Norwegian elkhound grey

		Norwegian elkhound grey
		FCI standard Nº 242

Origin		Norway
Translation		Norsk Kennel Klub
Group		Group 5 Spitz and primitive types
Section		Section 2 Nordic Hunting Dogs
Working		With working trial only for the Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland)
Acceptance on a definitive basis by the FCI		Wednesday 03 April 1963
Publication of the official valid standard		Monday 09 August 1999
Last update		Monday 09 August 1999
En français, cette race se dit		Chien d'élan norvégien gris
Diese Norm ist in deutscher Sprache sichtbar		Norwegischer Elchund Grau
En español, esta raza se dice		Perro cazador de alces noruego gris
In het Nederlands, wordt dit ras gezegd		Noorse Elandhond grijs
In his country of origin, his name is		Norsk Elghund Grå

Usage

Dog for elk-hunting.

General appearance

A typical Spitz. Compact and short body, squarely built. Elastic, good rise of neck. Erect ears. Coat thick and abundant, but not bristling or long. Tail is tightly curled over the back.

Important proportions

Squarely built. Length of skull and length of muzzle identical.

Behaviour / temperament

Fearless, energetic, brave.

Head
Cranial region
Head		Wedge-shaped, relatively broad between the ears. Lean.
Skull		Slightly arched.
Stop		Marked, but too pronounced.

Facial region
Nose		Black.
Muzzle		Gradually tapering either seen from above or from the side. Bridge of nose straight.
Lips		Tightly closed.
Jaws and teeth		Scissor bite. Complete dentition.
Eyes		Not prominent, dark brown in colour.
Ears		Set on high, firm and upstanding, relatively small. Height slightly greater than their width at the base, pointed and very mobile.

Neck

Of medium length, firm, good rise of neck, abundant ruff without loose skin.

Body
Body		Strong, short in the couplings.
Topline		Straight from the withers to the tail set.
Withers		Well developed.
Back		Strong, muscular and straight.
Loin		Well developed.
Croup		Strong and broad.
Chest		Broad and deep, good spring of ribs.
Underline and belly		Almost straight.

Tail

Set-on high, strong. Relatively short. Thick coat but not with a flag. Firmly curled over the center line, not carried on either side of the back. The tip cannot be straightened out on the adult dog.

Limbs

Forequarters
Generality		Strong and firm, straight.
Shoulders		Sloping.
Upper arm		Moderately sloping.
Elbows		Well set in, turned neither in nor out.
Forearm		Straight seen both from the front and from the side.
Pastern		Straight seen from the front, moderately sloping seen from the side.
Forefeet		Rather small, compact, toes pointing forwards.

Hindquarters
Generality		Strong lean and muscular. Parallel seen from behind. Moderately angulated.
Upper thigh		Muscular and broad.
Lower thigh		Of medium length.
Stifle		Moderately angulated.
Metatarsus		Must not reach behind the set of tail when standing.
Hock		Moderately angulated.
Hind feet		Relatively small. Oval in shape, compact, toes pointed forward.

Gait and movement

Light and effortless. Parallel seen both from the front and behind.

Skin

Firm, without wrinkles on the head.

Coat
Hair		Of medium length; thick, coarse, abundant outer coat without curls. On head and the front of legs short and smooth; longest on neck, thigh, back of legs and tail. Soft undercoat.
Colour		Grey, of various shades. The colour is made by the black tips of the hair of the outer coat. Lighter on chest, belly, legs and on the underside of the tail, under the tail set and in the « harness marking ». The harness marking is about a 5 cm broad stripe from the withers to the elbow, where the outer coat lacks black tips. The ears and the front of the muzzle are dark (dark mask). The dark line from the eye to the set on of ears delimits the mask. Light grey undercoat.

Size and weight
Height at withers		Males ideal height 52 cm, females ideal height 49 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 and its ability to perform its traditional work.
• Faults listed should be in degree of seriousness.

General faults

Round or domed skull.

Pointed or short muzzle.

Pincer bite, irregular bite.

Light eyes.

Too big or too broad ears.

Tail too short, not firmly curled, tail carried on the side.

Flat feet.

Too long or too short undercoat.

Colour in brown or yellow.

Dark undercoat.

Sooty colour.

White on tail tip.

White on chest.

Weak or nervous temperament.

Disqualifying faults

Aggresive or overly shy.

Over-or undershot bite.

Yellow or blue eyes.

Ears not erect.

Naturally short tail.

Dewclaws on hindlegs.

Any variety in colour other than grey.

Height at withers under 3 cm or over 4 cm from the ideal height.

NB :

• Any dog clearly showing physical or behavioural abnormalities shall be disqualified.
• The above mentioned faults when occurring to a highly marked degree or frequently are disqualifying.
• Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
• Only functionally and clinically healthy dogs, with breed typical conformation should be used for breeding.

Bibliography

https://www.fci.be/

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Norwegian elkhound grey