The Norwegian Elkhound’s AKC breed standard stipulates that any overall color other than gray is a disqualification, but it doesn’t mean the breed doesn’t come in any other color.

Opinions vary about the Black Norwegian Elkhound. Some sources say the breed is thousands of years old and dates to the Stone Age. Others refer to it as a “younger” breed, first bred in Norway during the early 19th century and now considered a modern variant of the AKC Norwegian Elkhound.

Much of the breed’s history is identical to that of the Norwegian Elkhound, but in the 1800s,  a group of Elkhound breeders began producing lines of solid black dogs. Were breeders trying to legitimize disqualifying colors in their breed? Or had other breeders selectively bred for gray Elkhound over time and effectively reduced the gene pool for black Elkhounds that were largely found on either side of the Norwegian-Swedish border? We don’t know and would love to hear from Elkhound experts.