Key traits:
| 📏 Size | medium |
| 🐕 Temperament | hard to read |
| 🏃 Activity | high |
| ✂️ Coat | short |
| 👶 With children | fairly good |
| 🛡️ Guarding | good |
| 🎓 Trainability | high |
Description
The Black Norwegian Elkhound is a versatile family dog, prized for its excellent temperament and friendliness toward children. It rarely barks and shows notable tolerance toward smaller pets, making it well-suited to multi-pet households. Highly intelligent, this breed enjoys physical contact and actively seeks affection and closeness from its family.
Robust, enduring, alert, and dignified, this elkhound responds best to motivational training methods such as clicker training or positive reinforcement. Punishment or dominance-based approaches are counterproductive. While the breed is generally easy to train, it requires consistent activity and engagement. Regular walks in nature from puppyhood help develop it into an excellent hiking or hunting partner.
Primarily used for hunting large game—including moose, deer, and bear—the Black Norwegian Elkhound is bred for leash hunting and excels at cooperating closely with its handler. It often jumps to higher ground to catch scents in the air, a trait that, combined with its superior nose, also makes it an outstanding search and rescue dog. Unlike the Gray Norwegian Elkhound, the black variety barks very little. When it locates game, it remains calm and silent, allowing the hunter to approach stealthily for a precise shot.
This website is an independent and free project. I would like to gradually replace illustrative photos with real dogs from breeders.
If you send me a photo of your dog, I can include:
- the dog’s name or your kennel name
- a link to your website
What I need:
- a good-quality photo (ideally landscape)
- confirmation that you own the photo
- permission to publish it on this site
- a link on your website pointing to www.choosedog.info (I will also include a link to your website on this breed page)
Please email me at
info@vyberpsa.cz
(the breed name will be added to the subject line)
Or contact me via Facebook Messenger: m.me/choosetherightdog
FCI standard
FCI-Standard N° 268 / 09. 08. 1999 / GB
Norwegian ELKHOUND BLACK (Norsk Elghund Sort)
TRANSLATION : Norsk Kennel Klub.
ORIGIN : Norway.
DATE OF PUBLICATION OF THE ORIGINAL VALID STANDARD : 09.08.1999.
UTILIZATION : Hound for elk-hunting.
CLASSIFICATION F.C.I. : Group 5 Spitz and primitive types.
Section 2 Nordic Hunting Dogs.
With working trial only for the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland).
GENERAL APPEARANCE : A typical spitz, squarely built, black hair lying rather close to the body, erect pointed ears, tail curled over the back. Proud rise of neck, muscular and athletic.
IMPORTANT PROPORTIONS : Height of withers = length of body. Length of muzzle = length of skull.
BEHAVIOUR / TEMPERAMENT :Fearless, energetic and brave.
HEAD : Wedge-shaped, tapering to nose. Clean and rather light, comparatively broad between ears.
CRANIAL REGION :
Skull : Nearly flat.
Stop : Distinct, but not abrupt.
FACIAL REGION :
Nose : Black.
Muzzle : Bridge of the nose straight.
Lips : Tightly closed.
Jaws/Teeth : Scissor bite. Complete dentition.
Eyes : Not protruding. Preferably dark brown.
Ears : Set on high, pricked, height slightly greater than width at the base, pointed.
NECK : Of medium length, firm, without loose skin.
BODY :
Topline : Straight from the withers to the croup.
Withers : Well developed.
Back : Straight and strong.
Loin : Well developed, broad and straight.
Croup : Broad, well muscled.
Chest : Relatively deep, with good spring of ribs.
Belly : Slightly tucked up.
TAIL : Set on high. Short, thick, with thick and close coat, but not with a flag. Tightly curled over the back, but not carried on either side.
LIMBS
FOREQUARTERS :
General appearance : Firm, sinewy and strong, but not heavy.
Shoulders : Sloping.
Upper arm : Moderately sloping.
Elbow: Well set, turned neither in nor out.
Forearm : Straight.
Pastern : Moderately sloping seen from the side.
Forefeet : Rather small, somewhat oval, compact and not turned outwards.
HINDQUARTERS :
General appearance : Moderately angulated in stifle and hock. Parallel seen from behind. Dewclaws not desired.
Upper thigh : Muscular and broad.
Stifle : Moderately angulated.
Lower thigh : Of medium length.
Hock joint : Moderately angulated.
Hock : Moderately sloping seen from the side, parallel seen from behind.
Hind feet : Rather small, somewhat oval, compact.
GAIT / MOVEMENT : Light and effortless. Parallel seen both from the front and behind.
COAT
HAIR : Dense and rough, but lying close to the body. On head and front of legs short and smooth; longer on chest and neck, back of legs and the underside of tail. The coat is composed of a longish and coarse topcoat and a soft, woolly and black undercoat.
COLOUR : Shining black. A little white on chest and feet may be tolerated.
SIZE :
Height at withers : Males 46-49 cm. Ideal height 47 cm.
Females 43-46 cm. Ideal height 44 cm.
FAULTS : Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree and its effect upon the health and welfare of the dog.
• Pincer bite, irregular bite.
• Lacking undercoat.
• White hairs, white on the tail.
• White socks.
• Stressed, nervous, barking.
SERIOUS FAULTS :
• Naturally short tail.
ELIMINATING FAULTS :
• Aggresive or overly shy.
• Bite over- or undershot.
• Height at withers under 3 or above 4 cm from the ideal height.
Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
N.B. : Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
