Norwegian Elkhound

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Norwegian Elkhound
Elkhound2020 (cropped).jpg
A female Norwegian Elkhound, showing the standard tightly curled tail
Other namesNorsk elghund
Grå norsk elghund
Gray Norwegian Elkhound
Small Grey Elk Dog
Norwegian Moose Dog
Harmaa norjanhirvikoira
Origin Norway
Kennel club standards
Fédération Cynologique Internationale standard
NotesThe FCI divides this into two breeds,
Grey (242) and Black (268).
Dog ( domestic dog )

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 elk 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.

Contents

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 elk at bay—jumping in and out toward the elk, 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 elk 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.

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 Norwegian Elkhound 1.jpg
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.

Temperament

Adult Norwegian Elkhound displaying characteristic friendly expression Norwegian elkhound head.jpg
Adult Norwegian Elkhound displaying characteristic friendly expression

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 Norwegian Elkhound in California.jpg
A Norwegian Elkhound being shown off at the Scandinavian Festival hosted by California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California

Health

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. [8]

Norwegian Elkhounds are also predisposed to dioestrous & gestational diabetes, progesterone-related forms of diabetes mellitus. [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 recessive nonsense mutation in the ITGA10 gene. [10]

History

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. [11] It was officially recognized by The Kennel Club in 1901.

Famous Norwegian Elkhounds

See also

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References

Citations
  1. "Norwegian Elkhound". American Kennel Club.
  2. Miner, Edward Herbert. "Norwegian elkhounds hunt elk, bear, wolves and mountain lions (colour litho)". Bridgeman Education - National Geographic Image Collection (Colour Litograph).
  3. "FCI Standard" (PDF). Fédération Cynologique Internationale. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
  4. Pang, J.-F.; Kluetsch, C.; Zou, X.-J.; Zhang, A.-b.; Luo, L.-Y.; Angleby, H.; Ardalan, A.; Ekstrom, C.; Skollermo, A.; Lundeberg, J.; Matsumura, S.; Leitner, T.; Zhang, Y.-P.; Savolainen, P. (2009). "MtDNA Data Indicate a Single Origin for Dogs South of Yangtze River, Less Than 16,300 Years Ago, from Numerous Wolves". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 26 (12): 2849–64. doi:10.1093/molbev/msp195. PMC   2775109 . PMID   19723671.
  5. 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. PMID   26218982.
  6. 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.
  7. "Breed standard". The Kennel Club. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2015.
  8. 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.
  9. Fall, Tove. Characterisation of diabetes mellitus in dogs. Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2009
  10. Kyöstilä, Kaisa; Lappalainen, Anu K.; Lohi, Hannes (2013-09-25). "Canine Chondrodysplasia Caused by a Truncating Mutation in Collagen-Binding Integrin Alpha Subunit 10". PLoS ONE. 8 (9). Public Library of Science (PLoS): e75621. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0075621 . ISSN   1932-6203.
  11. Antonsen, Ellinor (1995). Den norske hundeboka (in Norwegian). Sunndalsøra: Ulvund tekst & forlag. p. 170. ISBN   8291132054.
Bibliography

Further reading