Wow, what a great visit we had with Beth and Russ when they came up with Rico.  Beth and Russ decided to come up and visit and we could get these two Swedish Elkhounds out in the mountains for a nice hike.

Beth and Russ have done an incredible job with this big Jamthund. He is so well behaved, has such a terrific personality. He is a magnificent Swedish Elkhound male. You could not find a better male. This is the only breeding male Jamthund in North America currently, and what a great time for Elkhounds.

I will share a bit on the Jamthund as it’s such a great dog with an incredible history. In most circles in the Scandinavian region it’s thought that the oldest of the Elkhound types is the Jamthund, or Swedish Elkhound. Centuries old this breed has survived and is now thriving once more. It was getting difficult to find the dogs back roughly 100 years or so ago, there were limited numbers of them, only a handful of the old world breeders remained.

They got together in the 1920-1930 times frame, brought together by a rather famous Elkhound fancier at the time, someone who cherished the big dogs, a man named Axel Lindstrom. It was a valiant effort on his part to rally folks together and organize and assist in getting the old breeders together with the great dogs so that an association could be formed.

The Swedish Elkhounds have been for centuries the longer, taller, larger Elkhound. Well known as the largest of the Elkhound types, and extremely good hunting and woods working dogs. This is the dogs that were bred to hunt Moose and also bear. They are extremely well known for their bear hunting skills. They are very steady, very much a one man dog.

They are different from the Norwegian Elkhound in size, some color differences, and are now since 1946 recognized as a distinct breed. In that early time frame and organization stage of 1920-1930 the breeders started to assemble the Swedish Elkhounds they could find. They were looking through all the regions to try to find breeders with the old dogs that would perhaps enter the association with some of the best dogs. Not all the breeders wanted to participate, having no real regard to registration, or tracking papers, etc. The main thing for the old breeders was the skill of the dogs. Still there were many that saw a benefit, and so within 10 to 15 years they had enough support and had decided to move forward with the Association. The Swedish Elkhound Association, or Jamthund Breed was launched in 1946.

The Jamthund are the official dog of Sweden. They are a very noble breed, super stable mentally, extremely courageous, utterly fearless and have a tremendous work ethic. This is a dog that can hike and participate in any adventure all day long, day in and day out, yet come home, come right inside and relax by the fire. An awesome family dog, loves children, gets along with other dogs to a degree, but is still protective and watchful of other breeds, and is considered a very dominant breed overall.

For me here at Kamia Kennels I am so thrilled to have the opportunity to assist the old world breeders in re-establishing the ancient Swedish Elkhounds. We have for years had Takoda, my big Swedish Elkhound male. It’s a great honor now, to continue our program with a new Jamthund. Rico can be referred to as a Jamthund, his ancestors were some of those that breeders opted into the registration program. Takoda of course, his ancestors opted not to enter, so he is referred to as a Swedish Elkhound.

I can hardly wait till the new Jamthund pups arrive. Rico is going to produce some truly amazing mountain and hiking Elkhounds. I can’t thank Russ and Beth enough for the opportunity to work with them and to have them assist us in moving this great breed forward in North America. I had a great time out with these Swedish Elkhounds and it was a terrific visit. I sure was happy to spend time with Big Rico.

Till later,

Merv Carlson