Scottish Deerhound

Scottish Deerhound

Other names	Deerhound
Origin	Scotland
Traits Weight Male 85–110 lb (39–50 kg) Female 75–95 lb (34–43 kg) Height Male 30-32 inches Female 28 inches Coat Wiry Color Blue, brindle, fawn, gray, red, yellow Litter size 4-15 pups Life span 8-9 years
Classification / standards FCI Group 10, Section 2 Rough-haired Sighthounds #164 standard AKC Hound standard ANKC Group 4 (Hounds) standard CKC Group 2 - Hounds standard KC (UK) Hound standard NZKC Hounds standard UKC Sighthound & Pariah standard
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

Traits
Weight	Male	85–110 lb (39–50 kg)
	Female	75–95 lb (34–43 kg)
Height	Male	30-32 inches
	Female	28 inches
Coat	Wiry
Color	Blue, brindle, fawn, gray, red, yellow
Litter size	4-15 pups
Life span	8-9 years

Classification / standards
FCI	Group 10, Section 2 Rough-haired Sighthounds #164	standard
AKC	Hound	standard
ANKC	Group 4 (Hounds)	standard
CKC	Group 2 - Hounds	standard
KC (UK)	Hound	standard
NZKC	Hounds	standard
UKC	Sighthound & Pariah	standard

The Scottish Deerhound, or simply the Deerhound, is a large breed of hound (a sighthound), once bred to hunt the Red Deer by coursing.

The Scottish Deerhound's antecedents existed back to a time before recorded history. They would have been kept by the Scots and Picts, and used to help in providing part of their diet, mainly hoofed game. Archaeological evidence likely supports this in the form of Roman pottery from around 1st Century AD found in Argyll which depicts the deerhunt using large rough hounds (these can be viewed at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh). Other similar evidence can be found on standing stones from around the 7th century AD reflecting a hunt using hounds, such as the Hilton of Cadboll Stone. In outward appearance, the Scottish Deerhound is similar to the Greyhound, but larger and more heavily boned. However, Deerhounds have a number of characteristics that set them apart. While not as fast as a Greyhound on a smooth, firm surface, once the going gets rough or heavy they can outrun a Greyhound. The environment in which they worked, the cool, often wet, and hilly Scottish Highland glens, contributed to the larger, rough-coated appearance of the breed. The Deerhound is closely related to the Irish Wolfhound and was the main contributor to the recovery of that breed when it was re-created at the end of the 19th century.

The Deerhound was bred to hunt red deer by “coursing”, and also “deer-stalking” until the end of the 19th century. With modern rifles and smaller deer-forests, slower tracking dogs were preferred to fast and far-running Deerhounds.

In coursing deer, a single Deerhound or a pair was brought as close as possible to red deer, then released to run one of them down by speed, which if successful would happen within a few minutes - rarely were there sustained chases.

With the eventual demise of the clan systems in Scotland, these hunting dogs became sporting animals for landowners and the nobility, but were also bred and hunted by common folk when feasible. As fast and silent hunters they made quick work of any game the size of a hare or larger and were highly regarded by nobility and poachers alike. One of the most precarious times in the breed’s history seems to have been towards the end of the nineteenth century, when many of the large Scottish estates were split into small estates for sporting purposes, and few then kept Deerhounds. The new fashion was for stalking and shooting, which required only a tracking dog to follow the wounded animal, using a collie or similar breed. Although a few estates still employed Deerhounds for their original work, the breed was left in the hands of a few enthusiasts who made them a show breed.

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Wikipedia