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Norwegian elkhound

Norwegian Elkhound
Norwegian Elkhound.jpg
A Norwegian Elkhound, showing the standard tightly curled tail – photographed on 29 August 2003.
Other names Norsk Elghund
Grå Norsk Elghund
Gray Norwegian Elkhound
Small Grey Elk Dog
Norwegian Moose Dog
Harmaa norjanhirvikoira
Origin Norway
Classification / standards
FCI Group 5, Section 2 Nordic Hunting Dogs #242 standard
AKC Hound standard
ANKC Group 4 (Hounds) standard
CKC Group 2 - Hounds standard
KC (UK) Hound standard
NZKC Hounds standard
UKC Northern Breed standard
Notes The FCI divides this into two breeds,
Grey (242) and Black (268).
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)
Classification / standards
FCI Group 5, Section 2 Nordic Hunting Dogs #242 standard
AKC Hound standard
ANKC Group 4 (Hounds) standard
CKC Group 2 - Hounds standard
KC (UK) Hound standard
NZKC Hounds standard
UKC Northern Breed standard

The Norwegian Elkhound is one of the ancient Northern Spitz-type breed of dog and is the National Dog of Norway. The Elkhound has served as a hunter, , herder, and defender. It is known for its courage in tracking and hunting moose (or elk) and other large game, such as bears or wolves. The Norwegian Elkhound was first presented at a dog exhibition in Norway in 1877. It is one of the oldest dog breeds, and Elkhounds have been found buried in Viking burial grounds. They make excellent family pets.

The AKC breed name "Norwegian Elkhound" is a direct translation from its original Norwegian name Norsk Elghund, meaning "Norwegian moose dog." 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 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 moose while keeping quiet.

The breed falls under the 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. Subclade d1 originated 480-3,000 years ago and is found in all Sami-related breeds: Finnish Lapphund, Swedish Lapphund, Lapponian Herder, Jamthund, Norwegian Elkhound and Hällefors Elkhound. The maternal wolf sequence that contributed to these breeds has not been matched across Eurasia and its branch on the phylogenetic tree is rooted in the same sequence as the 33,000 year-old Altai dog (not a direct ancestor).


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