{"id":539,"date":"2026-07-03T23:41:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T23:41:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/?p=539"},"modified":"2026-07-03T23:41:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T23:41:53","slug":"murdock-at-16-weeks-a-young-elkhound-showing-natural-bush-instinct","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/murdock-at-16-weeks-a-young-elkhound-showing-natural-bush-instinct\/","title":{"rendered":"Murdock at 16 Weeks \u2013 A Young Elkhound Showing Natural Bush Instinct"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Today I took Murdock out into the Northern Alberta bush for a short off\u2011leash hike, and at just sixteen weeks of age he showed the kind of natural instinct and calm working ability that always reminds me why these Elkhounds are so special. This young fellow handled himself like a seasoned dog, not a pup, and the entire outing was a pleasure from start to finish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The video is a ten\u2011minute silent clip, but it captures everything that makes the Kamia Elkhound such a great companion \u2014 steady temperament, natural awareness, and a built\u2011in desire to stay connected without needing direction. Murdock worked the terrain with confidence, kept a perfect distance, and checked in on his own the whole time. I never had to call him once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Murdock at 16 Weeks \u2013 Silent Off\u2011Leash Bush Work\" width=\"1290\" height=\"726\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HZlctyA5AGw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Calm, Connected Young Male<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What I enjoy most about outings like this is seeing how naturally these pups manage themselves. Murdock moved through the tall grass and timber with a relaxed confidence, always aware of where I was, never pushing too far, and never losing his calm. This is the kind of temperament families appreciate so much \u2014 a dog that is independent enough to explore, but always connected enough to stay with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He reads terrain well, adjusts his pace, and stays balanced in new environments. Even at sixteen weeks, he already shows the steady nature that makes these dogs such great partners on acreage, trails, and everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Surprise Grouse Encounter<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Partway through the hike, Murdock came across a grouse. His reaction was exactly what you want to see in a young Elkhound \u2014 alert, excited, but still thinking. He located it, moved it toward me, and nearly had it for lunch, but he never lost control or forgot about his surroundings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This balance of instinct and judgment is one of the reasons Elkhounds are such reliable companions. They have the natural drive, but they also have the ability to stay composed. Murdock showed both today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1212\" height=\"1167\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Murdock-Grouse-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C986&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Murdock-Grouse-1.jpg?w=1212&amp;ssl=1 1212w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Murdock-Grouse-1.jpg?resize=300%2C289&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Murdock-Grouse-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C986&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Murdock-Grouse-1.jpg?resize=768%2C739&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1212px) 100vw, 1212px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Natural Off\u2011Leash Ability<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the most enjoyable parts of working with these pups is how naturally they handle off\u2011leash situations. Murdock didn\u2019t need commands, didn\u2019t need reminders, and didn\u2019t need any direction. He simply stayed connected and worked with me the entire time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is what makes the Kamia Elkhound so easy to live with \u2014 they don\u2019t require constant management. They fit into your life, stay aware, and make good decisions on their own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Great Young Dog With a Bright Future<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This short field clip is just a glimpse of Murdock\u2019s early development, but it already shows the kind of dog he is becoming \u2014 steady, intelligent, confident, and naturally connected. He\u2019s only sixteen weeks old, but he\u2019s already showing the traits that make these Elkhounds such incredible companions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It was a great outing, and I\u2019m looking forward to many more with this young Rock Star!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"676\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Murdock-16-5-1r.jpg?resize=1024%2C676&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Murdock-16-5-1r-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C676&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Murdock-16-5-1r-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C198&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Murdock-16-5-1r-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C507&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Murdock-16-5-1r-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1013&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Murdock-16-5-1r-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1351&amp;ssl=1 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Full Blood Elkhound Male at 16 Weeks &#8211; Murdock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Today I took Murdock out into the Northern Alberta bush for a short off\u2011leash hike, and at just sixteen weeks of age he showed the kind of natural instinct and calm working ability that always reminds me why these Elkhounds are so special. This young fellow handled himself like a seasoned dog, not a pup, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":541,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[18,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-client-stories-and-field-reports","category-training-development"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Murdock-16-3-1r.jpg?fit=1600%2C1527&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=539"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":543,"href":"https:\/\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/539\/revisions\/543"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/541"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kamiakennels.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}