The Best in Show entry from the Hound Group was the Scottish Deerhound. At a glance, a Scottish Deerhound looks a lot like a Greyhound, just with a lot of wiry hair. The two breeds do share a lot of physical characteristics – small ears, a long neck, the arched hips and long legs.
Personally, I love the Scottish Deerhound’s soft, deep eyes. Deerhounds are sighthounds, which means they track their prey by sight and have great vision. And you may have noticed that I’m partial to big dogs. Deerhounds are generally 28 inches at the shoulder and higher, and weigh anywhere from 75 to 110 pounds.
DID YOU KNOW? At one time in history, you had to have the minimum rank of Earl to own a Scottish Deerhound. And a noble condemned to death could actually buy his freedom for just three Scottish Deerhounds.
Scottish Deerhounds are quiet, dignified, and alert. They’re probably not going to chase that stick or ball; adult Deerhounds are very good at taking long naps in the afternoon. You’ll need to make sure your Deerhound exercises daily! Deerhounds aren’t great watchdogs, either. They won’t make a ruckus if a stranger comes around, but they will try to make friends.
As far as grooming goes, Scottish Deerhounds are relatively easy to take care of. Their short, wiry coat doesn’t tend to get tangled or pick up burrs and brush. You can get away with a once-a-week brushing to keep things neat.
In general, Scottish Deerhounds are healthy and vigorous. They’re not particularly fond of hot weather, and need shade during the summer. Cool weather (think Scotland!) is perfect for the Deerhound.
You and your Deerhound may have a blast with coursing, or luring. This is a sport where sighthounds chase after a moving lure, usually a white plastic bag. Chasing an artificial lure isn’t necessarily instinctive to a Scottish Deerhound, so you may need to do some training first, but that can be a great bonding experience too!