Posted on February 18, 2011 by: WayCoolDogs

An ancient breed of the Middle Ages, the Scottish Deerhound is the royal dog of Scotland. To those who know of this elegant and aristocratic breed, it should come to no surprise that Grand Champion Foxcliffe Hickory Wind from Flint Hill, Va., won Best of Show at the 2011 Westminster Dog Show this week. With the proper care and knowing how to care for a Scottish Deerhound, anyone can raise a champion.

Dr. Caius, in his book Of Englishe Dogges (1576) speaking of Greyhounds, relates: “Some are of the greater sorte, some of a lesser; some are smoothe skynned and some curled, the bigger therefore are appointed to hunt the bigger beastes, the buck, the hart, the doe.” (Deerhound.org)

Alias names

The Scottish Deerhound is also known as the Deerhound, ancient Irish Wolf Dog, Scotch Greyhound, Rough Greyhound and the Highland Deerhound.

AKC Group

Hound – sight hound family

Pronunciation of “Scottish Deerhound”

[skot-ish] [deer-hound]

Life span

The life span of the Scottish Deerhound ranges from 8 (male) to 9-11 (for a female).

Size

The male Scottish Deerhound is approximately 32 inches in height while the females are about 28 inches high at the withers. The average weight of the Deerhound is anywhere from 85 to 110 pounds or more.

Description

The rough-coated Scottish Deerhound is a large, Greyhound-looking dog with large bones and size. This allows it to run at great speeds with a built-in double suspension gallop. Full of endurance and strength, the Deerhound can perform at a true trot. Its standards are compact feet, deep chest, long and tapering tail, wide and drooping hindquarters, small and folded ears that are darker in color, good silky mustache and beard, and a long head with flat skull.

The Scottish Deerhound is an intuitive breed of dog who is aware of its surroundings. It requires social companionship at all times, a friendly dog that prefers to live indoors due to its low cold tolerance. However, it requires adequate exercise due to its size and a moderate energy level.

Coat Description

The coat of the Scottish Deerhound is described as crisp and harsh, approximately three to four inches in length. It lies close to the dog’s body and has a resistant quality that makes it perfect in cold and damp climates like Scotland. The colors range from all shades of gray brindle and solid gray, with most dogs colored in a dark blue-gray. There are very few Scottish Deerhound dogs that are fawn, red or yellow seen today. However, these colors are permitted in the breed for professional dog shows.

History

The Scottish Deerhound belongs to the hound group with an AKC ranking of 123. This is one of the oldest canine groups of sight hounds, used to chase and kill deer, also used to kill wolves, coyotes and rabbits. Valued by nobility since the early 1500s, during the Age of Chivalry it could not be owned by anyone lower than an Earl. It was recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1886.

Temperament

The Deerhound of Scotland is a unique breed of dog, not known to protect the family or play ball but instead is referred to as a “graceful racy athlete” that has a powerful gallop and jumps enormous heights. As an adult, they are an undemanding noble dog that is elegant and composed. Not an overly physical dog, they still demand love in their own way and prefer to lie on the couch or a fluffy bed rather than being tightly held and cuddled. Their watchdog and guard dog qualifications are zero and they bark very little if at all. They are known to be extremely polite with strangers and anything that does not quickly move or run (like young children). Otherwise, they have a strong built-in instinct to chase anything that runs.

This dignified breed of dog is extremely large with great strength and speed, requiring instant socialization as a young puppy and training as soon as possible. A Scottish Deerhound who is not socialized becomes extremely timid to the point of fearful, yet stubborn and strong-willed. They can be slightly independent and stubborn, which is another reason to have them properly trained. Their gentleness and “what am I going to get out of this” ability to respond to training requires very gentle training with verbal praise, delicious rewards and consistent guidance in a kind manner.

Health Problems

Major concerns for the Scottish Deerhound are gastric torsion (bloat) and osteosarcoma, while the minor concerns is cardiomyopathy. Tests that are important to keep up with this breed are the cardiac testing. They also are known to have a high sensitivity to anesthesia.

Grooming

The rough coat and wiry hair of the Scottish Deerhound is considered easy to care for, even though it is a wiry coat.

• The nails on the Scottish Deerhound should be routinely cut due to their large size and massive running ability. Their nails need to be cut back as far as possible without hitting the quick and making them bleed.
• The ears of this dog need to be “stripped” of any long or light colored hair, leaving only black and soft hairs. This is easily done by pulling a few hairs out at a time with the thumb and forefinger. Wearing surgical gloves helps grip the hair better.
• Using a slicker brush, brush the hair in the direction it grows. Keep the hair free from the brush with a steel comb. Use the steel comb to go over the dog’s hair a final time to remove the dead undercoat. The comb is also used around the face, chest and belly – too tender for a rough slicker brush. Once the dog is bathed, comb out the hair again to remove any hair that has become loose.
• Grooming with a #10 or #15 blade should be done on the rectal areas and stomach.
• Thinning sheers should be used on the top of the head to keep hair looking neat, around the outer ears and on the chest area.
• Shears or scissors should be used on the back of the legs.

Exercise

As an extremely large dog, the “poetry in motion” Scottish Deerhound requires a moderate amount of exercise. This involves an enclosed large space outdoors due to their beautiful floating sprint or a powerful galloping dash. With a background of chasing deer and hunting large game, they have a tendency to rapidly run out of sight in seconds and end up in trouble.

Training

The training of a Scottish Deerhound should begin as a young puppy. A dog that is extremely sensitive to loud noises and stress, they are best in a home with harmony and peace. To begin their training, “Respect Training” is mandatory with this breed. Any abusive or negative interactions will cause this breed to misbehave, so beginning their training the right way will prevent early problems and bad behavior. As a gentle and rather idle breed, housebreaking and crate training the Scottish Deerhound may take as long as six months – as they need to go hand in hand for 100% success.

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