The Jämthund, also called the Swedish Elkhound, is a breed of

dog The dog (''Canis familiaris'' or ''Canis lupus familiaris'') is a domesticated descendant of the wolf. Also called the domestic dog, it is derived from the extinct Pleistocene wolf, and the modern wolf is the dog's nearest living relativ ...

of the

Spitz Spitz (derived from the German word ''spitz'' 'pointed') is a type of domestic dog characterized by long, thick, and often white fur, and pointed ears and muzzles. The tail often curls over the dog's back or droops. While all of the breeds resem ...

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

that is found in Northern Europe. The Jämthund is

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous with Jämtland, a province in the middle of Sweden.

History

The Swedish Elkhound is one of a number of breeds of

spitz Spitz (derived from the German word ''spitz'' 'pointed') is a type of domestic dog characterized by long, thick, and often white fur, and pointed ears and muzzles. The tail often curls over the dog's back or droops. While all of the breeds resem ...

-type hunting dogs that have been known throughout Scandinavia for centuries. Historically these dogs have been used to hunt a wide variety of game including

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the N ...

elk The elk (''Cervus canadensis''), also known as the wapiti, is one of the largest species within the deer family, Cervidae, and one of the largest terrestrial mammals in its native range of North America and Central and East Asia. The com ...

wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

and

lynx A lynx is a type of wild cat. Lynx may also refer to: Astronomy * Lynx (constellation) * Lynx (Chinese astronomy) * Lynx X-ray Observatory, a NASA-funded mission concept for a next-generation X-ray space observatory Places Canada * Lynx, Ontar ...

. The Swedish Elkhound received official recognition as a breed in 1946, due to intensive work by Aksel Lindström and others. Before that, both it and the

Norwegian Elkhound 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 elk and o ...

were seen as the same breed. They are both used for hunting large game, such as moose and bear.

Lineage

The breed falls under the mitochondrial DNA sub- clade referred to as d1 that is only found in northern Scandinavia. It is the result of a male dog-female

hybridization that occurred post-domestication. Subclade d1 originated 480–3,000 years ago and it includes all

Sámi The Sámi ( ; also spelled Sami or Saami) are a Finno-Ugric-speaking people inhabiting the region of Sápmi (formerly known as Lapland), which today encompasses large northern parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and of the Murmansk Oblast, R ...

-related breeds: Finnish Lapphund, Swedish Lapphund, Lapponian Herder, Swedish Elkhound,

, Black Norwegian Elkhound and

Hällefors Elkhound Hällefors Elkhound ( sv, Hälleforshund) is a Swedish dog breed. Appearance The Hällefors Elkhound is a medium-sized, rectangular Spitz with either a sickle or curly tail. Thick, harsh, and dense coat should always be yellow, ranging from ...

. The maternal wolf sequence that contributed to these breeds has not been matched across Eurasia and its branch on the phylogenetic tree is rooted in the same sequence as the 33,000 year-old

Altai dog The Paleolithic dog was a Late Pleistocene Caninae, canine. They were directly associated with human hunting camps in Europe over 30,000 years ago and it is proposed that these were domesticated. They are further proposed to be either a proto-dog ...

(not a direct ancestor).

Description

Appearance

The dog should have a loosely curled tail that hangs on the back and is not too thin or too tightly curled; when relaxed the tail should hang straight down. This breed has erect ears with a wide space in between them, a medium to long muzzle, and a double coat of various shades of

agouti The agouti (, ) or common agouti is any of several rodent species of the genus ''Dasyprocta''. They are native to Middle America, northern and central South America, and the southern Lesser Antilles. Some species have also been introduced else ...

. The eyes are brown. The size of the male is usually , weighing . Females are usually between , weighing . The Swedish Elkhound should be distinguished from the

. The Norwegian Elkhound is much shorter and stockier than the Swedish Elkhound, and its tail shape is very different. It also has a black mask on the muzzle, whereas the Swedish Elkhound has a white muzzle, white cheeks and typical wolf markings.

Temperament

Although calm and affectionate with its family, the Swedish Elkhound can be dominant with other dogs and has a strong prey drive. A truly all-around canine, it can go from a hunting trip and back to the family hearth with great aplomb. It takes things in stride and does not get ruffled easily, making it a steady partner in the field or at home. The Swedish Elkhound is a happy learner who loves to please its owner.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jamthund Articles with 'species' microformats Dog breeds originating in Sweden FCI breeds Jämtland Rare dog breeds Spitz breeds