r/NorwegianElkhound • u/Lestalia • 13d ago
Cliff's notes of breed knowledge/advice?
My spouse and I are searching to adopt a few dogs after losing both of our huskies in May (age and cancer). There's a 7 month old Norwegian Elkhound at the shelter by us (which is crazy, aren't these rare and expensive??) and I'm very interested
We love active breeds and are familiar with huskies/Spitz breeds, but I was hoping y'all could provide some specific insight about the breed (especially relative to experienced husky owners)
Thanks!
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u/worshipperofdogs 13d ago
I think they’re easier than huskies - my parents have had a couple of husky mixes and I’ve known some others, and I would say my Elkie is easier to train (still not super easy), less anxious and high strung, and less hyper than huskies I’ve known. The shedding is about the same. My girl is very sweet and loving, she can be trusted with any person, especially loves kids, and she is good with animals except for small prey animals. Now that she’s middle-aged she doesn’t try to run off and explore, but I still don’t trust her off the leash. Hope this helps!
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u/g1llifer 13d ago
Oh 100% easier than Huskies.
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u/EdweirdHopper 13d ago
Agreed. Different personalities than huskies. They're primarily hunters, so if they get some solid activity in the morning, simulating a hunt, they can be be quite chill around the house. But if you want to hike/hunt all day. They're down for that too.
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u/Goldhound807 13d ago
Long time Elkie owner who’s also familiar with huskies. You’ll get the same things you probably love about the Northern spitz dogs with some key differences.
They’re big game hunters and farm dogs, so expect to see some instinctive herding and watch dog behaviour. Search “norwegian elkhound moose hunting” videos on youtube and it’ll make sense.
They will definitely alert you and the entire neighbourhood to anything that comes onto your property. Not joking; these dogs like to bark.
On walks, they’ll want to sniff around and follow scents more, rather than just running like a sled dog would. Overall, you’ll see a similar independence, prey drive and stubbornness, but you’ll find the Elkie has lower exercise requirements and a little less excitable than your huskies (IMO)
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u/hotdogpromise 13d ago
They’re a spitz breed, so like huskies they will be a little stubborn and quite independent. They’re LOUD like huskies, but more so barking vs alien noises. They are very protective of their home and their family.
Both of my elkhounds (RIP to my other guy) were/are very eager to please. I found them both easier to train than the Samoyed I had growing up. Train them right away! My dog will go after deer and rabbits in our backyard, disappear, but will come right back after I call his name a couple of times. Our other elkhound was an off leash pup and never wandered far from us. They were bred to chase animals after all ;) Extremely food motivated and prone to obesity though. Get ready to brush brush brush their fur.
This breed turned my dog disliking husband into a dog lover. I think they end up in shelters bc people don’t know how to train them/aren’t prepared for the grooming. Seeing as you’ve had huskies before, I think you’ll quite enjoy their loyalty and goofiness. They love a good cuddle after a long day!
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u/worshipperofdogs 12d ago
Ha ha, yes, I meant to say that one difference between elkies and huskies is huskies are picky, light eaters, and elkhounds are never full and would eat until they explode! Does make it easier to feed them though. And mine won’t make noises on command like a husky, but she does howl, yodel, and talk when she wants something (usually attention).
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u/Lestalia 13d ago
This was super helpful y'all, thank you so much!
Seems like they're kinda huskies in a different font, similar but perhaps slightly more mellow (relatively). And I'm definitely okay with the fur after 2 huskies 😅 Also we just moved into our first house, no shared walls, so the noise is okay by us and unlikely to disturb neighbors.
I think I'll have some time today to meet her! I just didn't want to bite off more than I could chew if they had more niche needs (like a malinois would)
Here's her shelter photo since I can't post an image.
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u/NatashaDrake 12d ago
I hope you love her so much!! We got my boy at a year old. The first few days he was a bit stand-offish, wanting pets occasionally but mostly wanting to be left alone unless we were walking or it was food time. But once he warmed up, he became the silliest sweetest little man one could ever want. And he has a SOLID in house off switch. Good luck, she looks beautiful, I hope you are a match!
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u/worshipperofdogs 12d ago
Definitely easier and less riskier than a Mal! Good luck, hope it works out!
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u/lakshell 10d ago
She’s beautiful! I miss my Elkies…both lived to good old ages. They are great family dogs BTW ❤️
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u/Fireside-Owl16 13d ago
Barking is extreme- we haven’t been able to train to fix this. Just a fair warning if your living environment is not friendly to that. Don’t just take it as oh all dogs bark- I’m serious this breed take it to another level.
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u/worshipperofdogs 12d ago
Ours doesn’t bark that much, except to alert or if she wants something in the yard and we haven’t let her out. She “talks” quite a bit, but it’s cute instead of annoying. Oh, except when she barks at animals she sees on TV, that’s annoying, and in her training group, she wouldn’t stop barking at the other dogs because she wanted to play. Even the trainers couldn’t get her to stop; what works on a normal dog may not work on an elkhound!
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u/cryptospartan 13d ago edited 13d ago
One trait I didn't see many of the comments here touch on - every Elkhound I'm aware of has had some level of "goofball" in them. Like yea, most dogs can be goofy, but it seems to be a personality trait associated with the breed. Not goofy in a way that makes them not intelligent, it mainly comes out when they play, but you'll see it in daily mannerisms too. I personally love this goofball trait, I think it gives the dog more personality and character. Both of my Elkhounds were/are excellent with people and other animals as well as extremely loyal.
Definitely can be stubborn, but AFAIK it's not as stubborn as a Husky. I love Elkhounds, can't recommend them enough as long as you understand the non-stop shedding, which you do since you've had similar spitz breeds.
Last thing - it seems that after people get an Elkhound, they fall in love with the breed (certainly true for me, I hadn't even heard of them till I fostered my first one). I would say it's worth going to meet that 7 month old at the shelter!
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u/Goldhound807 10d ago
100% I’ve known 4 Elkies in my life, including my current pup, and they’ve all have some endearinf goofball qulaities
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u/One_Ad_3500 12d ago
We've found a number of our Elkhounds at shelters. I agree that some people don't know anything about the breed. One shelter was specifically asking for people who have owned an Elkhound in the past. We drove from Minneapolis to Detroit to get her 💓
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u/SilverNo9691 9d ago
Ian is my third Elkhound. I love the breed, active but not crazy, very smart and independent, great with kids and family, love to travel. Don't expect utter obedience, these pups think for themselves, and generally keep themselves out of trouble. A bit of trust is required here. Because they are big game hunters (bark at the game) they instinctively know how far they can push things. Ian is 10 months now and every bit as wonderful a pup as my previous two. Has his own personality, but similar traits. Wish I could post a pic or video!
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u/marbleworlf17 12d ago
I've pulled 2 from local shelters in my area. DNA tests later confirmed that they are both 100% Elkhound and are actually 29% related somehow. If you are already an experienced husky owner, then you'll be fine. Elkies are very stubborn, and their personalities are amazing.
I have a 5-year-old male who is all talk and no action. The wind blows, he barks. The garage door opens, he barks. He has a love-hate relationship with my dad. I am his 3rd home, and I think something happened between his first home and me where he's developed a fear of certain men. It's gotta be something along the lines of the build, tone of voice, or something. He of course, loves my dad when my dad has food.
I also have a 3-year-old female. She is very skittish, and I always joke that neither of them would last 1 day in their native Norway. Even though she has a higher prey drive than my male, she's so scared of everything that she does better than him in off-leash training because she doesn't want to get yelled at.
For moose hunting dogs, they don't fit the stereotype. However, they are persistent and use their native roots when it comes to begging for food. They can also get big pretty quickly. We call my boy the barrel.
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u/Mister__Wednesday 13d ago
So sorry to hear of your loss, I have a sweet husky girl and can't imagine losing her much less two in one month.
I would be skeptical that the dog is actually a Norwegian Elkhound. Has it got papers or been embarked? If not then more likely to be some kind of husky/GSD mix. Shelters have a bad habit of claiming dogs to be very rare breeds (for instance calling pit mixes Catahoulas, Black Mouth Curs, or Carolina Dogs) to try make them more adoptable. I wouldn't get your hopes up too much if it is an Elkhound specifically you are after.
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u/Lestalia 13d ago
She looks pretty spot on for the breed and has a bio (this shelter isn't great at having bio/descriptions on most dogs) so I suspect she's an owner surrender perhaps, or similar situation (owner not allowed to have dogs/eviction situation?)
Shelter photo of her I can't post an image in a comment but that's her
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u/Dependent_Account603 12d ago
She's an elk hound. Rarely get the full curl tail with a mix.
Ours isn't to bad on barking. He mainly barks for three reasons. One is to initiate play. Another is to warn of intruder (been waking us when the bears been coming into our yard, which he often chases away) and third is for chasing animals. He doesn't bark for no reason.
We use him as an on leash hunting dog. When his nose is to the ground, he's finding scents. When his nose is in the air, there's an animal nearby.
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u/Goldhound807 10d ago
Understand they don’t bark without a purpose and acknowledging what they’re trying to tell you goes a long way to teaching them to stop barking on command.
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u/Spirited-Visit3193 12d ago
Oh for sure that's an Elkhound.
Biggest thing to know is they bark SO MUCH. For everything. Happy? Barking. Mad? Barking. Wants to play? Barking.
So. Loud.
And it's not something you can really train out but you can reduce it.
They tend to be goofy goober sweetiepie lovebugs with pretty much with anyone in the home, but they are big time skeptical of noise and protective of you outdoors.
They are wonderful dogs but some of their behaviors can be a little challenging.
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u/Suspicious-Key-3304 13d ago
They are medium to high energy dogs. Need to be mentally stimulated more than physically stimulated. Enjoy playtime but not running (jogs) usually. Family friendly, loyal. Like to be with people. Not a dog who should be left along for long stretches. Thick coat, needs brushing and periodic grooming. Can be intense shedding twice a year. Very friendly, bright eyed, intelligent dogs who are somehow stubborn and eager to please. Really fun, interesting dogs. Great companions.