Ragnar, Norwegian Elkhound Male.

I got this great update a long time ago from Barbara and got so far behind I am just getting it up online now. I have a lot of updates I want to publish, and this one from Barbara should have been up.

I remember distinctly when Ragnar was a little rascal and I was meeting up with Barbara at the airport. We had a great visit, but what was so profound was the immediate connection she and Ragnar had.

Russian women have a connection with dogs going back centuries and to witness it immediately the minute they got together was something that has stayed with me all this time.

I can see and feel the connection Barbara has with Ragnar and you see it with all the photos and the attention he gives her, and she him. This is a very big deal for a breeder and means a lot to me. I am sincerely grateful that Barbara stays in touch and shares the life Ragnar has, it's exceptional.

Ragnar is an incredible male Norwegian Elkhound. This is a full working, full instinct hunting lineage big boy. This is a son of Bram and Tora. You can say what you like about the pups I have coming today from MANE, Pretty Boy Leif, even Jaegar, there is no doubt about it, Bram and Tora produced stunning pups. Get a good look folks, this is why we work hard to preserve those genetics that Bram and Tora have contributed. Can you believe this rascal? Oh Wow, what a stunning Elkhound.

Now a lot of you know a fair bit about our Elkhounds but I'll share just a bit on Ragnar and his incredible heritage. Ragnar has a line-up of ancestors that dates on record all the way to the start of the Norwegian Kennel Klub. His ancestors go much further back of course as he is a full genetic Elkhound so has blood from both the old ancestors from Norway and from Sweden. His genetic lineage is the one of the oldest known bloodlines dating back thousands of years.

This particular line has for centuries been known as the line that bonds extremely well to the handler. There are stubborn lines that can hunt well, and then there are these lines that can hunt extremely well, but they bond so much better.

All the folks with our dogs understand this bonding instinctive trait, it comes out in all sorts of ways but the protective abilities, the skill in working with the handler, the calm nature, these are what make up this incredible lineage.

And Ragnar is a stunning example of all of that wrapped up in another great feature of this lineage, the stunning conformation.

This particular line has some of the most awarded hunting champions of all lines, but it also has some of the Most Awarded Show lines in Norway. There is little doubt as to that, take a look at that Ragnar, Wow!

Ragnar's Brother Torsten on the left, is shown with Ragnar's dad, Bram.

Ragnar has 33 full siblings and 8 half siblings.

 

 

Ragnar has two full sisters and two half sisters in our breeding program, the stunning Tika, who just had a tremendous litter of 8 Norwegian Elkhound pups is a full sister.

She will be bred again when she cycles later this summer. Once again we will see the genetic quality that Ragnar has show up in Tika's little rascals.

As Ragnar leads the way for Barbara in Russia, his three sisters are here watching my trail for me. These three need no introduction either, they are as you all know the famous Trio, Kai, Tekla and Tuva.

All three of these like their sister above will have another litter of incredible Elkhounds in 2019. Little Ragnar nephews and neices coming again. Can't Wait.

Ragnar, Son of Tora and Bram.

What a great update, Thank You Barbara!

"Hi, Merv,

Since I always enjoy seeing your updates from your walks with Ragnar's relatives, I thought I might do something like that. And I got photos of a ridiculously happy dog! I recently returned Ragnar from his winter stay with my parents. Both Mom and, surprisingly, my Dad's cat miss him already (Ragnar befriends cats so well!). But he's been pampered and cuddled enough, it is time to return to work. I was afraid that after such a nice stay in Leipzig he'll have problems with adjusting, but he was happy to return to his old life. It was as if he never left. I missed my boy terribly and I am super happy to have him back. My own cat seems to be happy to have his "brother" back as well. The rough-house in the garden, running after each other and tussling in the grass.
On our last photo-walk Ragnar proved to be a real hunting dog. He actually helped me find a bird I was looking for. It was hiding in a patch of grass, and after noticing that I was stalking something there, Ragnar started going back and forth through the grass, helping me hunt))) This isn't how I like to shoot in the wild, but I just had to let him go with his instinct. Oh, while in Leipzig he got to do a little hunting as well. The parks have rabbits, foxes and raccoons, and Ragnar was free to chase them all to his heart's content. Once he even saw an enclosure with sheep and a kangaroo. The sheep he was interested in, but after seeing the roo hop, he got a WTF look on his face and decided to leave it. Can't believe he's turning six this year, he's so happy and energetic! He is more disciplined and rougher with other male dogs now, but aside from that, it's like he's still two or three years old!
Anyway, hope you enjoy the pics!

Kindest regards,
Barbara"

Ragnar - Norwegian Elkhound Male

Barbara, please accept my apologies for taking so long to get this update online. Please send us some more updates on this rascal any chance you get. I want to Thank You Immensely for the awesome life and care you give this big rascal. There is absolutely no doubt he is one of the most loved Elkhounds ever. And there is no doubt at all in anyone's mind, this is the Best Elkhound in all of Russia.

This my friends, This is an Elkhound! 

 

 

There is little doubt about the ability of the magnificent male shown here to stamp his pups one after the other with exceptional quality and instinctive skill.

This my friends is the stunning Bram, father to Ragnar, show here in all his splendour with Blaine. Blaine and Cathy have worked with us exclusively to preserve and maintain the working lineage Norwegian Elkhounds and this male is amazing. Ragnar has take a great deal of his stunning looks from his father as you can clearly see. Bram and Tora combined to have outstanding pups each and every time. Bram and Tora of course were extremely good together as all traits matched perfectly.

Ragnar has that perfect blend of his parents, it's a sight to behold no doubt.

Ragnar - A stunning Norwegian Elkhound Male

As a breeder there is nothing quite like getting a set of images that portray all the qualities, all the features and traits with literally no words needed.

This photo pretty much sums it up, you can't get a better Elkhound than Ragnar.