Montana Mountain Norwegian Elkhounds

Norwegian Elkhound
General Info:
Life Expectancy: 12-15 years
Height: Male 20.5in Female 19.5in Medium Size
Weight: Male 55lbs Female 48lbs
Kids/Family Dog: 100% YES

History:
Norwegian Elkhounds are the National Dog of Norway. Elkhounds share no similarities to “hounds”. Not in looks, personality, or hunting tactics. The Norwegian Elkhound is in fact a member of the ancient Northern Spitz family

. Having been around for over 6000 years, Elkhounds have been found buried alongside the Vikings. They have played many roles throughout the centuries: watchdog, flock guardian, protector, and big game hunter. In Norway, Norwegian Elkhounds are still used as hunters. Independently tracking down moose and holding them at bay by bouncing back and forth toward the moose to draw its attention, while barking loudly to alert the hunter of his whereabouts. They are not meant to be aggressive with the moose. Norwegian Elkhounds, commonly called Moose Dogs and Elkies by their owners, are not specialized hunters, they have been used for moose, bear, pheasant, deer and wolves. In the United States however; due to hunting laws and regulations, Norwegian Elkhounds have found their way back to being watchdogs, guardians and AMAZING family companions. Coat:
Norwegian Elkhounds are naturally clean and relatively free of dog odor. They have a thick, wooly undercoat, with a smooth lying, weather resistant covering hairs. Elkies stay comfortable all through the winter. Do not shave your Elkie, his fur insulates his body to keep him cool in the summer, as well as warm in the winter. These dogs shed throughout the year, but will blow coat twice per year. Personality:
The Norwegian Elkhound is an intelligent, self-reliant, loyal dog, with an ample amount of common sense and a silly sense of humor. They offer mass amounts of loyalty and companionship when bonded to their owner. You will receive intense eye contact with this breed. They are independent thinkers, and therefore need to know that you are the leader of the pack. Their training needs to be very consistent and fair. This breed does not take well to harsh training tactics, they are very sensitive, and will quickly lose all respect for you. Elkhounds respond best to firm consistency, and are VERY food/ treat motivated! Making positive reinforcement a breeze! On that note, Elkies are very easy keepers and their weight must be watched. They will not hesitate to sneak any food they can find. Food-Hounds as I like to call them! They will do anything for more food. Their Hunting instincts run very deep, they are avid rodent and bird hunters. It is common to find them hunting and digging for mice as a group activity. Elkhounds are brave and quick to bark at anything out of place or unusual. They will bark loudly at strangers, but are much too loving and social to be aggressive. They also do very well with other dogs. Elkhounds have the stamina to go all day, over any terrain, in any weather, but they are more than happy to have a lazy day inside. Even though they are hardy enough to be outdoors 100% of the time, they would rather be housedogs, as they are very people oriented and consider themselves to be an equal member of the family. These dogs are very playful and energetic, great for agility courses, hiking all day, going on jogs (my husband takes our male on 3+ mile runs, and chasing after kids, however they are not the best retrievers. They will happily chase after that ball, only to return without it, smiling from ear to ear. They do not see the point of retrieving. Catching bubbles on the other hand is a family favorite at our house! Like I said, a silly sense of humor. Another Elkhound favorite is Tag and Hide-and-Seek. I trust my dogs to stay right with my boys (1yr and 3yrs) whether they are playing outside or inside. They treat each other like family, sharing snacks (never stealing food from the boys, only eating what is given to them), letting the boys climb all over them, playing on the obstacle course together, and I never have to worry about how my Elkies are going to behave. Elkhounds are LOYAL and true COMPANIONS to my kids. After owning a Norwegian Elkhound, I cannot imagine owning any other breed. I could not ask for a more loving, understanding and dependable dog. With an Elkhound you are never alone. And on top of it all they are drop dead beautiful and majestic in the snow! Our dogs are high quality, bred to be superior farm, hunting and family dogs. I am proud to be offering our Norwegian Elkhounds to Montana!