Base colour
Lighter and darker grey
- Characteristic markings: light grey or cream coloured on sides of muzzle, cheeks, throat, chest, belly, legs and under the tail
About the Jamthund
Origin: Sweden
- Typical life span
- 12-13 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- Male
- 30-40 kg
- Female
- 25-35 kg
- Height
- Male
- 57-65 cm
- Female
- 52-60 cm
- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Spitz and primitive types
- Origin
- Sweden
- Also called
- Perro Cazador de Alces Sueco
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What is a Jamthund?
Large, athletic spitz-type hunting dog from Sweden with wolf-like appearance and strong build, known for its endurance and courageous nature in hunting large game under harsh Nordic conditions
Jamthund history and origins
Developed over centuries in Jämtland province of Sweden as versatile hunter of large game like moose and bear, officially recognized as distinct breed in 1946 by Swedish Kennel Club and FCI
Jamthund appearance and size
Males typically weigh 30-40 kg and stand 57-65 cm at the shoulder; females 25-35 kg and 52-60 cm.
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Hunting dog. Mainly used for hunting elk, but also used for hunting bear and boar
- Behaviour and temperament
“Courageous and energetic but also stoically calm”
Quoted from FCI standard n°42. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed reference from The Dog API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Large
- Exercise needsRead from what the breed was bred to do, in the registry’s own words: “Hunting dog. Mainly used for hunting elk, but also used for hunting bear and boar” That is a working purpose, not a measured exercise requirement — an individual dog’s needs depend on its age, health and household.
- 4 of 5
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 3 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 2 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Jamthund
What you get with the Jamthund
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Hunting dog. Mainly used for hunting elk, but also used for hunting bear and boar”
- The standard describes the breed as: “Courageous and energetic but also stoically calm”
- Low grooming needs, fitting for a busy owner — the coat is “Undercoat short, soft, light, preferably cream coloured.”
What you are taking on
Nobody has written this side yet. It is a judgement rather than data, so it waits for a person — not for a missing source.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Jamthund
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Topcoat rather close lying but not flat.
Undercoat short, soft, light, preferably cream coloured.
Coat smooth on head and front of legs, longer on neck, chest, tail and backside of legs and thighs
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°42 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Height at withers: Size for males: 57-65 cm. Ideal 61 cm. Size for females: 52-60 cm. Ideal 56 cm”
- FCI distinguishes an ideal from what is permitted.
Quoted from FCI standard n°42. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
What the standard penalises
What a judge marks the Jamthund down for, and what puts one out of the ring, in the registry’s own words. This describes the breed standard — it is not a checklist for the animal in front of you, and a pet with a disqualifying fault is an unshowable dog rather than an unhealthy one.
Severe faults
Marked heavily against a specimen in the ring.
- Thin and under-developed lower jaw.
- Snipy muzzle.
- Missing teeth, other than PM1 and M3.
- Deviating proportions, tending square body shape.
- Thin or too heavy in built.
- Thin bone.
- Flat and splayed feet. Insufficient angulation in front and/or rear.
- Thin, whip-like tail.
- Coat too short or open
Disqualifying faults
Puts an animal out of the ring altogether.
- Over- or undershot bite.
- Hanging ears.
- Lack of characteristic cream coloured markings on muzzle and cheeks.
- Height at withers other than stated in the standard
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Jamthund in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Jamthund
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Jamthund on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Jamthund owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Jamthund breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.