Norwegian Elkhound

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Norwegian Elkhound" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (July 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Norwegian Elkhound
A female Norwegian Elkhound, showing the standard tightly curled tail
Other names	Norsk elghund Grå norsk elghund Gray Norwegian Elkhound Small Grey Elk Dog Norwegian Moose Dog Harmaa norjanhirvikoira
Origin	Norway
Kennel club standards Fédération Cynologique Internationale standard
Notes	The FCI divides this into two breeds, Grey (242) and Black (268).
Dog (domestic dog)

The Norwegian Elkhound is one of the Northern Spitz-type breeds of dog and is the National Dog of Norway. The Elkhound has served as a hunter, guardian, herder, and defender. It is known for its courage in tracking and hunting moose and other large game, such as bears or wolves.^[1][2] The Norwegian Elkhound was first presented at a dog exhibition in Norway in 1877.

The Norwegian name of the breed is Norsk elghund.^[3] The breed's object in the hunt is to independently track down and hold the moose at bay—jumping in and out toward the moose, distracting its attention, while signaling to the hunters by barking very loudly—until the hunter who follows the sound can arrive to shoot it. The dog will only bark while the moose is stationary, but it can also slowly drive the elk or moose towards shooters lying in wait. The Norwegian Elkhound is also used on a leash. In this mode of hunting, the dog leads the hunter in the direction of the elk or moose while keeping quiet.