JPB- great post!
I’ve owned Elkhounds for 20 years and love the breed.
You are spot on with them being great with kids and family. They are intelligent, indepenband can be stubborn. They bond very tightly with family but you must be the alpha. As long as you are their leader, they are loving attention whores that want to please you.
However- they do quite well in the heat! No dog likes extreme heat, but Atlanta is plenty hot and humid and they tolerate it better than most other breeds around here. Better than my daughters Weimaraner and Golden, better than my neighbor’s GSP.
Yes, they love it when the frost hits but they do just fine in our summers.
I get mine from breeders in California and Texas. They do fine in Texas. They blow off their winter under coat in the Spring.
Mine do not like water! Like JPB says their coat seems water repellent. Bathe them and with two shakes they are almost dry.
- they shed. Neat freaks beware.
- they do best in pairs or more because they like to wrestle and play and chase each other. You need to get out and chase them and get on all fours and woof and wrestle with them. They love it!
- they are stubborn so not blindly obedient. They need consistent command and training but will take to it if you are alpha.
Their is a small but strong community of elkhound breeders in the US. Almost all are 100% in keeping the hunting traits in the blood and it is normal to see them bring dogs in from Norway for their blood lines.
- many breeders will quiz you thoroughly about your interest in the breed. Do you have enough room to exercise them, time to spend with them etc. these are not foo foo apartment dogs and get bored without exercise and stimulation.
- they take reprimands hard and will sulk with feelings hurt for days unless they know they are forgiven. Funny to see, but approval from their master is very important. Conversely, they are some of the most loyal dogs.
