Norwegian Elkhound Club
of
Great Britain
About Us
Hello and welcome to the website of the NECGB where you can find information about the breed plus helpful tips and photos that will hopefully encourage you to look seriously at this beautiful breed as a potential family member.
The National dog of Norway, the Norwegian Elkhound is in fact a misnomer. The correct translation of its name from Norwegian should be Norwegian Moose dog grey. In its native country the Elkhound is used to track Moose not Elk and to hold it at bay by barking and dancing around it until the hunter gets there.
While they are still widely used for hunting in Norway, that obviously can’t happen here but they still retain that hunting instinct.
Our breed is an old breed, little changed over many generations. The Norwegian Elkhound is not rare in the UK, but it is very little known and seldom seen - whenever it is seen however, it is universally liked!
A very healthy breed, they make wonderful family pets being very sociable and relatively easy to train.
They have a profuse, dense waterproof coat, eminently cuddly and easy to groom which has only one drawback, they moult - heavily! Once a year for males and twice a year for females. Make sure you can live with hair if you are considering one. Also, unless trained from a young age, they can be barkers because that is their purpose when hunting. This is easily prevented and they make devoted, loving family members equally as happy lying in the comfiest chair by the fire or trekking for miles in the country over rough terrain.
The Main Objectives of the Club are to:
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Promote and encourage the breeding of pure Norwegian Elkhounds
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Define precisely a description of the true type
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Urge the adoption of a standard type on Breeders, Exhibitors, Judges and others as the only recognised and unvarying standard by which the breed should be judged
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Support shows by financial guarantees, by providing or recommending judges and disseminating information
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Advance interest in the breed at home and abroad.
Elkhounds do have a tendency to bark but firm, not harsh, handling can control this. By all means let him bark when strangers come to your house, but teach him to stop when you say so, and not to bark at regular callers such as the postman. At all costs stop him from being a constant barker when you are out of the house. You owe it to your neighbours.
A few lessons in obedience will pay dividends, especially if learned while still a puppy. “Heel”, “come”, “sit”, “stay” are the basics, backed by a very firm “NO” when necessary.
There are many books that will tell you how to go about these simple forms of training. One lesson aimed at you rather than your dog, is to watch his weight and to give him plenty of exercise. Norwegian Elkhounds can quickly put on weight if you are not strict with yourself about his diet. Weigh him from time to time, ask your breeder and vet about his weight compared to his size, and remember that a hunter just cannot afford to carry fat, however beautiful he may look. If the trend is for his weight to go up, you must cut down his food drastically until the weight stabilises at the right level. Of course, the weight of a puppy should increase, and during this period the advice of your breeder and vet can be especially helpful.
View the Elkhound Gallery
