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Scottish Deerhound

dignified / gentle / polite
Hound Group >>

Average sizes and life
expectancy of the breed.

Height

30-32 inches (male)

28 inches & up (female)

Weight

85-110 pounds (male)

75-95 pounds (female)

Life Expectancy

8-11 years

Breed Traits & Characteristics

Affectionate With Family
  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%
How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.
Good With Young Children
  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    60% 60%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.
GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS
  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    100% 100%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    60% 60%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    20% 20%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    20% 20%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    60% 60%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    60% 60%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    60% 60%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    60% 60%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    60% 60%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    20% 20%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    60% 60%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

Affectionate With Family

  • Independent Lovey-Dovey
    100% 100%

How affectionate a breed is likely to be with family members, or other people he knows well. Some breeds can be aloof with everyone but their owner, while other breeds treat everyone they know like their best friend.

Good With Young Children

  • Not Recommended Good With Children
    60% 60%
A breed's level of tolerance and patience with childrens' behavior, and overall family-friendly nature. Dogs should always be supervised around young children, or children of any age who have little exposure to dogs.

GOOD WITH OTHER DOGS

  • Not Recommended Good With Other Dogs
    100% 100%
How generally friendly a breed is towards other dogs. Dogs should always be supervised for interactions and introductions with other dogs, but some breeds are innately more likely to get along with other dogs, both at home and in public.

Shedding Level

  • No Shedding Hair Everywhere
    60% 60%
How much fur and hair you can expect the breed to leave behind. Breeds with high shedding will need to be brushed more frequently, are more likely to trigger certain types of allergies, and are more likely to require more consistent vacuuming and lint-rolling.

Coat Grooming Frequency

  • Monthly Daily
    20% 20%
How frequently a breed requires bathing, brushing, trimming, or other kinds of coat maintenance. Consider how much time, patience, and budget you have for this type of care when looking at the grooming effort needed. All breeds require regular nail trimming.

Drooling Level

  • Less Likely to Drool Always Have a Towel
    20% 20%
How drool-prone a breed tends to be. If you're a neat freak, dogs that can leave ropes of slobber on your arm or big wet spots on your clothes may not be the right choice for you.

Coat Type

Corded
Curly
Double
Hairless
Rough
Silky
Smooth
Wavy
Wiry
Canine coats come in many different types, depending on the breed's purpose. Each coat type comes with different grooming needs, allergen potential, and shedding level. You may also just prefer the look or feel of certain coat types over others when choosing a family pet.

Coat Length

Long
Medium
Short
How long the breed's coat is expected to be. Some long-haired breeds can be trimmed short, but this will require additional upkeep to maintain.

Openness To Strangers

  • Reserved Everyone Is My Best Friend
    60% 60%
How welcoming a breed is likely to be towards strangers. Some breeds will be reserved or cautious around all strangers, regardless of the location, while other breeds will be happy to meet a new human whenever one is around!

Playfulness Level

  • Only When You Want To Play Non-Stop
    60% 60%
How enthusiastic about play a breed is likely to be, even past the age of puppyhood. Some breeds will continue wanting to play tug-of-war or fetch well into their adult years, while others will be happy to just relax on the couch with you most of the time.

Watchdog/Protective Nature

  • What's Mine Is Yours Vigilant
    60% 60%
A breed's tendency to alert you that strangers are around. These breeds are more likely to react to any potential threat, whether it's the mailman or a squirrel outside the window. These breeds are likely to warm to strangers who enter the house and are accepted by their family.

Adaptability Level

  • Lives For Routine Highly Adaptable
    60% 60%
How easily a breed handles change. This can include changes in living conditions, noise, weather, daily schedule, and other variations in day-to-day life.

Trainability Level

  • Self-Willed Eager to Please
    60% 60%
How easy it will be to train your dog, and how willing your dog will be to learn new things. Some breeds just want to make their owner proud, while others prefer to do what they want, when they want to, wherever they want!

Energy Level

  • Couch Potato High Energy
    60% 60%
The amount of exercise and mental stimulation a breed needs. High energy breeds are ready to go and eager for their next adventure. They'll spend their time running, jumping, and playing throughout the day. Low energy breeds are like couch potatoes - they're happy to simply lay around and snooze.

Barking Level

  • Only To Alert Very Vocal
    20% 20%
How often this breed vocalizes, whether it's with barks or howls. While some breeds will bark at every passer-by or bird in the window, others will only bark in particular situations. Some barkless breeds can still be vocal, using other sounds to express themselves.

Mental Stimulation Needs

  • Happy to Lounge Needs a Job or Activity
    60% 60%
How much mental stimulation a breed needs to stay happy and healthy. Purpose-bred dogs can have jobs that require decision-making, problem-solving, concentration, or other qualities, and without the brain exercise they need, they'll create their own projects to keep their minds busy -- and they probably won't be the kind of projects you'd like.

About the Breed

The ‘Royal Dog of Scotland,’ the crisply coated Scottish Deerhound, is a majestically huge coursing hound based on the ancient Greyhound pattern. The Deerhound, one of the tallest dog breeds, was created to hunt the massive wild red deer.

Take a step back: You’ll need some distance to truly appreciate the magnificence of this old beast. A superb coursing hound struck from the classic Greyhound template appears in silhouette. Deerhounds, on the other hand, are much larger and more robust than Greyhounds, with a good-sized male standing 32 inches at the shoulder and weighing 110 pounds. The crisp coat comes in a variety of colors, with breed enthusiasts preferring the dark blue-gray coat. The tapering head and long neck provide height to an already elegant dog.

What To Expect When Caring For a Scottish Deerhound

Owning a dog is not just a privilege; it’s a responsibility. They depend on us for, at minimum, food and shelter, and deserve much more. When you take a dog into your life, you need to understand the commitment that dog ownership entails.

Health

Despite being a massive breed, Scottish Deerhounds grow to be quite old. While the breed has certain inherited health difficulties, the good news is that many of them may be avoided, prevented, or successfully treated if the owner is vigilant. Puppy purchasers should get a puppy from a responsible breeder who performs the breed's prescribed health testing and will be a resource throughout the dog's life. Aside from strong genes, another factor in Deerhound health is that the dog is happy and well-exercised. Deerhounds require a lot of exercise every day of their life. Exercise should be age-appropriate for dogs under 18 months; owners should contact their dog's breeder and veterinarian for exercise guidelines for children. They are also loving family dogs who are happiest when their owners incorporate them as much as possible in their life. Finally, owners can educate themselves about the breed's problems such as osteosarcoma, dilated cardiomyopathy, cystinuria, surgery-related issues (Factor VII deficiency, slow drug metabolism, delayed bleeding, and hyperthermia), liver shunt, and GDV/gastric or splenic torsion/bloat, which greatly improves outcomes in many cases.  
Recommended Health Tests From the National Breed Club:
  • Factor VII DNA Test
  • Bile Acid Test
  • Cardiac Exam

Grooming

The rough, somewhat wiry coat of the Scottish Deerhound is relatively easy to care for, requiring only a weekly brushing and combing. If his nails aren't worn down naturally, he'll need to have them trimmed every several weeks. A slicker brush, a fine-toothed metal dog comb, and an electric nail grinder or a set of heavy-duty dog nail clippers are all useful grooming items to have on hand. A bath every now and again will help to eliminate any dog odor. Grooming sessions are an excellent opportunity to examine the dog thoroughly for any new lumps or skin concerns, as well as to ensure that the eyes and ears are healthy and free of problems.

Exercise

Without a partner playmate and a big, securely gated play space, it is difficult to nurture deerhound puppies to their full potential. If this breed is to develop correctly to adulthood, both physically and intellectually, it cannot be left crated in the house while the owner is at work all day. Both puppies and adults must be able to freely exercise on a daily basis and do what Deerhounds were meant to run for the simple love of running. Destructive puppies are typically under-exercised. Exercise that is forced, such as running with a bike, should be avoided with young hounds. Older Deerhounds are difficult to get off the couch, but they still require daily exercise nonetheless. While nutrition and exercise are important in growing a puppy into a fit, well-muscled adult, the secret to a healthy, long-lived Deerhound (apart from good genes) is happiness and exercise. This is not a breed that can bear stress well, nor will it thrive with just a regular leash stroll around the city block. Fitness should be maintained in old age.

Training

Only with lots of loving human contact, exercise, and adequate nourishment will the most gorgeous Deerhound puppy in the world grow into a magnificent adult. Deerhounds are highly sensitive creatures who react best to positive teaching approaches. They will not fare well in a kennel or crate while their owners are at work. While the Scottish Deerhound has a quiet and dignified personality at home, he may try to chase any furry animals that run past him. As a result, the breed should be walked on a leash or in a fenced-in area. He adores his family, although his bulk may be daunting to younger youngsters.  

Nutrition

The Scottish Deerhound should do well on high-quality dog food, whether commercially manufactured or home-prepared under the observation and consent of your veterinarian. Any diet should be tailored to the age of the dog (puppy, adult, or senior). Some dogs are prone to becoming overweight, so keep an eye on your dog's calorie intake and weight level. Treats can be a valuable training aid, but feeding too much can lead to obesity. Discover which human foods are suitable for dogs and which are not. If you have any concerns regarding your dog's weight or diet, consult with your veterinarian. At all times, clean, fresh water should be available. Because of the possibility of bloating, it is best to have multiple smaller meals per day rather than one large meal, and intense exercise is not recommended.

History

We can’t separate the genuine origins of the Deerhound from myth and mythology because the breed is so old. Evidence implies that huge deerstalking hounds were present in Scotland before the Scots arrived in the ninth century. Clan chieftans have long used packs of big, shaggy hounds to stalk and kill wild red deer: fast 400-pounders with devastating antlers. The breed’s home turf—the craggy, rain-soaked Highlands—was inaccessible, but Deerhound bravery became legendary throughout the United Kingdom.