KENAI
Norwegian Elkhound

The breeds · hunting spitz · hunting spitz

AKC Hound · UKC Northern Breed · FCI standard 242

Norwegian Elkhound.

FCI utilization: dog for elk-hunting (working trial only in Sweden, Norway, Finland); fearless, energetic, brave. AKC standard: courage, agility and stamina to hold moose and other big game at bay by barking and dodging attack, with the endurance to track for long hours in all weather. UKC: used (and still is) to hunt elk, moose, bear and wolf; also a herding dog, sled dog and guardian; in Norway only dogs that qualify in the Norwegian hunting trials may be awarded the breed champion title. AKC Expert Advice: bred to track moose independently; when it finds a moose it holds its attention by jumping forward and back and barks loudly to tell the hunter where it is. Royal Kennel Club: the long-favoured hunting dog in Norway, used to track elk, when its resonant bark is useful..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

12.9YRMedian lifespan12.4 to 14.1, measured on real dogs.
21 / 20INHeightdogs 20.5, bitches 19.5. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
48–55LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 55 lb; breed bitches 48 lb.
1HRSExercise, every dayRoyal Kennel Club: exercise up to 1 hour per day.. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 20.5 in (19.3 to 22) · bitches 19.5 in (18.1 to 20.9)

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1988

Center is the ideal printed by AKC and UKC (FCI ideal 49 cm = 19.3 in). Low and high are the FCI permitted band converted from cm.

Weight

dogs 55 lb · bitches 48 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1988

Ideal as printed by AKC and UKC; no range published.

Coat

AKC: thick, hard, weather-resisting, smooth-lying; soft dense woolly undercoat and coarse straight covering hairs; gray, medium preferred, with black muzzle, ears and tail tip and a harness mark; never trimmed. FCI: medium length, thick coarse abundant outer coat without curls, soft light-grey undercoat. Royal Kennel Club: coat length medium; sheds. AKC history: a single open coat would let ice accumulate on a dog wet to the skin; the harsh outer coat protects the undercoat from dampness.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1988

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

2 of 5 · Thick, hard, weather-resisting double coat with dense woolly undercoat (AKC, UKC)

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1988

Derived from the coat description (heavy double = 2). No measured data.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

12.9 years (12.4 to 14.1)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

UK sample of 145 dogs (64 deceased): small n, wide interval.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

Royal Kennel Club: exercise up to 1 hour per day.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'up to 1 hour' recorded as 60 minutes.

Energy

AKC breed page: Energy Level 4 of 5, Mental Stimulation Needs 4, Trainability 4, Barking Level 4, Affectionate With Family 5, Watchdog/Protective Nature 5, Openness to Strangers 4. Royal Kennel Club: lifespan over 10 years; size medium.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands, not measured.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · Royal Kennel Club: grooming more than once a week; coat length medium; sheds.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'more than once a week' = 3. AKC page rates Coat Grooming Frequency 2 of 5 and Shedding 3 of 5.

Grooming

AKC breed page: Coat Grooming Frequency 2 of 5, Shedding Level 3, Drooling Level 2.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

FCI utilization: dog for elk-hunting (working trial only in Sweden, Norway, Finland); fearless, energetic, brave. AKC standard: courage, agility and stamina to hold moose and other big game at bay by barking and dodging attack, with the endurance to track for long hours in all weather. UKC: used (and still is) to hunt elk, moose, bear and wolf; also a herding dog, sled dog and guardian; in Norway only dogs that qualify in the Norwegian hunting trials may be awarded the breed champion title. AKC Expert Advice: bred to track moose independently; when it finds a moose it holds its attention by jumping forward and back and barks loudly to tell the hunter where it is. Royal Kennel Club: the long-favoured hunting dog in Norway, used to track elk, when its resonant bark is useful.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1999

Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Primary game

FCI: elk (moose; elg in Norway). AKC standard: moose and other big game. UKC: elk, moose, bear and wolf. AKC Expert Advice: moose and bears historically.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1999

Elk in the European sense is the moose. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Also used on

AKC Expert Advice: in America used to hunt a wide variety of game, from birds to mountain lions. AKC history: herded reindeer in Lapland, guarded flocks and farms, hunted large and small game; originally hunted bear and wolves in Norway. UKC: herding dog, sled dog, guardian.

EditorialKatherine Ripley, 2017

Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Range

Not stated as close/medium/big by any source read. AKC standard: tracks for long hours over rough terrain with endurance; FCI gait light and effortless.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 1999

Descriptive only.

Search pattern

AKC standard: tracks for long hours in all weather over rough and varied terrain, then holds the moose at bay by barking and dodging attack. AKC Expert Advice: tracks independently, then holds the moose's attention by jumping forward and back and barking so the hunter can find the dog. AKC history: knows instinctively when to bark and when to remain silent on the hunt. AKC page: Barking Level 4 of 5.

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1988

Independent search, bark at bay. Editorial views are shown beside the standard, labelled; where they disagree both stand (Chad, Oct 8 2026).

Field trial standard

UKC: in Norway only dogs that qualify in the Norwegian Hunting Trials may be awarded the title of breed champion. FCI: working trial only in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Showsight (via search, not read): a working trial is required before a bench championship in those countries.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club

The trial rules themselves were not read.

Cold water

4 of 5 · Weather-resisting double coat; hunts moose in marsh and high country in freezing and thawing conditions (AKC history)

DerivedAKC breed standard, 1988

Derived from coat plus the breed's work in wet northern weather. No measured data.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

19.8% · OFA all-data: 4,554 evaluations, 19.8% dysplastic (mild 11.7, moderate 7.1, severe 0.9); excellent 8.4, good 52.2, fair 17.8.

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA submissions are breeding-stock skewed and under-report affected dogs; period undated ('current all-data').

Elbow dysplasia

0.3% · OFA all-data: 356 evaluations, 0.3% abnormal (grade 2: 0.3%).

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA breeding-stock skew applies; small n; period undated.

More

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 4; Mental Stimulation Needs 4; Trainability Level 4; Barking Level 4; Watchdog/Protective Nature 5; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 4; Good With Other Dogs 3; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 2; Drooling Level 2; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 4; Adaptability Level 4.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

No KENAI kennel lists the Norwegian Elkhound yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 8 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
Norsk Elghund Grå, Gray Elkhound, Elkhound

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

Your norwegian elkhound, on the record.

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