Elkhounds are active, easy-going, and happy dogs. They are generally very healthy throughout their lives. None of our dogs have ever required veterinary care except annual vaccinations, unless there was a mishap of some kind in our very rural environment, these are mostly encounters with porcupines. They are inquisitive, very intelligent, and respond readily to correction. A stern word is all that’s ever needed.
Elkhounds, while best noted for being hunters of large animals like moose and elk, are avid hunters of small game, such as rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, rodents, weasels, and some birds.
They are excellent watchdogs, although they are not typically aggressive with people. In confrontational situations with strangers, they are most likely to bark furiously at the stranger, until you do something to indicate that the stranger is a friend – usually a handshake does the trick. Elkhounds are not typically used for personal protection, although their excellent hearing alerts them to the approach of strangers, and their wolfish appearance tends to make many people hesitate before approaching.
Unless an Elkhound becomes very sick, with cancer or some other fatal disease, most live to about fifteen or sixteen years old. Most people who have one of our puppies have replaced a deceased dog. The oldest Elkhound we ever heard about had lived to be 22.