Norwegian Elkhound - description of the breed and what country it comes from

History of the breed

It is important to raise the Norwegian Elkhound correctly from puppyhood.
The ancestors of the Norwegian Laika, as it is sometimes called, lived in Norway as early as 4000 BC. This information is confirmed by finds of archaeologists from Norway, Denmark and Sweden.

Even in the sagas found near the remains of pet owners, information about these dogs was mentioned. Animals were not only loved, but also respected.

After recognizing this breed, the International Canine Association classified it as a group of Spitz dogs, a subgroup of which is called “Northern Hunting Dogs.”
For reference! The name of the breed in Norwegian is norsk elghund grå, where elghund means "elk dog". However, in life it is often called differently: Norwegian husky or Viking dog. Some people, unknowingly, call dogs emthunds.

Brief historical background

The Norwegian Buhund is one of those breeds that appeared on the Scandinavian Peninsula and had high practical value. Thus, hardy representatives were often used for harness work and herding reindeer on the farm. Excavations of a 9th-century Viking ship have uncovered the remains of dogs believed to be the ancestors of modern Buhunds. That is, the breed is truly ancient and was formed without human intervention. The exact date of formation is not given due to the impossibility of reliably establishing it at all.

The Norwegian Laika has been considered as a separate breed since the 17th century, but the first national Norwegian club appeared only in 1939. The official standard appeared in 1963, when the breed was recognized by the International Canine Association. The appearance in the documents of the American Kennel Club occurred quite recently - in 2009.

The breed standard approved by the FCI shows an image of an ideal representative of the breed

Description of the breed

The Norwegian Elk Husky belongs to the category of energetic, courageous dogs whose movements are characterized by ease and naturalness. The dog's independence is manifested in behavior from puppyhood. The significant advantages of the breed are loyalty, intelligence, cheerfulness and love for children.

Laika treats strangers with caution. In some cases, a dog may show some aggression if there is a threat of harm to its family members.

The pet can get along with both other dogs living in the family and cats. Even those who have guinea pigs, hamsters and rats in their house can get an Elkhound. The dog will not harm the rodents.

Note! The Norwegian moose dog was used to hunt beavers, bears and small game in Norway and Sweden. Representatives of the breed were often used for guard purposes and as sled dogs.

Below you can see a photo of a Norwegian Gray Elkhound.

An Elkhound dog will not harm other animals that already live in the family

Coat and color

When describing external data, I would like to pay special attention to the quality of the coat and color. The Norwegian Elkhound is a northern dog, and nature has endowed it with coarse hair and a thick silvery undercoat that will protect it from any bad weather.

The breed's neck is decorated with a luxurious collar.

As we wrote earlier, today there are two known breeds of Norwegian Elkhound - the black moose husky and the gray moose husky. They are similar in temperament, but differ in color, coat and slightly in physical characteristics. The black Elkhound's coat is rougher and shorter, while the gray Elkhound's is softer and longer. Both huskies may have white markings, but they are still not welcome. The black Elkhound is more mobile, active and flexible, the gray one is a little clumsy at first glance, but this is far from the case. He is calmer and more reasonable, carefully considering his every action and movement.

General information and breed standards

The coat of the breed is colored in various shades of gray. However, the tips of the wool are painted black, which adds a sophisticated iridescence effect. The light gray undercoat and black fur around the ears look especially impressive. On the face you can find a black mask. The breed standard includes a dark smooth line that runs from the ears to the eyes.

Among the main breed standards it is worth highlighting:

• short and straight back, like the Swedish husky;
• the presence of voluminous ribs, strongly curved, creating the impression of a kind of barrel;
• wedge-shaped head with a wide muzzle near its base;
• the tall ears, which are pointed closer to the top, are quite mobile (this makes the dog look wary and attentive);
• black nose;
• medium eyes of an oval type, colored in dark brown tones;
• the presence of a curled tail, which is thrown over the back (the fur on it is quite thick);
• increased body density, the formation of a collar in the neck, the presence of short hair on the paws.

What does a Norwegian Husky (Jamthund) look like?

The body is strong and quite large. The back is straight, the chest is wide. The neck is powerful and long. The paws are large and muscular. The head has strong jaws, triangular-shaped ears, widely spaced. The tail is always raised in a ring. The weight of an adult is 30-31 kg.

The color is wolf, all shades of gray are allowed. The coat is thick, straight, and has a thick undercoat. There may be blurred spots of creamy white on the face, belly and paws. Light blotches are also acceptable on the tail. With good care, the dog remains in excellent shape and health until old age.

Features of character and behavior

The Scandinavian Elkhound habitually reacts to harsh weather, because in its homeland low temperatures are considered the norm. The representative of the breed copes well with the functions of a guard. Even while in the game, the dog does not lose vigilance.

The Moose Laika is fearless, reliable, energetic and truly loyal. The dog will always be wary of strangers and will always rejoice at the arrival of family members and close family friends.

It is very important to hold this independent animal in your hands and properly raise the puppy immediately after purchase. Otherwise, the hunter may become uncontrollable. Various troubles will happen to such a pet.

Note! Representatives of the breed often upset their owners with frequent barking.

An intelligent animal can fit into almost any family

Veterinary medicine and life expectancy

The breeding of the Norwegian Elk Husky has avoided a painful legacy and bad genetics. These animals, hardened by the harsh northern climate, are famous for their good health and strong immunity. Energetic, shaggy, life-loving people experience problems with joints and ophthalmological pathologies, but these are more likely individual cases than a systemic practice.

Veterinary positivity does not cancel treatment and preventive standards: responsible owners are obliged to pay attention to the prevention of diseases, constantly monitor the pet’s condition and instantly respond to any illnesses and illnesses. If your elk husky is sad, has lost activity and appetite, you need to urgently make an appointment at the veterinary clinic and see a specialist

An experienced veterinarian will examine a sick animal, make a diagnosis and prescribe a course of treatment.

Taking care of the health and striving for the maximum life expectancy of your pet (Elkhounds live eighteen years or more), you need to practice annual medical examinations, follow the vaccination schedule and regularly carry out antiparasitic treatments.

Advantages and disadvantages

Among the main advantages of the working breed, it is worth highlighting:

• friendliness (however, this does not apply to strangers);
• love for children;
• fidelity (the Norwegian elk husky chooses one owner for itself in the family);
• intelligence and intelligence.

The disadvantages include:

• too emotional reaction to noise, loud barking in case of danger;
• excessive expression of independence;
• aggressiveness that manifests itself in the absence of socialization.

The Swedish Elkhound has an independent character. However, daily training and caring for your pet will help you avoid these problems.

Norwegian Personality

Brave and independent, moose huskies are distinguished by their friendly disposition and easy-going nature. These are cheerful and energetic animals with a strong sense of self-esteem. Like the entire Spitz-like family, Norwegians are alien to excessive aggressiveness and anger, but when invading the controlled territory of strangers (attack by hostile forces), the “Scandinavian moose dogs” fearlessly enter into confrontation and work “to the fullest.”

Norwegian Elkhounds are canine two-faced Januses: pointy-eared dogs actually exist in two forms - gun hunters and peaceful pets. On the hunt, when baiting a large trophy, these are tough and purposeful fighting dogs, mercilessly tearing the victim. In a peaceful life, they are slightly phlegmatic, peace-loving dogs, demonstrating patient philanthropy and true affection.

Norwegian Laikas easily fit into the family hierarchy and clearly know their place in the “vertical of power.” They obey one owner, happily look after his yard, and act as caring nannies and tutors for the owner’s children. These are devoted and faithful friends: loving and affectionate animals.

The basic character trait of the breed is a love of discipline and order. The expert community highly appreciates their high intelligence and behavioral standards, but insists on early socialization, quality education and good training. Even hunting dogs must know the “rules and norms of life,” understand and comply with OKD norms, and be unconditionally controllable. This is why, from early childhood, a toothy puppy needs an authoritarian, but at the same time affectionate approach. These huskies are not characterized by blind obedience, but with high-quality debugging of interpersonal connections, Norwegian dogs will become ideal assistants in the gun trade and reliable companions in life.

Attitude towards children and pets

The shaggy good-natured man is able to maintain his playfulness into old age. Even at an advanced age, a dog will happily play with children or with a ball. The Laika, like the Swedish White Elkhound, can be kept in families with children and other pets.

Note! It is best not to buy a puppy for families with newborn children. The baby's nighttime cries will be a real test for a puppy who needs extra attention in the first months.

By properly caring for your puppy, you can avoid future health problems.

General health problems

This breed is generally very healthy and long-lived. Young dogs may suffer from progressive retinal atrophy, an eye disease. Hip dysplasia and patella problems can occur, but most Elkhounds are orthopedically quite healthy.

Many breeders conduct more extensive health testing on their puppies, checking for all sorts of hereditary disorders. Routine testing at the veterinarian may not detect all inherited genetic diseases.

Care and maintenance

Taking proper care of your dog will help you avoid various health problems in the future. Below you can familiarize yourself with the main features of caring for gray and black Norwegian huskies.

Bathing

In order for your dog to look well-groomed and beautiful, you should brush its fur daily using a special thick brush. During the period when seasonal molting begins, you should comb the coat more often and pluck out old hairs. Representatives of the breed shed profusely.

The animal should be bathed every season, but the frequency of the procedure should not exceed 4 times a year.

Screening for infections

It is important to check the skin, ears and coat daily for infections. You should not forget about the need to remove fleas from your four-legged friend; it is also important to give your pet anti-worm medications several times a year for preventative purposes.

Walking a four-legged pet

Considering the mobility and excessive activity of representatives of the breed, it is worth remembering that such a dog will need especially long walks and games. Even in cases where the husky lives in a private yard, it is important to walk it outside the fence, giving it as much space as possible for playing with a ball and having fun with a stick.

Features of education

Viking dogs need early socialization. Once vaccinations are completed, it is important to begin introducing your puppy to other animals and the world around you as soon as possible. The baby must get used to the noise of traffic and unfamiliar smells.

Considering the stubbornness and independence of the representatives of the breed, it is important to start raising the baby as early as possible. When learning commands, you should be patient. It is impossible to achieve quick results from training. During classes, you should remain gentle and decisive. It is also important to arouse your pet's interest.

Note! Representatives of the breed need daily long walks to use up the energy accumulated during the day.

Ear care

It is important to systematically check the ears of the Norwegian Elghound, in which not only dirt, but also a large amount of earwax often accumulates. Before cleaning, you should put 3 drops of vegetable oil in your ears. A couple of minutes after instilling the oil, you should wipe the inside of your ears with a cotton swab dipped in hydrogen peroxide.

In order for the puppy to grow up healthy, vaccination schedules must be followed.

Care of claws, teeth and eyes

An Elkhound's paws should be washed after every walk. In this case, each limb should be examined for the presence of injuries, which often occur due to the fact that the dog steps on:

• sharp thorns;
• fragments of stones;
• thorns;
• broken glass.

Advice! Any wounds should be treated with hydrogen peroxide, which will make it possible to avoid the development of an inflammatory process. The claws are filed if necessary.

Teeth are also systematically brushed with a special paste, which will make it possible to avoid the formation of tartar. The eyes are wiped every morning with a sponge soaked in chamomile decoction. Thus, you can get rid of oxides and prevent the development of the inflammatory process.

Buhund care

Norwegian Shepherds are unpretentious dogs; for them, conscientious fulfillment of basic care responsibilities by the owner is sufficient.

Conditions of detention

Due to their medium size, Norwegian Buhunds can be comfortably kept both in apartments and in private homes. Due to the characteristics of the coat and the place of origin of the breed, representatives are often kept not indoors, but in outdoor enclosures, where they feel great. However, in order for the dog not to lose its energy, time with it must be spent actively. Walks (regardless of the type of content) should be daily, at least 1–2 hours with active games and moderate physical activity. Lack of sufficient activity will cause destructive behavior and animal protest.

General care

There are no special features in keeping buhunds; the owner only needs to carry out all the standard procedures:

• comb the coat 1-2 times a week and daily during shedding;
• bathe as needed;
• clean your ears when they become dirty (inspection for such a need should be done once a week);
• brush your teeth;
• Trim nails as they grow.

When properly cared for, Norwegian Shepherds do not have an unpleasant dog odor.

Nutrition

Feeding Norwegian Shepherds requires following basic rules of a healthy diet. On a natural diet, a dog should receive:

• fresh meat (beef, chicken, rabbit, turkey);
• low-fat fermented milk products, in particular cottage cheese;
• valuable by-products (heart, liver);
• plant products (unsweetened fruits, vegetables, herbs);
• cereals (only rice, buckwheat and oatmeal are allowed).

It is better to completely avoid bread and other baked goods, sweets, and seasonings in your dog’s diet.

If we talk about industrial diets, then only super-premium and holistic class products will be truly high-quality. For Buhunds, the best choice is food for medium-sized dogs with increased activity (Royal Canin Medium Adult, Hills Adult Medium, Brit Care Adult Endurance Duck & Rice for adult active dogs, etc.).

For Buhunds, food for medium-sized breeds is suitable, for example Royal Canin Medium Adult

Training

By nature, Buhunds are endowed with curiosity and a lively mind; they easily learn new knowledge and commands. Therefore, you can teach your dog the basics of behavior and obedience even without professional help. Socialization is also necessary - this will allow the dog to adequately relate to other animals and people, without going too far with suspicion. One of the main problems that will have to be dealt with during training is the excessive barking that is characteristic of the breed.

Nutritional Features

What kind of diet should a moose husky from Norway have? The menu of representatives of the hunting breed should be balanced. When choosing a diet, it is worth considering that the dog expends a large amount of energy. If you want to purchase ready-made food, you should give preference to products that are of high quality.

In the case when the menu consists of natural products, it is important that the dog’s diet contains a sufficient amount of:

• boiled sea fish;
• offal;
• chicken and turkey fillet;
• rice, buckwheat and oatmeal;
• kefir;
• cottage cheese.

Advice! When creating a diet for an Elkhound, it is worth remembering that representatives of this breed are prone to obesity. You should not overfeed your pet, monitoring the size of its portion each time.

The basis of the diet for children should be porridge with turkey meat

How to choose a puppy

When choosing a puppy, you should first of all talk with the owner of the kennel, look at the parents of the babies, and study their pedigree.

Signs of a healthy puppy include:

• shiny wool;
• eyes without oxides;
• absence of unpleasant odors;
• liveliness of sight;
• wet nose;
• correct bite;
• playful attitude and curiosity.

Note! Large nurseries can facilitate the delivery of a puppy to any country after payment is made.

Training a commercial husky

Upon successful completion of socialization, education and training courses, the time comes for hunting practice. Training a game dog is a responsible and very difficult job. Experienced game wardens and rangers train young Norwegian moose hunters in equipped areas with the help of older and more experienced hunting dogs. During training sessions, the hunting conditions of young animals (voice, viscosity, passion) are assessed and gentle training is carried out. Norwegian Elkhounds get used to gun shots and become familiar with the techniques of tracking and baiting large game.

Dogs are attracted to “serious” hunting when they reach the age of two. Until this moment, the young animals are taken “to the field”, but are not allowed to participate in the hunt, only showing the carcasses of killed animals to the young dogs.

Interesting Facts

It is best to purchase Norwegian Husky puppies from large breeders.
Various interesting facts are associated with the Moose Husky:

• Animals of this breed were formed naturally. Human intervention was minimal.
• The remains of dogs resembling modern Elkhounds have been found in caves in Norway.
• Since ancient times, Elkhounds have been faithful companions, who were even buried next to the graves of their owners.

The Norwegian Elkhound is one of the best breeds, the representatives of which can become true friends for a person. The cheerfulness of four-legged pets is considered an undoubted advantage. These dogs can be purchased for families with children or pets.

Norwegian black elk - appearance and description

Externally, this dog is very similar to a husky, slightly below average size. height at withers 47-49 cm for boys and 44-46 cm for girls. Weight from 17 to 25 kg.

With proper maintenance, life expectancy is 10-14 years

Personality of the Norwegian Black Elk Husky

The Norwegian Husky has a balanced character. She is very mobile, resilient, and quick in her movements. Playful, loves children. Aggression manifests itself exclusively during hunting and only in relation to prey. In other situations it is a cute and friendly animal. It is not suitable for security service, but it can be used as a watchman: it will give a signal with its ringing bark. The working hunting qualities of the Norwegian Black Elkhound are simply excellent: it is able to find and hold a large ungulate until the owner approaches, or can bring it out under a shot. It works best in a small flock of about three individuals, but a single husky is also good.

Advantages and disadvantages

The Norwegian Black Elkhound is unpretentious, hardy, and an excellent hunter. Has excellent eyesight, smell and hearing. It tolerates sudden climate changes well and tolerates low temperatures well. Suitable for keeping in rural areas, in an enclosure. Living in an apartment is less suitable for him. Does not require special coat care, just brushing once a week with a stiff brush is enough.

Among the disadvantages: it requires large daily loads, that is, you need to walk for several hours every day so that the pet gets physically tired, but not too much. Since this is a rare dog breed in Russia, the cost of a Norwegian husky puppy is very high.