Elo: Dog Breed Facts and Information

The Elo is a German dog breed that has been bred to be a family companion dog since the 1980s. There are wire-haired and smooth-haired specimens as well as a large and a small version of the Elo. They are all considered to be calm, socially acceptable, friendly, and strong-willed.

Origin and history

The Elo is a German dog breed whose breeding is exclusively supervised by the Elo Breeding and Research Association and which is therefore not recognized by any international association. Since Elo is quite common in Germany, it should also be presented here. The big Elo has been bred since 1987 and is essentially based on the Eurasier, Bobtail, and Chow-Chow breeds. The breeding goal was to create a healthy, stable, and child-friendly family dog ​​and companion dog that combines the advantages of the original breeds. The smaller variant has also been bred since 1995, in which Kleinspitz, Pekingese, and Japanese Spitz were also crossed.

Appearance

In Elo breeding, temperament is the most important breeding criterion, appearance plays a secondary role. Therefore, there is also a little uniform appearance. There are large Elos that reach up to 60 cm at the shoulder and small, more manageable Elos that don’t get bigger than 45 cm.

The coat can be wiry or smooth, both are medium long, and dense. The Elo’s ears are typically pointed – medium-sized, triangular, and erect. The tail is bushy and carried curled over the back. Elos are bred in different colors, also multi-colored spotted. Smooth-haired and wire-haired Elos with different coat colors can also occur in one litter. The tall, smooth-haired Elo most closely resembles the Eurasier in appearance, while the tall, wire-haired Elo looks similar to a bobtail, albeit with erect ears.

Nature

With the Elo, the breeding goal is to create a family companion dog with a strong character, tolerable, and suitable for children. The Elo, therefore, has a calm to medium temperament, is alert but neither barks nor aggressively has a low threshold, and gets along well with conspecifics and other animals. It bonds strongly with its people, is self-confident, but quickly learns the necessary rules and can also be trained well with the necessary consistency.

The robust Elo loves to be outdoors and likes to go for walks, but does not require any dog ​​sports activities. Its hunting instinct is hardly or not at all present so a relaxed free run is also possible. The small Elo can also be kept well in a city apartment due to its handy size. Nevertheless, the Elo – whether big or small – is not a dog for couch potatoes.

The smooth-haired Elo is relatively easy to care for, the wire-haired variant can be more care-intensive.