Everything about The Scottish Deerhound totally explained
The
Scottish Deerhound, or simply the
Deerhound, is a
breed of
hound (a
sighthound), bred to hunt the
Red Deer.
Description
Appearance
The Scottish Deerhound resembles a rough-coated Greyhound. It is however, larger in size and bone. It is one of the tallest sighthounds, 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-coloured 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 colour. The teeth should form a level, complete scissor bite. The long straight or curved tail, well covered with hair, should alomost reach the ground.
Temperament
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 doesn't 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 shouldn't 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're 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).
Health
Barring major medical emergencies, Deerhounds can be expected to live to approximately 9-11 years of age
(External Link). The serious health issues in the breed include cardiomyopathy, osteosarcoma (bone cancer), bloat and torsion (GDV).
History
The Scottish Deerhound is believed by some to have existed back to a time before recorded history. In appearance it's very similar to the
Greyhound and may have been closely related to the "Highland Greyhound". The environment in which it worked, the Scottish Highland moors, 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 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 kept by the
Picts and
Scots,and would have been used to provide part of their 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's still legal, in some states of the USA, in
hare coursing. A few are trained to succeed in
obedience competition but 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 a much shorter stride.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Scottish Deerhound'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://scottish_deerhound.totallyexplained.com">Scottish Deerhound Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
