Scottish Deerhound

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Scottish Deerhound
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

<sub>Temperament and Health

The Scottish Deerhound is a large breed with an extremely friendly nature that needs considerable exercise as a youngster to develop properly and to maintain its health. That does not mean it needs a large house to live in; however should have regular access to free exercise in a fenced or otherwise "safe" area. They should not be raised with access only to leash walking or a small yard.

Young Deerhounds can be quite destructive especially if not given sufficient exercise; however, the average adult Deerhound may spend much 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).

Barring major medical emergencies, Deerhounds can be expected to live to approximately 9-11 years of age. The serious health issues in the breed include cardiomyopathy, osteosarcoma (bone cancer) and bloat (GDV).

History

The Scottish Deerhound is believed by some to have existed back to a time before recorded history. In appearance it is similar to the Greyhound and may have been closely related to the "Highland Greyhound". The environment in which it worked, the Scottish Highland moor, is likely to have contributed to the larger, rough-coated appearance of the breed. The Deerhound was developed to hunt red deer by “coursing”, and by “deer-stalking”. The Scottish Deerhound is closely related to the Irish Wolfhound and was the main contributor to the recovery of that breed at the end of the 19th century. The antecedents of the modern Scottish Deerhound may have been common among the Picts and Scots,and would have been used to provide part of the dietary requirements, namely hoofed game. With the eventual demise of the clan systems in Scotland, these hunting dogs became sporting animals for landowners and the nobility but when possible continued to be bred and hunted by common folk. These, fast, silent hunters made quick work of any game from a hare up and were highly regarded by the nobility and poachers alike. In coursing deer, a single Deerhound or more likely a pair of Deerhounds, would be brought as close as possible to red deer, then slipped to run one of them down by speed, which if successful would happen within a few minutes - rarely were there sustained chases.

Miscellaneous

Scottish Deerhounds compete in conformation, lure coursing, and where it is still legal, in some states of the USA, in hare coursing. A few are trained to succeed in obedience competition and few excel in it, fewer still excel in dog agility or flyball because the courses and activities are generally designed for smaller dogs, with lower body weight and shorter stride.</sub>