive and encouraging. But the true training “golden time” is from 9 to 12 weeks, because the pup is actively working on social skills and paying attention to both people and littermates.

Pups at ages between six and eleven months old have developed their social skills and understand the concept of a pack and have developed a pack mentality. Their behavior from this point on is most influenced by their pack (which can consist of both people and other Upír). It should be expected for the Upír to challenge others (people and other  

By the time an Upír reaches one year of age, they have reached adulthood. However, it should be noted that they will not stop their growth until they reach two years of age. Upír who are ages between one and three years old will begin to develop and display their instincts to track, hunt and guard. These instincts should be encouraged appropriately, and trained properly so as to prevent unwanted behavior as an older adult.

Behavior
As mentioned above, Upír are typically a pack animal, but some do well as a solitary creature. Most often than not, owners will keep them in pairs so as to prevent any problems with behavior and to prevent loneliness. However, Upír by nature are aggressive creatures who will attack when presented with opportunity and an opening to do so. It is advised that you do not turn your back on them unless you are a person that they see as an authority figure or a pack member.  

Upír are very intelligent and understand the human language very well despite their inability to speak it themselves. They are great problem solvers and will find ways to entertain themselves if they are left alone without stimulation for long periods of time. It is suggested that they be allowed to hunt or track at least as an exercise daily so as to prevent unwanted behavior, such as digging, chewing or escaping.
If you are one of the lucky few to be considered a pack member or, better yet, as an authority figure to these creatures, you will be blessed as Upír are not only prized for their tracking and hunting skills, but also for their extreme loyalty. They will stay with a chosen member of their pack and remain loyal to them until their death, which could mean an eternity of companionship and protection. However, Upír are also known for their ability to lose trust and faith in someone. Once an Upír loses their trust or faith in someone, it is rare that that person can ever regain the Upír's trust, so it is wise to keep them in your favor.