I say with all confidence that I have raised and placed more matched pairs of Elkhounds than any breeder. I can also say with confidence that placing matched pairs has been spectacularly successful. The nonsense out in the general writing of the no mind group is to not have two pups at one time, but again, this comes from those who know very little about matched pairs. So, please, disregard nonsense when I will speak to you with some common sense, real world actual stuff.

The very first set of matched pair big boys I placed decades ago. Bruin and Kona were side by side when they came out, they nursed side by side, slept on each other, played together, turned their heads together, like a mirror of each other. Phenomenal to witness pack instinct rich dogs bond as siblings in the womb, come out and be like one.

Easier to train than 1. I have found I can train two dogs faster than one. I am good with Elkhounds, make no mistake, I can train Elkhounds, but there is little to train really, it’s to manage the instinctive ability already there, so I want you to know, I am not a dog trainer, but a remote terrain dog handler. But I use the phrase train as many folks believe that is what they will be doing, training. In all reality, the dog will be training you, but it’s okay, it will simply be easier with two any way you wish to slice it.

There are some things we can not do with our Elkhounds, we can not give them exactly what a sibling can. It’s basically enhancing the life of your dogs by having two. Having two dogs happier is better for you.

Two dogs will ultimately live longer, healthier and happier and if they are matched pairs, it’s the absolute best outcome.

I have a firm belief that with careful attention at birth and following that initial time frame the pairs will identify and we can spot them easily after a few weeks, by a month it’s so obvious, by six or seven weeks matched pairs are literally always together.

You will have many single dogs, meaning they are happy to mix, but are content to be alone. But matched pairs they are a little different. They tackle things together, help each other out, work as a team, even as little guys you can see this.

Sometimes its brothers, sometimes brother sister, sometimes sisters, I have even seen incredible results with a brother sister siblings but different litters. Yes, incredible bonding, they were siblings, but born one litter apart.

Now you can also take related genetics, a pup from one and a pup from another, lots of times litters are born at the same time for us, we have that many, so litters get together early. You can easily spot pups that always get together, especially from other litters. Fascinating to watch, something about the ancient instinctive abilities to work as a pack, a team comes out.

You have to be in tune with your dogs of course, you have to be aware, but if you are also keeping pups slightly longer, say like our Desna program where the pups reside with us longer, then of course it’s so easy to spot.

We run the only program like our Desna training anywhere in the world. So it’s a fairly unique program that no one really completely understands but us and our folks getting the pups but it’s a proving ground for our instinct preservation. Part of the instincts we work so hard to preserve of course is the Pack Instinct. So it makes perfect sense that we would be in tune to that, focused on it, and of course ultimately see it.

When it comes to matched pairs I am completely confident in placing them with families and I know it will be a successful pairing.

There is nothing quite like running multiple pack oriented Elkhounds. Nothing quite like it anywhere in the dog world. As the Elkhound is by far one of the oldest breeds known and with our program of preservation preserving the ancient instincts its the absolute best way to find the pairs.

The one other area that as a breeder we get to witness is the bond in generational dogs. I have had the incredible opportunities to have multiple lines with multiple generations at one time. Sometimes hiking with 5 generations. There is no other bond like this. This is the ultimate.

I have just illustrated a few of the many successful matched pairs of Elkhounds and we are going to continue to promote the placing of pairs so as to enhance the life of the dogs but also the lives of the handlers. Reach out to us anytime, we are having some great litters always and will preserve this great quality for generations to enjoy.