Scottish Deerhound
A rough coated sighthound bred to pull down red deer on the Scottish hills, alone or in a pair. Enormous, quiet indoors, and famously useless as a guard.
Photo by Manializa, CC BY-SA 4.0
Overview
The Scottish Deerhound coursed red deer on the Highland hills, which required a sighthound big enough to bring down a stag and hardy enough for Scottish weather. It is one of the tallest breeds and it was once restricted to the nobility.
It was central to rebuilding the Irish Wolfhound in the nineteenth century, and eight to eleven years is the realistic lifespan.
Temperament
Gentle, quiet and famously polite. Deerhounds are affectionate with their families and friendly with strangers, and they are entirely unsuited to guard work.
They are sensitive and respond badly to harsh handling. They are also sighthounds with a serious prey drive, and a running animal will override recall completely. Indoors they are calm to the point of being furniture.
Care and grooming
A harsh crisp coat that needs brushing weekly and occasional hand stripping. Low maintenance.
Dilated cardiomyopathy, bone cancer and bloat are the three leading causes of death. Prophylactic gastropexy is worth discussing with a vet, and sighthound anaesthesia sensitivity applies.
Living and exercise
An hour a day with a gallop in a securely fenced space as an adult, and limited exercise while growing.
They need soft bedding and a very large car. Like the Wolfhound the lifespan is the thing everyone who owns them talks about.
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