Deerhound

About the Deerhound

Scottish chiefs kept the Deerhound to course red deer on the open hill, a job demanding size, stamina and enough courage to hold a stag at bay. The breed came close to extinction in the nineteenth century and owes its survival to a handful of Highland families who kept the type alive.

Dogs stand 76 cm or more, with a harsh, ragged coat three or four inches long, most typically dark blue-grey, and an outline like a rough-coated Greyhound built on heavier bone. The temperament is the breed's great charm: quiet, courteous and almost never quarrelsome. In a stud, look for a dog that is easy in company, with good feet and free movement, since a hound of this size cannot afford a weakness in its running gear.

Heart disease is the question that matters most here. Ask for a recent cardiac examination, and about dilated cardiomyopathy in close relatives, because it is a known cause of death in the breed. Bloat and gastric torsion are a real hazard in this shape of chest, so ask what has happened in the line. Bone cancer is another honest topic. Ask what the breed club currently recommends by way of testing, and how long the dog's parents lived.

Health & breeding

We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.