History. It is as you would guess by its appearance a fairly close relative greyhound; it was specifically bred for its long coat, to protect it from the adverse weather. And the long powerful legs to give it a good turn of speed when hunting the deer, for which it was bred. It is also believed that these dogs were used during the middle Ages by some of the Scottish tribes, making it a very old breed indeed. They gained popularity with the hierarchy and became known as the Royal dogs, when legislation was passed making it so that nobody below and Earl could own one. Queen Victoria herself had a Scottish deerhound as did Sir Walter Scott. However, the breed became endangered as a result of the ruling. Because there were not so many people actually allowed to own this breed, the breeders were hardly endeared to the continued breeding of a dog which nobody could buy. However, after this ruling was repealed breeding commenced again and the deerhound was saved.

Temperament. Scottish deerhounds are generally well mannered and gentle dogs. They are a friendly, polite, with an exceptionally loving nature, and can prove to be extremely good with children. They are loyal and devoted to their owners,but they are unsuitable as guard dogs or watchdogs, as they tend to just like everybody. As they are a form of hunting dog training tends to be easier, but you must assert yourself in a strong but friendly fashion or the dog may believe themselves to be in charge and problems will occur. They can get on well with other dogs, but are unsuitable if you have any pets other than dogs. They can become destructive if bored, so adequate exercise is essential.

Health issues. The serious health risks with this breed include cardiomyopathy, osteosarcoma, and gastric torsion with a predisposition to bloat, it is a good idea to feed your dog less food at a time and more often, feed, small meals, two to three times, a day rather than one big meal. And they generally live around 10 years.

Grooming. Quite extensive and regular grooming is required for this breed, they also require stripping and some trimming of the hair, but, unless you are showing your dog, you can probably achieve this yourself. You'll need a good firm brush and comb and obviously a pair of scissors for trimming. If you are planning to show the dog then it would be necessary that the trimming to be done at a salon, unless you are sufficiently experienced.