Plate 187 · British Isles
Scottish Deerhound
苏格兰猎鹿犬
“The Highland deer-coursing hound.”
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- Scottish Highlands
- Region of origin
- A hound of the Scottish Highlands; the marker is the Highland council area's reference point.
- The point marks the region the breed comes from, not an exact birthplace.
- Era
- Origins uncertain; widely known as the Scottish Deerhound from the early 19th century
- Today
- Companion · Sighthound
Under editorial review — sources listed below.
History
01 · Origin
Scottish Highlands
A very tall, rough-coated sighthound bred to course red deer in the Highlands.
02 · Historical role
What it was bred for
Running down red deer by speed, singly or in pairs.
03 · Breed development
How it changed
Carvings like the Hilton of Cadboll Stone show hounds chasing deer, but no proven link to the modern breed exists. With rifles and smaller deer forests, stalking with slower tracking dogs replaced coursing, and by the late 19th century few estates seem to have kept Deerhounds. It was a main foundation of the modern Irish Wolfhound.
04 · Today
Companion · Sighthound
A gentle companion and lure-coursing dog.
Personality
- Dignified
- Gentle
- Polite
- Quiet
General breed tendencies, not guarantees — individual dogs vary with genetics, training and environment. Ratings: the AKC’s trait scores as its breed page gives them (the AKC’s 1–5 guidance for owners, not a measurement). Other profiles here use editorial ratings, a different source, so compare across them with care.
- Exercise
- Needs a large, securely fenced area and a playmate, especially as a puppy.
- Grooming
- Brush and comb every week or so.
- Training
- Sensitive: positive training and plenty of companionship.
Living with one
- Size
- Giant
- Lifespan
- 8–11 years
- Coat
- Harsh, wiry coat, usually blue-grey or grey, also brindle, yellow or red fawn
Field note
Its blood was used to rebuild the Irish Wolfhound in the late 19th century.
Recognition & today
- AKC
- Hound Group
- Also recognized by
- FCI (as Deerhound, Group 10, standard 164), The Kennel Club (UK, as Deerhound)
- Popular in
- No reliable data
AKC: Hound Group, recognized 1886.
Rare. AKC registrations: ranked 156 among breeds in 2025.
Sources3 references
- Scottish Deerhound — breed information — American Kennel Club
https://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/scottish-deerhound/
Registry · accessed 2026-10-14 · Registry status, group, size, life expectancy and registration rank; history as the AKC tells it. Ratings: the AKC's own 1–5 owner-guidance trait scores as the page gives them (energy level, trainability, barking level, openness to strangers, good with other dogs), not measurements.
- Scottish Deerhound — Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Deerhound
Encyclopedia · accessed 2026-10-14 · Hilton of Cadboll Stone and the lack of proven continuity, coursing red deer, decline in the late 19th century, role in the modern Irish Wolfhound.
- Deerhound — FCI breed nomenclature — Fédération Cynologique Internationale
https://www.fci.be/en/nomenclature/DEERHOUND-164.html
Kennel club · accessed 2026-10-14 · Country of origin Great Britain; Group 10, section "Rough-haired Sighthounds"; accepted 1955.
Text is written by World Breeds from the references above; it does not reproduce registry descriptions. Location note: A hound of the Scottish Highlands; the marker is the Highland council area's reference point.
