Established in 1981
Founder Jan Reinertsen started out with his teacher education in Bergen and spent his first working years as a teacher. Alongside this, he worked on a hobby basis sewing equipment for dogs. His knowledge and interest in animals and sewing eventually led to increasing inquiries from people who needed durable equipment especially sled dog owners.
Choosing the way
Eventually sewing dog gear became so time-consuming that there was less time for preparation for the school day. So it was time to make the decision - teaching job or turning the hobby into a profession. The result was a year's leave from the school hall and ‘Seleverkstedet’ (The Harness Workshop) was established in the old harness hall at the school. The place was Brunlanes near Larvik and the year was 1981.
A part of Fjellpulken
Seleverkstedet was located at Harestua until Fjellpulken bought the company in 2019. The solid expertise in stitching, materials and ergonomics that has given Seleverkstedet its reputation was decisive for this consolidation. Jan Reinertsen currently works as a quality consultant and speaker for the Seleverkstedet brand.
The Norwegian Sled Dog Racing Assosiation
In 1994, Jan was associated with the Norwegian Sled Dog Racing Assosiation development group and was then the first to start measuring the heart rate of working dogs. Since then, there has been pulse measurement of dogs and horses in all life situations, as well as participation in research and support for master's theses with pulse measurement of reindeer, horses, cows and sheep.
To the big screen
Jan Reinertsen and Seleverkstedet produced the equipment that can be seen in the films Tashunga and Zero Kelvin
Dog Harnesses for polar expeditions and dog sledding
Seleverkstedet has produced high-quality dog equipment for use with dogs over the Greenland ice sheet, to the South and North Pole, from Norway through Siberia to Japan, to Franz Josef Land, through Alaska with Roger Leegaard, Sven Engholm, Carsten Blom Ruud, Kjetil Backen and Robert Sørlie.
To the Norwegian Olympic Center
Together with Katja Petrell, Jan Reinertsen held courses for the national team in dog sledding with a focus on injuries and preventive work and training.