The Scottish Deerhound, or simply the Deerhound, is a breed of hound (a sight hound), bred to hunt the Red Deer by coursing.
The Scottish Deerhound resembles a rough-coated Greyhound. It is however, larger in size and bone. It is one of the tallest sight hounds, with a harsh 3-4 inch long coat and mane, with somewhat softer beard and mustache, and softer hair on breast and belly.
It has small, dark "rose" ears which are soft and folded back against the head unless held semi-erect in excitement. The harsh, wiry coat in modern dogs is only seen in self-colored various shades of gray (blue-gray is preferred).
Historically Deerhounds also could be seen with true brindle, yellow, and red fawn coats, or combinations, but these genes now appear to be lost.
A white chest and toes are allowed, and a slight white tip to the tail; a white blaze on the head or a white collar are not accepted.
The head is long, skull flat, with little stop and a tapering muzzle. The eyes are dark, dark brown or hazel in color. The teeth should form a level, complete scissor bite. The long straight or curved tail, well covered with hair, should almost reach the ground.
The Scottish Deerhound is gentle and extremely friendly. The breed is famed for being docile and eager to please, with a bearing of gentle dignity.
It is however a true sighthound which has been selected for generations to pursue game, consequently most Deerhounds will be eager to chase.
The Deerhound needs considerable exercise when young to develop properly and to maintain its health and condition. That does not mean it needs a large house to live in, however it should have regular access to free exercise in a fenced or otherwise "safe" area.
Deerhounds should not be raised with access only to leash walking or a small yard, this would be detrimental to their health and development. "Deerhound Character"
Young Deerhounds can sometimes, depending on the individual, be quite destructive especially when they are not given sufficient exercise; however, the average adult Deerhound may want to spend most of the day stretched out on the floor or a couch sleeping.
They do require a stimulus, preferably another Deerhound, and a large area to exercise properly and frequently. They are gentle and docile indoors and are generally good around company and children (however they require supervision with young children due to their size).
If you can't find a local breeder in your area don't worry, many breeders are using the major airlines like American, Delta, Continental and Northwest airlines for shipping their puppies.
At this time the airlines will ship puppies to the following States: Alabama AL - Alaska AK - Arizona AZ - Arkansas AR - California CA - Colorado CO - Connecticut CT - Delaware DE - Florida FL - Georgia GA - Hawaii HI - Idaho ID - Illinois IL - Indiana IN - Iowa IA - Kansas KS - Kentucky KY - Louisiana LA - Maine ME - Maryland MD - Massachusetts MA - Michigan MI - Minnesota MN - Mississippi MS - Missouri MO - Montana MT - Nebraska NE - Nevada NV - New Hampshire NH - New Jersey NJ - New Mexico NM - New York NY - North Carolina NC - North Dakota ND - Ohio OH - Oklahoma OK - Oregon OR - Pennsylvania PA - Rhode Island RI - South Carolina SC - South Dakota SD - Tennessee TN - Texas TX - Utah UT - Vermont VT - Virginia VA - Washington WA - Washington, D.C. - West Virginia WV - Wisconsin WI - Wyoming WY - Hawaii HI.
Ellen Bonacarti with her Scottish Deerhound
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