Hällefors Elkhound

Hällefors Elkhound

A Hällefors Elkhound, fawn male.
Other names Hälleforshund
Hällefors Dog
Hälleforsinkoira
Origin Sweden
Breed status Not recognized as a standardized breed by any major kennel club.
Traits
Height Male 55–63 centimetres (22–25 in)
Female 52–60 centimetres (20–24 in)
Coat Medium, thick, harsh and dense coat
Color Yellow; with or without a mask
Classification / standards
FCI Group Not recognized; SKK: Group 5 Spitz and Primitive, Section 2 Nordic Hunting Dogs #None [Not recognized; SKK standard: standard]
Notes Recognized by the Svenska Kennelklubben, the Suomen Kennelliitto and the Norsk Kennel Klub.
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

Hällefors Elkhound (Hälleforshund) is a Swedish dog breed.

Lineage

The breed falls under the mitochondrial DNA sub-clade referred to as d1 that is only found in northern Scandinavia. It is the result of a female wolf-male dog hybridization that occurred post-domestication.[1][2] Subclade d1 originated 480-3,000 years ago and is found in all Sami-related breeds: Finnish Lapphund, Swedish Lapphund, Lapponian Herder, Jamthund, Norwegian Elkhound and Hällefors Elkhound. The maternal wolf sequence that contributed to these breeds has not been matched across Eurasia[3] and its branch on the phylogenetic tree is rooted in the same sequence as the 33,000 year-old Altai dog (not a direct ancestor).[4]

Refer: Ancient dog-wolf hybridization

History

The breed was developed in Svealand, but its more detailed area of origin has been argued. It is stated that despite of its name, it was not created in Hällefors, but in Frederiksberg village located in neighboring Ludvika Municipality.[5] It has mainly been used as a deer-hunting dog[6] and its most remarkable ancestors are the Finnish Spitz and the Ostyak Laika.[7] The Swedish Kennel Club, Svenska Kennelklubben, recognized the breed in 2000[5] and nowadays it is also recognized in several other Nordic countries, such as Finland and Norway.[6][8]

Appearance

The Hällefors Elkhound is a medium-sized, rectangular Spitz with either a sickle or curly tail. Thick, harsh, and dense coat should always be yellow, ranging from fawn to reddish. The colour shade is ligher in chest, belly, legs, and below the tail. The average height for males is 55 to 63 cm and for females 52 to 60 cm.[6]

Behaviour

The Hällefors Elkhound is an energetic, courageous, and persistent dog with a strong character.[5]

References

  1. Pang, J.-F.; Kluetsch, C.; Zou, X.-J.; Zhang, A.-b.; Luo, L.-Y.; Angleby, H.; Ardalan, A.; Ekstrom, C.; Skollermo, A.; Lundeberg, J.; Matsumura, S.; Leitner, T.; Zhang, Y.-P.; Savolainen, P. (2009). "MtDNA Data Indicate a Single Origin for Dogs South of Yangtze River, Less Than 16,300 Years Ago, from Numerous Wolves". Molecular Biology and Evolution. 26 (12): 2849–64. doi:10.1093/molbev/msp195. PMC 2775109Freely accessible. PMID 19723671.
  2. Duleba, Anna; Skonieczna, Katarzyna; Bogdanowicz, Wiesław; Malyarchuk, Boris; Grzybowski, Tomasz (2015). "Complete mitochondrial genome database and standardized classification system for Canis lupus familiaris". Forensic Science International: Genetics. 19: 123–129. doi:10.1016/j.fsigen.2015.06.014.
  3. Klütsch, C.F.C.; Savolainen, Peter (2011). "Regional occurrence, high frequency, but low diversity of mitochondrial dna haplogroup d1 suggests a recent dog-wolf hybridization in scandinavia". Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research. 6: 85. doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2010.08.035.
  4. Thalmann, O.; Shapiro, B.; Cui, P.; Schuenemann, V. J.; Sawyer, S. K.; Greenfield, D. L.; Germonpre, M. B.; Sablin, M. V.; Lopez-Giraldez, F.; Domingo-Roura, X.; Napierala, H.; Uerpmann, H.-P.; Loponte, D. M.; Acosta, A. A.; Giemsch, L.; Schmitz, R. W.; Worthington, B.; Buikstra, J. E.; Druzhkova, A.; Graphodatsky, A. S.; Ovodov, N. D.; Wahlberg, N.; Freedman, A. H.; Schweizer, R. M.; Koepfli, K.- P.; Leonard, J. A.; Meyer, M.; Krause, J.; Paabo, S.; et al. (2013). "Complete Mitochondrial Genomes of Ancient Canids Suggest a European Origin of Domestic Dogs". Science. 342 (6160): 871–4. doi:10.1126/science.1243650. PMID 24233726.
  5. 1 2 3 SKK. Hälleforshund. Svenska Kennelklubben (SKK). Retrieved June 21st 2014.
  6. 1 2 3 SKL. (May 30th 2006).Hälleforsinkoira. Suomen Kennelliitto (SKL). Retrieved June 21st 2014.
  7. Krämer, E.-M. (2009). Der grosse Kosmos Hundeführer: 187. Stuttgart: Kosmos.
  8. NKK. (March 2012). Hälleforshunden. Norsk Kennel Klub (NKK). Retrieved June 21st 2014.
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