Interpretive Comments On The Norwegian Elkhound
| INTRODUCTION: The Norwegian Elkhound is a hunting dog. As such he is a dog of function, not fashion. Nearly every breed standard is descriptive of the mental and physical features needed by an elkhound to function in his unique manner of hunting in the northern climate. An elkhound is an independent hunter, free of direct command of his master, to silently trail moose or bear and hold the game until the hunter can approach. He holds the game at bay by barking and being an annoyance rather than a threat. He usually approaches the moose head on, circling the quarry offering himself as a target. To avoid the lightening strikes of the moose, the dog must be able to jump instantly in any direction using his agility to escape out of harm's way. The elkhound is expected to be able to hold a moose at bay in this manner for over an hour. They are usually hunted singly or occasionally in pairs. Elkhounds are expected to have the stamina and agility to hunt day after day, in terrain that varies from marsh to hilly timber growth, and in weather conditions of cold rain, snow or sleet and freezing temperatures. When evaluating a dog one should always ask "Is this elkhound capable of performing as a hunting dog?" An elkhound is expected to be an active hunting dog to the age of ten or eleven years. |
SQUARE PROFILE
 |
Distance from brisket (A) to ground (B)
appears to be half the height at the withers (C). Distance from forechest (D) to rump (E) equals height at withers (B to C). |
| WHAT TO LOOK FOR | WHAT TO AVOID |
| GENERAL APPEARANCE: A dog of medium size, balanced with a square profile but with short coupling. A dog that is agile and efficient in movement with a bold and energetic manner. Distinctive gray coat, prick ears and curled tail. An athletic hunting dog enduring cold and wet weather and rough varied terrain. | GENERAL APPEARANCE: Avoid short-legged, long backed or otherwise cloddy or racy, weedy appearing individuals. Avoid choppy or labored movement and obese individuals. Shy or aggressive dogs are of improper temperament. |
| SIZE, PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE: Height: The ideal height for a dog is 20½ inches, bitch 19½ inches. An elkhound that is one inch under these heights is too small to be an effective hunting dog in rugged terrain, especially snow conditions. Also, a dog that exceeds 21½ inches is likely to become a threat to the moose and cause it to take flight. Weight: Dogs should be shown in a lean, hard condition. One must be able to easily feel the ribs. Proportion: An elkhound should exhibit a square profile in that the distance from the forechest to the rump equals the height at the withers. The appearance is that of a short-backed, short-coupled dog. Its characteristic appearance is due to a rather long rib cage, for the size of the dog, and a short coupling. In profile the medium leg length appears to be half the height at the withers. Substance: The bone is substantial for the size of the dog. | SIZE, PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE: Height: Avoid dogs and bitches that are one inch or more under the standard or over 21½ inches at the withers. A dog may appear correct in total height at the withers but size is not correct unless the proper leg length to body ratio is present. Weight: Avoid overweight or obese dogs. Proportion: Avoid short-legged, long-backed individuals. Short rib cage and long coupling combinations as well as excessively deep body with short leg length combination are incorrect even if they appear square. Substance: Both weedy and coarseness are incorrect. |
| HEAD: Head: The head should be a broad wedge shape at the ears, with good fill below the eye; strong muzzle, medium in length and tapering to a blunt nose. Viewed from the side the bridge of the nose is straight (without bump or dish); the stop is not large, yet clearly defined, due to the eyebrows; only slightly arched skull and a strong underjaw. Expression: The expression is that of a keen, alert courageous yet friendly dog. Elkhounds use eye contact when holding a moose at bay to anticipate threatening actions by their prey. Hence, when evaluating expression it is not advisable to "stare" at a dog for any prolonged length of time. Eyes: The very dark brown color and oval shape give a calm and friendly expression. The eye is set deep enough to be well protected from injury. Ears: The ears should be high set, firm and erect; yet very mobile. When alert the outer edges are vertical giving a smooth outline to the head. Ears are triangular in shape being slightly taller than their width at the base. Ears are often laid back when gaiting or when one approaches to touch the head, the latter a normal showing of affection, especially from bitches, and should not be penalized. The side view of the head indicates the bridge of the nose straight (without bump or dish); the stop is not large yet clearly defined, due to the eyebrows, only slightly arched skull and a strong underjaw. Viewed in profile the topline of the skull and the muzzle lie in two approximately parallel planes. Males must give a strong masculine appearance in the head; bitches a feminine appearance without being refined. The skin covering head is tight and lips close tightly and the teeth meet in a scissors bite. | HEAD: Head:
Avoid narrow wedge, domed skull and long or pointed muzzles; lack of fill (indent) below
the eye. Both a pronounced stop and lack of stop are incorrect, as is a weak
underjaw. Avoid undershot and overshot bites. Even bite is incorrect. Expression:
Avoid the head, ear and eye faults that show a lack of breed type, hence lack of ideal
expression. Eyes: Avoid the yellow-colored or protruding
eye. A round eye or light brown color is incorrect and does not give the ideal
expression. Ears: Avoid ears that are weak or low set.
Large ears or thin leather are incorrect. A flare at the outer base of the
ear, which spoils the shape, is undesirable as are ears where the tips nearly touch each
other. A dog that does not get its ears up at all in the show ring is not exhibiting
a bold manner. Males lacking a masculine appearance and dogs or bitches that have a "foxy" look to the head are incorrect. Loose skin or wrinkles on the head are undesirable. |
| NECK, TOPLINE, BODY: Neck: A well set-up and arched neck lends itself to the carriage of the dog. An elkhound is a wind scent hunter, hence carries his head high most of the time. Topline: The back is straight and strong. The topline from the high point at the withers, has only a very slight slope to the root of the tail. The loin is wide and well muscled. Body: The body is that of a short-backed short-coupled dog. Its characteristic appearance is due to a rather long rib cage for the size of the dog, and short coupling which ideally is about two and one-half inches in length and should not exceed three inches. The chest is deep, moderately broad with ribs well sprung. The distance from the brisket to the ground, on an untrimmed dog, appears to be half the height at the withers. Tail: Set high, tightly curled over the centerline, thickly and closely haired. | NECK, TOPLINE, BODY: Neck: Avoid a short neck. Pronounced loose skin on the throat is incorrect. Topline: Avoid the long, soft or swayed back. Body: Avoid those dogs that do not exhibit the square profile; i.e. Chest below the elbow. These variations from the square profile, and the proportions that make the correct square, lead to elkhounds that do not have the lateral agility needed for their unique type of hunting. Tail: Avoid a low set tail. Lack of curl, side curl and brush are incorrect. The tail should not be trimmed to remove the brush. |
| FOREQUARTERS: Sloping shoulders, ideally 45 degrees, not to exceed 55 degrees, with elbows closely set on with the legs well set under the body to give lateral agility. The legs should be straight and parallel, the medium leg length appears to be one-half the height at the withers. The shoulder blades are fairly close together at the top, flat and without muscular bulge. Feet: Paws are slightly oval with tightly closed toes. Strong pasterns, only slightly bent, with feet straight forward. | FOREQUARTERS: Avoid straight shoulders, short legs, out at the elbows, loaded shoulders, terrier fronts or bowed legs. Excessively broad or narrow pinched fronts are incorrect. Feet: Avoid weak pasterns or knuckling over and splayed toes. Feet should not turn in or out. Cat foot or hare foot shaped paws are incorrect as are flat feet or thin pads. |
| HINDQUARTERS: Moderate angulation when viewed from the side with a vertical line falling from the point of the rump to the perpendicular hocks. The thighs must be broad and well-muscled to give agile movement. Viewed from the rear the legs are straight. | HINDQUARTERS: Avoid cow-hocks, straight stifles or over-angulation with hind legs thrust behind the body. Lack of muscular development in the thighs is undesirable. |
| COAT: The outer coat or guard hairs are hard and smooth lying. The undercoat is dense and soft; the combination gives a thick coat. The coat must be resistant to wet, cold freezing weather. The coat should not be altered by trimming, clipping or artificial treatment. Particular attention should be paid to trimming in an attempt to alter the profile view to make a dog appear more square or have greater leg length. | COAT: Avoid long, soft or open coats. These types of coat absorb water and will freeze in a rain that turns to freezing temperatures. Avoid trimmed and altered coats. Particular attention should be given to trimming to alter the profile; i.e. excessive trimming of the brisket to give the appearance of greater leg length. Quantity of coat is only a factor when two dogs are extremely close in overall merit. |
| COLOR: Medium gray with muzzle, ears and tip of tail black. The clean gray color blends evenly to the lighter harness mark and darker saddle. The undercoat, legs, stomach buttocks and underside of tail are a clear light silver. The overall impression is that the dog is shades of gray with distinctive markings. Individuals may vary from light to dark gray but the markings must be distinct and the color clear. Not mentioned in the standard, but a desirable face marking is the mascara line; a black line that runs from the corner of the eye toward the base of the ear. | COLOR: Avoid those dogs whose color deviates from gray such as brown or yellow on either the outer or undercoat. In case of doubt of the true color of the coat on a shedding dog, part the hair and examine the color of the new coat at the skin. White patches, indistinct or irregular marking, "sooty" coloring on lower legs and light circles around the eyes are undesirable. |
| GAIT: The basic gait of the elkhound is as described in the standard. The "balance" of the front and rear assemblies cannot be over stressed. An elkhound must be agile and at the same time powerful enough to bounce, spin and turn without having to crouch or pivot to assist in propelling his body. They must be able to traverse very rough terrain, in a variety of gaits, for many, many hours. | GAIT: Avoid choppy or labored movement, paddling and lack of front or rear extension to make full use of angulation. Lack of balance is incorrect. It should be noted that a dog that is incorrect in both front and rear assemblies may appear balanced due to two structural faults. Moving too wide or too close is incorrect. The latter should not be confused with single tracking. |
| TEMPERAMENT: While appearing bold and energetic, an elkhound must basically be a friendly dog. They are natural guardians and adult elkhounds should have great dignity and a calm manner. | TEMPERAMENT: Avoid shy or aggressive individuals. Males, if brought face to face, may give drawn up posture but neither dogs nor bitches should show aggression in the show ring. |
| SUMMARY: Look for the elkhound with the fullest measure of breed type and picture this individual hunting in the unique manner of the breed under conditions of difficult terrain and weather. | SUMMARY: Avoid those individuals lacking breed type and athletic appearance. |
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