Norwegian Elkhound Grooming

About the Norwegian Elkhound

A Norwegian Elkhound carries a proper northern double coat: a dense woolly undercoat under a thick, harsh, standoff outer coat with black tipped guard hairs that give the silver gray look. It is the same construction as the Husky and the Keeshond, built for hunting in Norwegian winters.

For most of the year it is one of the easier coats on the site. It is harsh and standoff rather than long, so it barely mats, it sheds dirt when dry, and it has notably little dog odor. A weekly brush is genuinely enough.

Twice a year it blows the entire undercoat and the volume is remarkable for a dog of fifty pounds. Those few weeks are the whole grooming commitment of the breed, and the rest is nails, ears and teeth.

The two blows, and what they take

Twice a year, typically spring and autumn, an Elkhound sheds its whole undercoat over roughly three weeks. It comes out in clumps and sheets, and the quantity from a fifty pound dog surprises everyone the first time.

Daily raking through it. Use an undercoat rake first, working with the lie of the coat in sections, then a slicker over the top, then a comb to check. A deshedding tool works on the undercoat and does nothing about anything else, which is fine because there is nothing else.

A bath with a high velocity blow out at the start of a blow makes a large difference. Warm water loosens the undercoat, and a professional dryer drives out in an hour what days of raking will not.

Book those two appointments and skip the rest of the year if you like. That is a completely reasonable pattern with this breed.

Outside the blows, brush weekly and that is that.

An Elkhound that does not blow properly, or that thins outside the season, is worth a veterinary check, since thyroid disease is not rare in the breed and shows first in the coat.

Never clipped, and why it matters here

The rule is the same as every double coat and the temptation is high, because a dog shedding this much invites the suggestion.

The outer coat blocks sun and repels water and the undercoat insulates, and they grow at different rates. Clipping removes the protective outer layer and leaves the insulation, so the dog is not cooler, it is exposed. On a standoff coat the loss of the harsh guard hairs also collapses the whole texture and outline.

Regrowth is unreliable. Clipped northern coats often come back patchy, soft or permanently thinner, and the black tipping that gives the silver look may not return evenly.

What genuinely helps an Elkhound in heat is removing the dead undercoat, plus shade, water and cool floors. A properly raked out coat is dramatically cooler than a neglected one.

Trimming is limited to the hair between the pads and the sanitary area. Nothing else on this dog needs cutting, ever.

If a groomer offers a summer shave, decline, and consider whether they know the breed.

Bathing rarely, and the clean coat

Elkhounds are notably low odor dogs. The coat is harsh and standoff, dirt dries and falls out of it, and a healthy Elkhound simply does not smell doggy the way many breeds do.

So bathe rarely, every ten weeks or so, and more around the coat blows where it is a useful tool rather than a wash.

Over-bathing does the usual harm: it strips oils from a coat that relies on them for water resistance, and it can leave the skin dry and flaky.

When you do bathe, get the shampoo down to the skin through a very dense coat, rinse until the water runs completely clear, and dry thoroughly. Residue trapped in an undercoat irritates skin you cannot see, and a dense coat left damp grows yeast and hot spots.

A high velocity dryer is the right tool. Towel drying a coat this thick does not reach the skin.

If an Elkhound develops an odor, that is information rather than a bathing cue: check the ears, the skin folds around the neck, the teeth and between the toes before reaching for shampoo.

Weight, ears and the rest

Elkhounds gain weight very easily, and a thick standoff coat hides it completely. This is a breed that regularly arrives at the vet substantially overweight with an owner who had no idea.

Feel for the ribs monthly rather than judging by outline. You should find them under a light covering without pressing.

Weight matters because the breed is prone to hip dysplasia, and because a heavy dog under a heavy coat overheats faster.

Ears are small, erect and well ventilated, which is close to the best ear shape there is, so problems are uncommon. Wipe the visible part weekly.

Teeth need brushing, as in every breed, and Elkhounds are long lived at twelve to fifteen years so dental disease has time to matter.

Nails every three to four weeks. The tightly curled tail is worth checking under, since the coat is dense where the tail lies against the back and debris collects there.

The breed also has an inherited eye condition, so a dog that becomes hesitant in dim light needs an eye examination.

What to tell your groomer

Ask for a deshedding groom: bath, high velocity blow out and a full undercoat rake. No haircut.

Say the coat is never to be clipped or shaved, including for heat and including because of shedding.

Book the two seasonal blows rather than a regular cycle, and say when the dog has started dropping coat.

Ask for the hair between the pads cleared and the sanitary area trimmed, and nothing else cut.

Ask them to rinse thoroughly and dry to the skin, since a dense coat holds both shampoo and water.

Ask them to check under the curled tail, where debris collects.

Keeping the coat between grooms

Common Questions About the Norwegian Elkhound