Four Female Elkhounds
On the far left is Shasta, the female from Mia and Takoda, and the other 3 Norwegian Elkhound females are from Tora and Bram. It is basically too hard for me to tell them apart yet, they are all so close to the same size, the same look, actions, they hang around together, everything, so I haven't been able to say which of the females is which from Tora. Cypress, Teeka, Kaia and one other, just not who is who yet.
Shasta is slightly different than Tora's females, she is not as thick, she definitely has a more dominant personality, not as laid back as the other girls, they are all calm and easy going, Shasta, she is like a moving machine, basically she is going non stop, rarely sits down.
Tesla - Male Elkhound Swedish Type
Tesla is a terrific young male, dark in color, leans more toward the Swedish type, he is from Takoda and Mia, and a brother to Shasta and Jaegar. His personality is exactly the same as Shasta, he is on the move all the time, rarely sits still. Takoda is a moving machine, these two, Tesla and Shasta take after him. They also get his quick to engage other dogs mentality, both Tesla and Shasta will be known far and wide for putting the run on dogs coming into their territory, you can bet on that. They are both really great companions, just like Takoda as well, they love to be around me, walk along and spend time with me.
These traits are well known in the Swedish type, they bond with a handler extremely well, and they don't like other dogs as much. Both Shasta and Tesla sound like big dogs already, they bark like guard dogs when you step in the kennel, they have quite the little growls and snarls, and they use them. They are not the biggest dogs in the group in size, but in their minds they are clearly the biggest.
Tesla will be one of the few dark males we have had, he is going to be a truly magnificent young male, he will stand proud, he could get pretty good size, and he will require some good room to run.
Elkhound Females
I have started putting out some Origen, this last bag was the new 80-20 ratio, Chicken, Fish, Turkey, Puppy. It is a nice sized portion, moist, smells good, they really like it, and all the pups took to it right away. I am still having the ground beef out each day as well, I am still feeding three times a day, and most likely will stay that way for this week yet.
These females are basically 6 weeks old in the photo, Shasta the tough little rascal in the middle of the tray is 6 weeks on the day, the other two are just a couple days shy of that. The other two females are both slightly thicker and weigh just a little bit more than her, but she still gets her choice of where to eat.
Tora's girls are polite, easy going, easy to keep. They are not high maintenance in any stretch of the word, Shasta, well all I can say, is cats, you better hit the trees.
Three Male Elkhounds
Konig, in the middle, a big male from Tora, is holding his own very well against an onslaught by the two big brothers, Jaegar and Tesla. Jaegar on the left, Tesla on the right. They can't get this piece of rubber flooring away from Konig no matter what. He is a big dark grey male, very solid, he is easy as big as Jaeger and Tesla, and only Jaegar or his own brother are any bigger. Tora has 3 big males, all thick, all stocky, and they don't take any guff.
Tora's big boys are all the biggest of the litter she had, normally we have some big females, but this round, all the males are larger, the females are not small by any stretch, they are bigger than average as well, but these boys this time round are really something.
Tora's males like Konig, they are easy going, big Jaegar, he is from Mia, he is like Mia, calm, steady and peaceful, the males from Tora are the same.
Ryker - Male Elkhound
Ryker is the calmest dog of all of them. He is such a good boy, he is polite, he wants to be around you, he sits and waits till you say hello, never in a rush, he will wait patient till you get to him. He never looks for trouble, doesn't back down if Tesla takes a run at him, but basically never bothers anyone. He has had to sit on Shasta a time or two already, he is a heavy solid male.
Ryker is the lone dark Swedish type from Tora, she must have known she better have one dark boy or Takoda would be offended. Ryker has the old world highly prized black mask, he will remain black faced his whole life I am pretty sure. He has the lighter under muzzle and throat, and smooth black coat.
He brings forward all the qualities of elkhounds centuries old, he is so steady, so calm, not fazed by anything, he looks right at you, pays attention, this is a good boy.
Tora's other big boy
All the males from Tora come with her thickness, but this boy has just that little bit extra shoulder mass. He is really serious Norwegian, this boy, he has the old world coat, the big muzzle, broad head, big paws, solid strong legs, and even color all the way through. This big fella has put ole Jaegar on notice, don't be messing around. They have had a couple go rounds trying to sort out who is who, but nothing is resolved yet with those two.
This will be one of the best looking Norwegian Elkhounds you'll ever see, he is going to be a large Silver Male, nicely marked, he will weigh into the top end of the spectrum, Tora put some serious frame into this boy, and Bram put some length, and some good looks. He has just the right attitude, he is really a friendly boy, yet can amuse himself, doesn't need to be around you yet enjoys your company if you are there.
This fella and Konig they both might take a bit to get them really trained, but once trained, you will really have yourself a dog. And one thing about these guys, coming from Tora, you can leave them to guard the ranch, you can come home knowing full well everything will be right where you left it.
Tora, Magnificent Shape
Take a look at the condition of Tora, she looks better than most show dogs, and she is nursing a big strong group of seven, and the last week, most of the time getting hit with ten. That conditioning program, the new feeding regime, the whole process seems to really have worked out well. This is a young female, she has been consistently gaining back her weight and condition, her coat is supple and soft, she is playful and happy.
Tora is a very good representative of female Elkhounds, no doubt about it.
Konig and Jaegar
This photo shows Konig on the left, and Jaegar on the right. I had thought Shasta would have her ears up fully first but I was off slightly, it was Jaegar. Konig, he is as wide as Jaegar, as long, and just as heavy, you would be extremely hard pressed to know these two pups were from different litters. What's more interesting is Jaegar is basically a full brother, different litter to Konig's mother, Tora.
You sure wouldn't want to be a coyote running into either of these boys late at night. Both these big fellas are as nice as can be, I have had them in the house, they settle right in like it's a place they have been forever. All the pups are calm in the house, they sit down, oh sure they burn around a bit, but for the most part, if you sit quiet, they do the same. All the pups from this litter will be nice to have come in and sit by the fire after a good long walk.
The Elkhounds have been companions and partners for centuries, this group is going to be carrying on that tradition in fine form.
Elkhound Female Fourth Litter
I have been working to try to get a nice photo of the females from Tora by themselves, they are a close knit bunch, so individual shots are pretty rare, this is about as good a Norwegian Female you could ever hope for. She has a beautiful face, her eyes look right at you, she has the nice big muzzle that both Tora and Bram have. Bram put some nice dark highlights on her face yet Tora kept her feminine yet still strong.
Like all the others she is wide across the chest and back, very square, these females are solid, and thick, these will be some powerful young females. You would have to look a while to find thicker males out there. They are very stable, even tempered, quiet and never take off on you. These girls like to stick around. These are going to be some very good companions.
Elkhound Females, Tora's first litter
Here are 3 females, once again together, these are from Tora and Bram. I have these girls eating 3 times a day, they still get a chance to nurse, both Tora and Mia are still nursing, however they don't stand for long now.
I have pretty well got them all used to going outside to go to the washroom, so house training will be a dream with this group. I have been taking them out roughly every 3 hours, and they rarely go in the kennel anymore, they all burn out and go.
I will start putting out some good rib bones and chew bones most likely starting tomorrow now, so that they can be gnawing away on them. Always provide your Elkhound with good raw fresh bones on a regular basis. Eventually as they grow they will just eat most of them, but while they are growing they love to chew away at them. It will sure save your gloves, your laces, and your shoes.
Mia, Also Magnificent Shape
Check this out, Mia is shown here after nursing for six weeks, and helping Tora out the last week of that with her's. Mia is in peak shape, I actually have to watch now or she will over condition, go figure! Mia and or Tora hardly burned any muscle tissue, they had enough condition and enough fuel in the feed so that the muscle condition never deteriorated at all, it's like she never had a litter.
Mia has always been a powerhouse female, she is why the Elkhound breed is so old, when they talk about easy keepers, this my friends is what they are talking about.
Takoda Surveys the Pups
Takoda figured he better come by and check things out, there has been a ton of racket lately and he figured he might have to tune a few of these rascals in. It's about this time that Mia likes to start turning things over to him to manage, she is getting tired of doing everything, time for him to step up.
Takoda, he is a big help to them at this stage, but he is also a little uncomfortable with both Tora and Mia on guard, they definitely gauge his reaction and behaviour and he doesn't want these two after him, so it is a neat thing to watch, just how one or the other is between, or near when he first comes nose to nose with the pups. He doesn't let any of the pups burn up and run into him by any stretch of the imagination though, they learn quick and fast from him, manners, show respect, and don't be goofing off.
He has been sleeping next to them all for weeks, just not the last couple, so they all know each other, but now that they are out and about it's a different scenario. He is good though, he listens well to me and just wants to have a nice time with everybody, he is a good natured Male and likes to be close and around everyone, so this time is good from here now.