The Norwegian Elkhound is one of the Northern Spitz-type breeds of dog and is the National Dog of Norway. The Elkhound has served as a hunter, guardian, herder, and defender. It is known for its courage in tracking and hunting moose and other large game, such as bears or wolves.[1][2] The Norwegian Elkhound was first presented at a dog exhibition in Norway in 1877.
The Norwegian name of the breed is Norsk elghund.[3] The breed's object in the hunt is to independently track down and hold the moose at bay—jumping in and out toward the moose, distracting its attention, while signaling to the hunters by barking very loudly—until the hunter who follows the sound can arrive to shoot it. The dog will only bark while the moose is stationary, but it can also slowly drive the elk or moose towards shooters lying in wait. The Norwegian Elkhound is also used on a leash. In this mode of hunting, the dog leads the hunter in the direction of the elk or moose while keeping quiet.
Lineage
The breed falls under the mitochondrial DNA sub-clade referred to as d1 that is only found in northern Scandinavia. It is the result of a female wolf-male dog hybridization that occurred post-domestication.[4][5] Subclade d1 originated "at most 480–3,000 years ago" and includes all Sami-related breeds: Finnish Lapphund, Swedish Lapphund, Lapponian Herder, Jämthund, Norwegian Elkhound and Hällefors Elkhound. The maternal wolf sequence that contributed to these breeds has not been matched across Eurasia[6]
Description
Appearance
Norwegian Elkhound appearance
Build:
medium, sturdy and squarely built
Weight:
44–51 lbs (20–23 kg)
Height:
19.5–20.5 inches (50–52 cm)
Coat:
Coarse, straight, with soft undercoat
Color:
Black and white coloring, often noted as grey or silver
Head:
Broad and wedge-shaped with a defined stop
Teeth:
Scissors bite
Eyes:
Dark brown with a keen, friendly expression
Ears:
Pointed, erect
Tail:
Rolled tightly over back
Limbs:
Straight and parallel
Norwegian Elkhound
According to The Kennel Club breed standard ideally the dog stands about 19.5–20.5 inches (50–52 cm) high and weighs up to 23 kilograms (51 lb).[7] Its grey, white, and black coat is made up of two layers: an underlying dense smooth coat ranging from black at the muzzle, ears, and tip of its tail to silvery grey on its legs, tail, and underbody and an overlying black-tipped protective guard coat. An ideal Elkhound has a tightly curled tail. The Elkhound is a medium-sized dog and extremely hardy.
Norwegian Elkhounds are bred for hunting large game, such as wolf, bear and moose. Although the breed is strong and hardy, the dogs typically have an inseparable bond with their masters and are quite loyal. All Elkhounds have a sharp loud bark which makes them suitable as watchdogs.
Norwegian Elkhounds are loyal to their "pack" and make excellent family dogs given proper attention. They are bold, playful, independent, alert, extremely intelligent, and, at times, a bit boisterous. They rank 36th in Stanley Coren's The Intelligence of Dogs, being of above average working/obedience intelligence.
A Norwegian Elkhound being shown off at the Scandinavian Festival hosted by California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California
Health
A 2024 UK study found a life expectancy of 12.9 years for the breed compared to an average of 12.7 for purebreeds and 12 for crossbreeds.[8]
Norwegian Elkhounds are prone to an inherited abnormality that causes primary renal glucosuria via reducing the functional capacity of the tubular epithelial cells to reabsorb glucose; this disorder further predisposes them to lower urinary tract bacterial infections.[9]
A form of inherited chondrodysplasia has been described in the Norwegian Elkhound since the 1980s. Symptoms include curvature of the forelimbs, carpal valgus, retarded ossification, and a shortening of the vertebral body. Researchers from Finland identified the cause to be a recessivenonsense mutation in the ITGA10 gene.[11]
The Norwegian Elkhound has its origins in Sweden where it has always been highly prized as a hunting dog. It is 98% genetical identical to the Jämthund and share the same roots being from Jämtland and Norrland (Northern Sweden). It was rarely seen or bred outside of Norway until its appearance in England in the 19th century.[13] It was officially recognized by The Kennel Club in 1901.
^Duleba, Anna; Skonieczna, Katarzyna; Bogdanowicz, Wiesław; Malyarchuk, Boris; Grzybowski, Tomasz (2015). "Complete mitochondrial genome database and standardized classification system for Canis lupus familiaris". Forensic Science International: Genetics. 19: 123–129. doi:10.1016/j.fsigen.2015.06.014. PMID26218982.
^Klütsch, C.F.C.; Savolainen, Peter (2011). "Regional occurrence, high frequency, but low diversity of mitochondrial dna haplogroup d1 suggests a recent dog-wolf hybridization in Scandinavia". Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research. 6 (1): 100–3. doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2010.08.035.
^Littman, Meryl (January 2017). "Ch14 - Genetic basis for urinary tract diseases". BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Nephrology and Urology (3rd ed.). British Small Animal Veterinary Association.
^Fall, Tove. Characterisation of diabetes mellitus in dogs. Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2009
^Oliver, James A.C.; Mellersh, Cathryn S. (2020). "Genetics". In Cooper, Barbara; Mullineaux, Elizabeth; Turner, Lynn (eds.). BSAVA Textbook of Veterinary Nursing (Sixth ed.). British Small Animal Veterinary Association. p. 131. ISBN978-1-910-44339-2.
^Antonsen, Ellinor (1995). Den norske hundeboka (in Norwegian). Sunndalsøra: Ulvund tekst & forlag. p. 170. ISBN8291132054.
Bibliography
Lynch, Deborah and Jenny Madeoy. 2004 "Man's best research guide: Breeds hold key to shared ailments." presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science by Deborah Lynch of the Canine Studies Institute in Aurora, Ohio and Jenny Madeoy of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre in Seattle. [1]
Lynch, Deborah and Jenny Madeoy. 2004a "How top dogs took lead 7,000 years ago." presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science conference in Seattle by Deborah Lynch of the Canine Studies Institute in Aurora, Ohio and Jenny Madeoy of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Centre in Seattle. [2]
The Norwegian Elkhound (Pure Bred) by Nina P. Ross, PhD. Doral, 1995. ISBN978-0-944875-39-1
The Elkhound in the British Isles by Anne Roslin-Williams. Witherby & Co., 1993. ISBN1-85609-050-7
My 60 Years with Norwegian Elkhounds by Olav P. Campbell, 1988.
The New Complete Norwegian Elkhound, revised edition, by Olav Wallo. Howell, 1987.
Norwegian Elkhounds by Anna Katherine Nicholas. TFH, 1983.
Great Gray Dogs: The Norwegian Elkhound Factbook, 2nd edition. Great Gray Dogs, 1980.
Your Norwegian Elkhound by Helen E. Franciose and Nancy C. Swanson. Denlinger, 1974.
How to Raise and Train a Norwegian Elkhound by Glenna Clark Crafts. TFH, 1973. Reprint of the 1964 book with a different cover.
Magazine Articles
Dearth, Kim D.R. "The Norwegian Elkhound" Dog World September 1999, Vol. 84 Issue 9, p12-17.
"Dog of the Vikings" Dog Fancy. April 1998.
"Norwegian Elkhound". Dog World. July 1997, Vol. 82 Issue 7. p86.
"Regional occurrence, high frequency but low diversity of mitochondrial DNA haplogroup d1 suggests a recent dog-wolf hybridization in Scandinavia". Klütsch CFC, Seppälä EH, Lohi H, Fall T, Hedhammar Å, Uhlén M, Savolainen P 2010 Animal Genetics, online early.
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