|
The History
The Norwegian Elkhound is a very ancient breed, having been developed over 6,000 years ago to help early Scandinavians hunt big game such as moose and bear. Remains of dogs remarkably similar to the modern Elkhound have been found in grave sites such as the Viste Cave in Jæren, Norway, where they were dated as far back as 4000–5000 BC. Archaeological digs in Scandinavia suggest this breed existed and was domesticated in the Stone age. At the end of the 19th century the breed came to England, and in 1901 the The Kennel Club officially recognised it.
For many years, the Norwegian Elkhound was considered the oldest of all dog breeds, going back further than 6,000 years. Recent DNA analysis suggests, however, that several "ancient" breeds have been "recreated in more recent times from combinations of other breeds" (Ostrander et al., 2004). The researchers found "genetic evidence for a recent origin of the Norwegian Elkhound, believed to be of ancient Scandinavian origin". But this study only includes 85 of the world's more than 400 dog breeds, omits many primitive lineages, and clusters the breeds together into just four major groups called clades. Nevertheless, some researchers say that the Norwegian Elkhound is a descendant of the ancient "primitive" Pariah Dog that existed 4,000–7,000 years ago.
Of the four major clades that Ostrander et al. clusters together, Clade II includes dogs with the genetic haplotype D8 from two Scandinavian dog breeds: the Norwegian Elkhound and the Jämthund [note: a haplotype is a group of alleles of different genes on a single chromosome that are linked close enough together to be inherited as a single unit]. This genetic sequence haplotype is closely related to two wolf haplotypes found in Italy, France, Romania, and Greece, and is also related to a wolf haplotype found in western Russia (Vila et al., 1997). Clade II appears to be only seen in Norwegian breeds and exhibits a vast amount of divergences. It is suggested that this clade illustrates an ancient and independent origin from wolves that are now extinct (Raisor, 2004). The Norwegian Elkhound evolved, at least partially, from ancestral grey wolf subspecies now found in south central Europe and western Russia and may very well be one of the most ancient of all dog breeds.
In Medieval times it was known as a dyrehound or dyrehund and was highly prized as a hunting dog but rarely seen or bred outside of Norway.
The Standard
| Group: |
Group 4 (Hounds) |
| |
|
| General Appearance: |
Powerful; compact body; square outline and proud carriage; coat close and abundant but not open; upstanding pointed ears; tail tightly curled over back. |
| Characteristics: |
A hardy hunting Spitz with a bold energetic disposition. |
| Temperament: |
Friendly, intelligent and independent without any sign of nervousness. |
| Head And Skull: |
Wedge shaped, comparatively broad between ears; stop, not large; forehead and back of head slightly arched; foreface broad at root (not pinched in), evenly tapering whether seen from above or side, never pointed; bridge of nose straight and approximately the length of forehead; tight fitting skin on head, no wrinkle. |
| Eyes: |
Not prominent, slightly oval, medium size, dark brown, giving frank, fearless and friendly expression. |
| Ears: |
Set high, small, firm and erect, pointed and very mobile; slightly taller than width at base; when alert, outer edge should be vertical. |
| Mouth: |
Jaws strong with perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws. |
| Neck: |
Medium length, powerful, carrying the head high; a rich ruff on close fitting skin but no dewlap. |
| Forequarters: |
Legs straight with good, not coarse, bone and strong pasterns; shoulders sloping; elbows closely set in. |
| Body: |
Powerful; short, strong back; loin short and wide with very little tuck-up; chest deep and broad; well curved ribs; topline straight and level; distance from brisket to ground not less than half the height at withers. |
| Hindquarters: |
Legs firm, strong and powerful; little but definite bend at stifle and hock; straight when viewed from behind. |
| Feet: |
Comparatively small, slightly oval; tightly closed, well arched toes with protective hair between thick pads; turning neither in nor out. Nails firm and strong. |
| Tail: |
rong, set on high; thickly coated without plume; tightly curled, preferably over the centre line of back. |
| Gait/Movement: |
Demonstrates agility and endurance; stride at the trot even and effortless, back remaining level; as speed of trot increased, front and rear legs converge equally in straight lines towards a centre line beneath body. |
| Coat: |
Close, abundant, weather resistant; soft, dense, woolly undercoat and coarse, straight outer coat; short and smooth on head and front of legs, slightly longer on back of front legs, longest on neck, back of thighs and tail; not trimmed. |
| Colour: |
Grey of various shades, with black tips to out coat; lighter on chest, stomach, legs, underside of tail, buttocks and in a harness mark; ears and foreface dark; a dark line from eye to ear desirable; undercoat pure pale grey. Any pronounced variation from the grey colour, sooty colour on lower legs, spectacles or white markings undesirable. |
| Sizes: |
Ideal height: Dogs 52 cm (20 & 1/2; ins) at shoulder
Bitches 49 cm (19 & 1/2; ins) at shoulder
Weight: Dogs approx. 23 kg (50 lbs)
Bitches approx. 20 kg (43 lbs) |
| Faults: |
Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree. |
| Notes: |
Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum. |
The Norwegian Elkhound - A Scent Hound
The Norwegian Elkhound belongs to the collection of dogs referred to as Scent Hounds, which specialise in following the scent or the smell of its quarry. It wasn’t until the mid 1500's that hounds began to be classified according to their purpose, i.e. sight hounds, scent hounds, etc. Scent Hounds have distinctive characteristics, features and traits which are perfect for their purpose. They have large noses which have deep, open nostrils and their lips are loose and moist, designed to pick up scent particles and follow the trail of an animal. Their ears are long which concentrates the scent on the nose. Their bodies are designed for endurance, an essential asset when following any scent trail. Hunting takes different forms and as man opts for hunting their quarry either on foot or on horseback the scent hounds have been selectively bred to produce small legs, to enable a man to easily follow on foot, or longer legs suited to keep up with a man on horseback. Most scent hounds were used in packs - making a loud, deep baying noise alerting hunters to their location. As a pet the Norwegian Elkhound is intelligent, friendly and reliable.
|
