Løshund
If an Elkhound is
trained as a løshund, the dog will find the elk on his own,
either by open scent, or by tracking it down. This is called
free-ranging.
When the dog
has detected the scent, he reports back to the hunter and then
takes off into the woods. The Swedish White Elkhound is known
to be very cooperative and to hold close contact to the hunter.
The dog tracks
the elk silently and reports back periodically. When the dog
sights the elk, he approaches silently; and when he has gotten
close enough to stand the elk, he begins to bark. The dog must
be able to hold the elk at bay, and distract it from the
approach of the hunter.
The elk, using
his massive wrack of antlers and sharp hooves as a lethal
weapon, will sometimes lunge at the dog. This is where the
dog's boldness, courage, and intelligence are essential.
On those
occasions where the elk will break into a run, the dog follows
along silently. He never barks while the elk is on the run,
for this would only keep the animal moving and no Elkhound or
hunter could possibly keep up with a fast moving elk. If the
dog tracks silently, the elk eventually will come to a stop
once again.
With a good
dog, the hunter can always tell what is happening up ahead. If
the dog should fall silent, the hunter knows that the elk is
on the run and the hunter will wait until he once again hears
the barking and the hunter will move in that direction.
When the dog
has found the elg, he barks and keeps the elg at bay for as
long as it takes for the hunter to get in a position for the
kill.
Bandhund
When an Elkhound
is used as a bandhund, he is placed on a 5 to 7 meter lead,
and does his hunting by scent or tracking to locate the elk.
The dog will instinctively use the wind when trying to locate
the elk, always leading the hunter up against the wind. By
doing this, the dog can scent the elk without the elk being
able to scent or hear the dog and hunter.
When the dog
finds fresh elktracks his pace quickens and he works with
intensity to locate the animal. The dog has to be absolutely
quite at all times during tracking. The dog will indicate to
the hunter that the elk is close, by either standing up on his
hind legs and sniffing the air, dropping his tail from the
curled position, or raising the hackles on his back. Once the
hunter encounters the elg, the elkhound is commanded to sit or
lie down, so as to be out of the line of fire between the
hunter and the elg. The dog must be able to react calmly to
shots from the hunter's rifle.
Show Champion
To become a Show
Champion in Norway, a dog must:
- Win three
Certificates in Winners Class at dog shows from three
different judges.
- Earn one
first prize in a hunting field trial.
Also, prior to
being eligible just to compete in conformation dog shows, the
dog must have been in a hunting trial and have obtained a
first, second or third place hunting prize.
The dog can
compete in shows, and even obtain a certificate with just a
third place win at a hunting trial, but in order to finish his
championship and obtain an officially recognized show champion
title, the dog must have won a first prize at a hunting trial.
Hunting
Champion
To become a
Hunting Champion in Norway, a dog must:
- Obtain
three first prizes from three different hunting trials.
One of the trials must be a two day event, meaning the dog
must attend both days and obtain a first prize on one of
those two days at this two day trial, and also must obtain
a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd prize on the other day.
- Win two
first prizes based on conformation quality at a dog show
Registration
Formal
registration of purebred dogs was begun by the Swedish Kennel
Club in 1993 and the Norwegian Kennel Club in 1995.
Svenska
Vita Älghundklubben (The Swedish White Elkhound Club) was
established in 1986.
