Haldenstover

Guides for your Haldenstover

The story behind the Haldenstover

Around the town of Halden in south-eastern Norway, hunters in the nineteenth century crossed local hare hounds with imported stock, with English foxhound and harrier blood and other continental hounds among the sources usually cited, seeking a dog suited to hunting hare in Norwegian snow and forest. Breeding was informal for many years, and a written standard came later, with Norwegian recognition in the twentieth century and international recognition following. Wartime disruption and disease reduced the population severely, and the breed has been rebuilt from small numbers more than once. It is one of several Norwegian hound breeds, alongside the Dunker and the Hygenhund, and remains rare, kept almost entirely by hunters in Norway with only occasional dogs found abroad.

Originally bred for: Hare hunting, Solo scenthound, Cold-climate tracking dog. You can trace how working roles shaped today’s breeds across our dog guides.

Feeding a Haldenstover

Feed for a lean, athletic medium hound, increasing during hunting months and in cold weather when energy demands rise, then easing back afterwards. Two meals daily, kept apart from strenuous work, suit the build, and condition should stay trim over the ribs.

Watch for: No sensitivity has been recorded as characteristic of this rare breed, and the small population makes generalisation unwise. Hunting hounds scavenge, which explains many digestive upsets. Where problems recur, ask a veterinarian to investigate first rather than striking foods off the list yourself.

Mealtime extras: training treats worth keeping in your pocket. Everything else lives in our dog nutrition and feeding hub.

Living with a Haldenstover

Day to day, the basics matter most: how much exercise your dog needs, how often to get out for a walk, and how much sleep is normal.

For play and enrichment, browse our favorite dog toys and interactive toys for rainy days.

Gear that fits the breed makes life easier: a well-sized dog bed, a properly sized crate.

Raising a puppy? Work through crate training and the teething timeline — or see how old your dog is in human years with our dog age calculator.