Norwegian Hound

Breed Rating

Breed Details

General

The Norwegian Hound (also known as Dunker) is a medium size strong dog that originated in Norway. This dog got its name from its developer, Herr Wilhalm Dunker, who created this breed in the beginning of 19th (1820 to be precise) century. The main purpose of development was to create a hare hunting dog. Russian Harlequin Hounds were crossed with reliable scent hounds to produce this breed.

The Dunker can hunt by scent rather than by sight. It is an elegant yet robust breed with sleekness of sighthound and rippling muscles of a scent hound. Its appearance displays endurance and power. The dog stands between 18.5 to 22.5 and weighs between 35-49 lbs. It has an elongated head with long and narrow muzzle. Eyes are large and dark with calm expression. Ears are long, thin, flat and carried close to the head. Black nose has wide and open nostrils. Topline is level with strong and straight back and broad chest with well sprung ribs. The tail is set at topline, thick and tapers to the end. It is usually carried straight. Moderate length coat is rough, dense and straight and comes in two colour varieties; blue with marbled pattern or tan/brown colour.

The Dunker is not well known outside its country of origin. The dog is NOT recognized by AKC however it is recognized by FCI and UKC.

Color

There are two colour varieties for this breed. One is blue colour with marbled pattern (harlequin). The other is tan or warm brown coat, often with large black saddle.

Coat

The dog?s coat is straight, dense, rough to the touch and not too short.

Personality

Most popular and most used hound dog in its country of origin, the Dunker enjoys this popularity due to its outstanding qualities that make this dog stand out of the numerous hunting breeds in its country of origin. It is most prized for its hunting abilities on difficult and harsh terrain. Apart from its hunting skills, the dog also endears its family as a loving and affectionate family pet. It is an even tempered breed with a kind and gentle nature that specially surfaces when the dog is with children. It is very playful and loving to children as well as with other dogs in the family though other smaller non-canine pets will need supervision when this dog is around due to its high prey drive. This unwanted trait can be taken care of through early age socialization and training. This independent breed will need a firm and stable trainer who can be this dog's true packleader. It can fit into apartment life style due to its non-barking nature. This self-entertaining dog will not suffer from separation anxiety even if left alone for longer time periods. A Dunker is a valuable addition in a family.

Care

This short-coated dog will not need extensive grooming. Occasional brushing will prove sufficient to keep the coat clean.

Training

This is an independent breed that may not be easy to train, specially if the owner does not show authority over this breed. It will need a firm yet gentle trainer who can guide the dog with positive reinforcement training methods.

Activity

The Dunker is a hunting dog that is used to working in harsh terrain. As such, this dog has lots of energy which needs to be taken care of through lots of exercise.