Scottish Deerhound Facts You Should Know (with Pictures).

by

Quick Links: Table of Contents

Scottish Deerhound Breed Overview

The Scottish Deerhound is a giant-sized dog.

The adult Scottish Deerhound stands 28 to 32 inches tall at the shoulder.

The Scottish Deerhound belongs to the Hound Dogs group.

Dogs in the Hound Dogs group, like the Scottish Deerhound, were bred to pursue and hunt warm-blooded animals. Hounds hunt by using their good sight or their good sense of smell. Dogs that belong to the Hound Group have strong prey drives and often will stop at nothing to catch what they are pursuing.

The fact that Scottish Deerhounds belong to the Hound Dogs group is one of the reasons why Scottish Deerhounds have the personality and temperament that they have.

The temperament of the Scottish Deerhound is generally described as:

  • Dignified
  • Docile
  • Friendly
  • Gentle

History of the Scottish Deerhound Breed. Where Scottish Deerhounds came from

Scottish Deerhounds are a large and ancient breed of hound, once known as the Scottish Greyhound.

They were bred to hunt red deer in the Scottish Highlands, and their origins can be traced back to the 6th century.

Scottish Deerhounds were prized for their speed, strength and courage, and they were often given as gifts to Scottish kings and nobles.

In the 19th century, Deerhounds began to decline in popularity, as Deer hunting became less common.

However, the breed was kept alive by a handful of dedicated fanciers, and today Scottish Deerhounds are once again enjoying popularity as companion dogs.

Thanks to their gentle nature and regal appearance, these gentle giants make wonderful family pets.

.

What the Scottish Deerhound Looks Like

Scottish Deerhounds are large and imposing dogs, standing at over 30 inches tall at the shoulder.

They have a long head with a broad muzzle, and their ears are set high on their head.

Scottish Deerhounds have a wiry coat that is grey, brindle, or black in color.

They are built for speed, with long legs and a deep chest.

Scottish Deerhounds are gentle giants, and they are known for being gentle and loving with their families.

However, they can be aloof with strangers, and their hunting instincts make them unsuitable for homes with small pets.

Scottish Deerhounds make loyal and loving companions, and they are an excellent choice for active families.

.

Best Scottish Deerhound Breeders

Scottish Deerhound Breeders in the United States

We have researched reputable Scottish Deerhound breeders that you can buy a puppy.

Go to this page for our complete list of reputable Scottish Deerhound breeders in various states in the United States.

On this page, you will see how much these breeders sell their puppies for, and how many puppies they have available.

A few of these breeders are listed below.

  1. Grey Manoir

    Puppy Price: Check with breeder

Scottish Deerhound Litter Size

Researchers from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science did a study where they counted the numbers of puppies in 4 different Scottish Deerhound birth litters.

From this study, the researchers found that the average number of puppies that Scottish Deerhounds can have is 8 puppies. Also, the Scottish Deerhound can have as few as 4 puppies per litter and as many as 14 puppies per litter.

The number of puppies that the Scottish Deerhound will have depends on factors such as the age of the Scottish Deerhound, the method of pregnancy, etc.

Click here to see our calculator for predicting how many puppies your Scottish Deerhound will have and how the litter size of the Scottish Deerhound compares to the litter size of other dog breeds.

How Fast Scottish Deerhounds Can Run

How fast a dog breed can run is a good measure of how athletic the dog breed is.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) regularly conducts dog running competitions. The AKC records the running speed of competing dogs in these competitions. These competitions are open to all dog breeds.

Based on our analysis of the speeds of 30 different Scottish Deerhounds, the average speed of the Scottish Deerhound is 26.0 mph (41.9 kmph).

The fastest speed on AKC record that the Scottish Deerhound ran in a race is 30.83 mph (49.6 kmph) and the minimum speed on record in a race for a Scottish Deerhound is 17.54 mph (28.2 kmph).

Click here to see how the speed of the Scottish Deerhound compares to the speed of other dogs and other mammals such as cats, horses, humans, etc.

How fast Scottish Deerhound can run compared to other mammals

Good Names for Scottish Deerhounds

Here are some really good names that are typical for the Scottish Deerhound ranked by popularity:

  • Regis
  • Wolfgang
  • Orion
  • Argyle

How Intelligent are Scottish Deerhounds?

Scottish Deerhound
Intelligence Rank 47 out of 130 dog breeds
Trainability Tend To Learn New Commands After 25 To 40 Repetitions

According to Prof. Stanley Coren, a Canadian psychology professor/dog trainer, the total intelligence that a dog demonstrates is the addition of three types of intelligence. These intelligence types are:

  1. Instinctive Intelligence: This is the natural intelligence that comes from instinct. For example, dog breeds that have been historically bred to be guard dogs will have a high `guarding` intelligence compared to dogs that were not bred for guarding.

  2. Adaptive Intelligence (learning and problem-solving ability): This indicates what a dog can learn to do for himself or herself. Adaptive intelligence is specific to each dog, and not breed specific. You can improve your dog`s adaptive intelligence by investing time to train your dog.

  3. Working/Obedience Intelligence: This type of intelligence is breed-specific. Certain dog breeds tend to have higher working/obedience intelligence than some other breeds. This intelligence is the closest to what we might call school-learning ability and it is based upon what the dog can learn to do when instructed by humans. This type of intelligence can be measured for each dog breed and compared to that of other dog breeds.

Professor Stanley Coren measured and ranked the working intelligence of about 130 different dog breeds.

Prof. Coren found that the Scottish Deerhound has an obedience intelligence rank of 47 out of 130 dog breeds. Thus, Prof. Coren put Scottish Deerhounds in the `Average Working/Obedience Intelligence Dogs` category.

This means that Scottish Deerhounds tend to learn new commands after 25 to 40 repetitions.

However, we should mention that a dog should not be judged based on its intelligence alone. There are other important factors you need to consider when deciding on which dog breed to get. These other factors include sociability, adorability, and compatibility of the dog breed with your lifestyle.

See the intelligence ranking of some other dog breeds below:

Breed Intelligence Rank
Golden Retriever 4
Papillon 8
Pembroke Welsh Corgi 11
Miniature Schnauzer 12
Collie 16
Brittany 19
Cocker Spaniel 20
Welsh Springer Spaniel 31
Cairn Terrier 35
Affenpinscher 37
Norwich Terrier 38
Kuvasz 42
Finnish Spitz 43
American Water Spaniel 44
Alaskan Malamute 50
Rhodesian Ridgeback 52
Chinese Crested 61
Great Pyrenees 64
Bull Terrier 66
Beagle 72

How Popular are Scottish Deerhounds with New Dog Owners?

Every year, the American Kennel Club (AKC) publishes information on how popular a dog breed is in that particular year. The AKC gets the popularity information of a breed from how many dogs of that breed the owners register with the AKC every year. The AKC collects this data for about 200 dog breeds.

The graph below shows the popularity trend of the Scottish Deerhound.

The popularity of the Scottish Deerhound averaged over the years is Number 158 out of about 200 dog breeds.

Do not get a dog breed just because it is a popular dog breed. And do not reject a dog breed just because it is an unpopular breed.

Health Problems in Scottish Deerhounds and How to Prevent Them

Every dog breed has its own set of health problems that it tends to develop. There is nothing like a perfect dog breed.

The Scottish Deerhound is prone to certain genetic health conditions. The Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) is an organization that keeps track of genetic health problems in dog breeds.

From the extensive records that the OFA keeps, the OFA knows what health problems each dog breed is naturally prone to develop.

Hence, the OFA recommends which health screening breeders should perform on a dog breed to make sure that the breeders won`t breed `defective` dog parents that can pass down defective genes to their puppy offspring.

If you want a Scottish Deerhound puppy that will grow up to be healthy, make sure that your Scottish Deerhound breeder screens your puppy or your puppy`s parents for the health problems that the OFA recommends for your puppy`s breed. This will increase the chances that your puppy is free from genetic defects.

The following are the health tests that Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) recommends that breeders should screen Scottish Deerhounds for:

  1. Cardiac Evaluation
  2. FACTOR VII Deficiency DNA test
  3. Serum Bile Acid Test

You can find out more about OFA`s recommended tests for Scottish Deerhounds here.

Dog Breeds That Are Similar to Scottish Deerhounds

If you have not made up your mind on which dog breed to get, you may also want to consider some other dogs similar to the Scottish Deerhound.

We crunched the numbers and found that the following dog breeds that have similar behavior and temperament as the Scottish Deerhound:

Other Things to Know About Scottish Deerhounds

Here are some of the very important characteristics of the Scottish Deerhound that you need to know about the Scottish Deerhound breed:

  • Scottish Deerhounds do not adapt well to apartment living.
  • Scottish Deerhounds are not the best dogs for new dog owners.
  • Scottish Deerhounds do not have the tendency to drool.
  • Scottish Deerhounds are not very vocal. They have very low tendency to bark and howl.
  • Scottish Deerhounds do not like to be left alone.
  • Scottish Deerhounds do not get along well with other dogs.
  • Scottish Deerhounds require a lot of grooming and are not very easy to groom.
  • Scottish Deerhounds are not easy to train.
  • Scottish Deerhounds can tolerate cold weather.
  • Scottish Deerhounds can tolerate hot weather.
  • Scottish Deerhounds get along well with kids. They are kid-friendly.
  • Scottish Deerhounds gain weight easily. You need to pay careful attention to what you feed them.
  • Scottish Deerhounds are prone to nip and chew at things.
  • Scottish Deerhounds have a high tendency to wander. They are easily distracted by other animals or objects.
  • Scottish Deerhounds are great family dogs. They are very affectionate with family.
  • Scottish Deerhounds are very friendly towards strangers.
  • Scottish Deerhounds shed. They are not recommended for people with dog allergies.
  • Scottish Deerhounds have a high prey drive. They do not get along well with other pets.
  • Scottish Deerhounds have very high energy levels. They need a lot of exercise time to release their high energy.
  • Scottish Deerhounds do things with high intensity. They can be very forceful.
  • Scottish Deerhounds require a lot of exercise. They are good for owners who like to exercise.
  • Scottish Deerhounds are very playful.
  • Scottish Deerhounds weigh 75 to 110 pounds when fully grown.
  • Scottish Deerhounds are 28 to 32 inches tall at the shoulder when fully grown.
  • Scottish Deerhounds have a lifespan of 8 to 11 years.