A Breeding Philosophy

I may not have this statement exactly right, but the idea or revelation behind it I believe I have correct. A very famous Norwegian Elkhound Breeder, Pat Trotter said the following:

"A pedigree will tell you what a dog should be, a show ring will tell you what a dog appears to be, but his progeny will tell you what he really is!"

Whenever I see a pup these days I think to that statement a fair bit, it rings so true the more generations we have that appear. This image shows young MANE a son of Takoda and young Magnus a great grandson of Takoda. I believed early on that inside our breeding pairs were better dogs waiting to appear. The old world breeders spoke of the ability to match Elkhounds to pull all the best traits out. I believe without a doubt we have been successful in pulling out all the very best traits you could wish for in a working Elkhound. I do think that in the Elkhound world today, MANE and pups like Magnus are the very best a person could find and hope for.

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Upcoming Litters

Tora and the other big dogs lend a hand!

The last few years though she has proven to be an invaluable partner with me in training the young pups, the young females I am holding back, even training the young breeding males like Leif and MANE. She has the rock solid nature of the working Elkhound and is a flawless example of ancient genetics at work. These two young pups are some of the very best you could find. We will be keeping Tikka in our breeding program and young Rigel is going down to work with Michele, he will be an outstanding companion for her. He is a very personable thick old world Elkhound, reminds me a lot of Tora.

Jaegar also steps up in training, his pups are around but here he is shown with his half sister Birgit. She is a daughter of Takoda and GÆDA. She is going down to Martha and Alexandra in Vermont to help out on the trails and yard work. Birgit is such a superior female, super stable like GÆDA yet with all protective instincts intact from Takoda.

She is a great mountain dog like her older half Brother Jaegar and loves to work and model him. Birgit has excellent ranging skills that have shown early in her life, with this lineage those instinctive behaviours appear and I can spot them and see them at work. These photos illustrate a great deal to a person looking for a pup when you see the modeling behaviour that having the older lineages present will allow for. Your pup comes home with many instinctive traits functioning as they should. There are huge benefits to having this close knit super skilled group of older siblings and related working Elkhounds to share knowledge with the young pups.

There is no amount of human training that can pass or instill in young pups what skilled older Elkhounds can do.

Birgit and Moki with Vida , daughters and son of Takoda and GÆDA are shown here with half brother Jaegar. Young Moki is a fabulous young son of Takoda. He loves his big brother as does his sisters Birgit and Vida. These pups have an instinctive bond with the dogs they are raised with. Having the skilled big dogs teach rank and social pack behaviour is incredibly valuable for the life of the pup.

There are so many things getting taught to young pups at all times with this many big dogs around that pups become super stable, they are mentally stable to begin with but with this environmental stimulation and behavioural training it allows all that great natural nature to shine.

All four of these dogs are super happy and so content they are in their element doing what they were bred to do. In the old days way more pups were raised this way, now its a rarity. We are so happy to have the opportunity to raise our pups in this method.

What is really cool about this image is that the young female Elkhound Shiloh, a daughter of Takoda and GÆDA, is going out to be a new pal to a full sibling sister,different litter, named Kiera in Alberta. Now Shiloh she would do just fine on a normal training and pup set up but Felicity asked if we could keep Shiloh for the Desna training program so that she could be imprinted upon by all the big dogs.

What more could a pup ask for than to travel with one of the greatest Norwegian Elkhounds in the world, Tekla. Tekla as all of you know has the stunning twin sister Tuva who is out on this hike as well. Tekla was born here and has lived on these trails her entire life. She shares her skill set with Shiloh and there are no Elkhounds anywhere better in any respect than Tekla. Tekla is the mother to Luna and MANE. Shiloh could not have asked for a better hiking trainer than Tekla. Pretty cool indeed!

Tuva, the full sister to Tekla is out here at the same hike.

She as well as Tekla was born here and has roamed these trails since she could venture out. Now she has her young daughter Artemis with her as well as Tikka and I believe Phoenix behind her.

Artemis is a special female for us as she is our first female that was a result of the mating of working and show lines. Kamia's Pretty Boy Leif is the father to Artemis and he is a young show lineage stud we have brought in as some outcross genetics. He has an excellent working parent lineage but all are show dogs first and foremost. Tuva of course is entirely a working lineage Elkhound as her father is the first generation born in Canada, he is a full Norwegian Elkhound hunting lineage from Norway.

This image is loaded with genetic trail stories.

Every pup in this image is an awesome working Elkhound. The very best of our program from many sides is shown here out in the mountains, all great young Elkhounds gathered around Takoda.The four pups right in the middle are from Jaegar, the son of Takoda. As you can see all the traits, the instinctive abilities and natural mountain ranging skill travel down from Jaegar just as easily as from Tora. Bowen standing right in front of MANE is a super skilled mountain dog and of course he is a great grandson of Takoda. So the lineage traits all track down from Tora, through Kai to Bowen super easy as well.

Direct offspring MANE and Luna of course share the traits with the young pups and are perfect representations of what working Elkhounds should be.

 What is really cool to see at work is the ability for good instinctive dogs to share the knowledge and to see the young Elkhound pups pick up on the knowledge so fast.

You can't instruct a young pup at anywhere near the rate of speed that an older well respected dog can.

The interesting thing on this whole set of images is the range of genetics that are all working together as a unit. These pups shown are from GÆDA and Takoda, not Jaegar. Jaegar is a Takoda and Mia son. He is a half brother to these three females, Vida, Shiloh and Birgit.

There are five different litters all genetically similiar all working in a very close fashion all exhibiting the exact same skills and mountain ranging abilities.

The depth of our program not only appears in the litter quality but is really evident in the foundation work for the pup.

Females like Tora are very rare in breeding operations. Most breeders only wish for a female with such depth of skill and instinctive working abilities. To have such a female around for the pups to model is one of the greatest things a breeder could hope for.

Top line dominant females that can work in offleash ranging conditions with impeccable skills are just not around. Most females just don't have the nature to work with the handler and to have the composure to work with the pups. This take incredible instinctive confidence and if it so happens that she has the higher rank positions, she becomes even more valuable in training.

Pups model all confident dogs in a pack, they learn from them all. What is extremely valuable for a pup to learn though is rank training. The pups learn very quickly who is at what position. Top rank females like Tora have a tremendous influence on pups as she of course is the top rank female. She has the ability to set in the pup the rank skills they need for life. The other dogs assist in this, but she is who sets these parameters and guides the pup in behaviour in a pack setting from the top position. Without a pack situation for pups to learn they never have that natural instinctive education and therefore are not as stable in as wide a range of situations.

This is instinctive behaviour at its finest. These two young fellas, they are just little guys. Bowen and Magnus are exhibiting all the working instinctive traits a person could ever hope to see. A couple young mountain Norwegian Elkhound males coming over a hill focused on returning close to the handler, happy to be returning. Knowing they are doing the right things. Excited to be back. Not dissappointed, not constrained, no happy to be back. This is instinctive behaviour.

No one has been able to teach them behaviours like this at this age yet, all that is occurring on these hikes is the instinctive nature of solid good working lineage genetics is getting woke up. They have seen the older dogs and are modeling the behaviour, but it's also very easy for them to model as it's a "natural instinctive reaction" for them.

There are huge advantages to people when selecting a dog for a hiking companion to find genetics such as these  to choose from. At the end of the day no matter what training is in place, instincts rule.

This young female is a very special Elkhound for us. This is our first Daughter line Elkhound pup from Jaegar. She is also a second daughter line female from Kamp, as she is a daughter of Jaegar and Kamp. Phoenix and her sister Tikka were the two last female pups Kamp had and we kept both so we could retain that incredible Kamp genetic diversity in our program.

As you know Tekla and Tuva are Kamp and Bram daughters and so Phoenix and Tikka are half sisters to Tekla and Tuva. The Kamp lineage of course is one of the very best old world working lines you can ever hope to find. Its a rare old link to a breeding program that was in place years ago, one of the most respected and longest running programs in the UK, the Ravenstone Elkhounds. Phoenix and Tikka carry that lineage forward here in Canada as part of our family of Norwegian Elkhounds, just as the Ravenstone Elkhounds were cared for.

Tuva is shown here with the two sisters, Phoenix and Tikka, who she raised along with her own young daughter, Artemis. The late Margaret and Ted Harper, founders of the Ravenstone Elkhounds would be very happy to see such a great family of Elkhounds that all can lead back to the ancient old world Ravenstone Elkhounds. Each of these females, as Tuva is a half sister to Phoenix and Tikka, and her own young daughter all carry some part of the great Ravenstone Elkhound genetics.

Ravenstone Elkhounds were bred for 50 years, one of the longest running most successful programs in the UK, they followed the old world principles as do we, they as well had pairs of daughters walking the countryside with the mother and grandmother. Pretty neat that many decades  later, a long ways from those early foundations days of Ravenstone out here in a remote corner of BC walks again, pairs of siblings, sisters and grandmothers and fathers. As it should be.

Rigel the perfect example of an Elkhound bred for instinctive traits versus confirmation traits

This young pup is an absolute perfect example of our program and how it produces an instinctive Elkound who excels in all ancient instinctive traits, while retaining every conformation trait to it's finest portrayal. 

I am in the mountains with young pups every day pretty much these days. You can spot differences in instinctive ability in minutes in these conditions, yet in the yard it is much harder to tell. Environmental assessment is very crucial to selecting breeding pairs as traits can be lost very easily. What is awesome about working in the mountains with a young pup like Rigel, who is a son of Jaegar and Kamp is that I get to see all the traits we value come shining through in a very young pup. Rigel is 9 weeks old in this photo and is so aware of all things around him, focuses on the handler, yet watches everything around me, he is catching scents like a pro, a superb illustration of a working full genetic instinct intact Elkhound Male.

Working in the mountains with young Gifford at 11 weeks is an amazing experience

What I always find fascinating is how certain traits follow through in the genetic material. Here is young Gifford, he is a son of Jaegar and Kalia. Gifford is a half brother to young Rigel up above. Both of these young rascals are supreme mountian hiking dogs. In every dog a set of instinctive skills are passed down. Everytime you mate two dogs together you are never 100% sure if the instinctive traits and other "Conformation Traits" are going to show up as positive or not. Some genetic lines "Pull Stronger" than others, meaning certain traits in almost all cases keep pulling through. What is evident with young Gifford is that the genetics we wish to see come flying out with Kalia the same as they do with Kamp. Having Gifford and Rigel in the exact same environment at such a young age to work with I clearly get to see the "instinctive ability" of the genetics flowing from two different pairings at the exact same time. Very neat to witness. 

A fascinating image that captures Elkhound genetic excellence from around the world in one spot

As a breeder we take credit for our selection of our dogs and how we pair them up to produce what we feel illustrates a perfect working Elkhound. But we never forget the centuries of excellence in breeding that has been done by old world breeders around the world to lead us to the spot we are in. This photo illustrates centuries of breeding from Sweden, Norway, USA, the UK and of course, Canada. 

In our mind the young dogs here are as true a representation of the dogs that were assembled at the start of the association as you could possibly find. All qualities that the old breeders wished to preserve are still intact in these magnificent young specimens.

The two larger pups, MANE and Luna, daughter and son of Takoda and Tekla. The dark faced rascal far right is Bowen, Son of Kai and Hachi. The other two young males, Ruka and Gifford are sons of Jaegar and Kalia.

The height of working champion lines and show champion lines - Artemis Norwegian Elkhound Female

Artemis is what almost any breeder of any breed of dog would call a stacked pedigree dog. In the working world of Norwegian Elkhounds the background of Artemis has many "working champions in Norway, Sweden and Finland" with some of the most awarded hunting Norwegian Elkhound sires there is. On the other side is a list of the most impressive show Norwegian Elkhounds in the world, with literally the highest ranking point Norwegian Elkhounds in her background, very close to the surface.

This is a daughter of our famous Tuva. Tuva as you all know is the height of excellence in Norwegian Elkhound females, she is the stunning twin sister to Tekla. We mated our new stud, Kamia's Pretty Boy Leif with Tuva and could not be happier with the results. Artemis is a world class Elkhound! 

There is more to raising a great Norwegian Elkhound than Genetics

Our Desna training program is proving to be an invaluable part of raising quality Norwegian Elkhound pups for great families. It's one thing to have excellent genetics, but there is also the whole environmental aspect of pup setup.

Pups model older dogs in a way that is incredible to watch. What is very important to remember is that pups will model a dog with poor or no traits, just as quickly as it models a dog with superior quality traits. Having quality superior hiking dogs, pack oriented Elkhounds all surrounding the pups leads to incredibly well adjusted pups with all desirable traits flourishing.

There is no doubt the reasons the Kamia Elkhounds are so highly sought is not just genetics, but the supreme instinctive and ability training the mature dogs provide. Tuva is shown here modeling to three young Norwegian Elkhound beauties, Artemis, Tikka and Phoenix what exactly they are supposed to be doing in the mountains and how to do it. Tuva has been hiking these mountains with me since before she was born. There is no better teacher than her. 

Ashten has been an invaluable part of our program from the beginning

The reason Jaegar is such a great male, so versatile, so skilled in all areas and is what I call a GQ male has nothing to do with me, but everything to do with Ashten. My daughter has raised Jaegar with her from a pup. She has done an amazing job with him. Her abilities extend our program immensely.  

Folks getting our dogs are in many cases urban with a recreational need for a great outdoor dog. They need to have a pup that has the ability to be social and be urban, or what I call GQ. Ashten brings that awareness and skill to our program. Here she sits with Jaegar, directly in front is a daughter of Jaegar, young Tikka, and behind the young Artemis. This particular set of Elkhounds will all be superior GQ Elkhounds, they can do it all. 

Ashten and Rigel, the first and only Jaegar / Kamp male pup to go through the Desna program.

The first litter of Kamp and Jaegar there were no male pups. The second litter Kamp had was with Bram. The third litter Kamp had was with Jaegar but no pups stayed for the Desna. The final litter with Kamp and Jaegar Rigel is here with us for the Desna. So Ashten and Rigel are having a very fun time. Rigel is like a young Jaegar really for her. She can work with him and see every day all the little traits Jaegar had as a pup come shining through.

Of course Ashten was around Kamp as a pup as well a great deal and she comments each day that she can see Kamp coming through loud and clear in young Rigel as well. So it's a very neat thing for all of us here to have the opportunity we have with Rigel. Pretty Neat time for sure. 

Birgit, a perfect young daughter of GÆDA and Takoda

GÆDA has been an absolutely flawless Norwegian Elkhound female for us. She has produced stunning pup after stunning pup. We had decided for the last litter to retain one of GÆDA's females, so we kept one back for our program, her name is Vida. The reason we did is evident throughout the site but this young female shown here Birgit, is a full sister to Vida, and she  illustrates why perfectly.

This is Birgit. An incredible young female Elkhound who displays every quality trait you could wish for in an Elkhound. There are five different litters of Elkhounds illustrated in this article, all working and acting in unison portraying full instinctive behaviours in as natural a setting as can be accomplished and set up for them today. Each a shining example of old world breeding principles that have been shared over centuries. You could have seen a pup identical to Birgit a 1000 years ago in the Scandinavian woods, here she stands ever watchful now on a mountain trail far from her native homeland in a remote part of British Columbia at Kamia Kennels.