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Your Pet, Our Passion.

Deerhound

These large-sized, shaggy-coated sighthounds have a very athletic appearance but are elegant despite their size. They are often described as resembling a shaggy-coated greyhound.

Lifespan
8 – 11 years
Weight
34 – 50kg
Height
70 – 82cm
Colours
A variety of colours are known, including dark blue-grey, darker or lighter greys, brindles, yellows and red or red fawn with black points, however it is now unusual to find adults in any other colour than grey. Small white patches on toes, chest and tail tip are accepted
Size
Large
UK Kennel Club Groups
Hound
The need-to-know
  • Dog suitable for owners with some experience
  • Basic training required
  • Generally healthy breed
  • Enjoys active walks
  • Enjoys more than two hours of walking a day
  • Giant dog
  • Some drool
  • Requires grooming every other day
  • Quiet dog
  • Welcomes everyone happily
  • Generally friendly with other dogs
  • May need additional training to live with other pets
  • May need additional supervision to live with children
  • Needs a large garden
  • Can live in semi-rural areas
  • Can be left alone with training
Generally healthy breed

Deerhounds are can be prone to:
- Gastric dilatation volvulus 
- Portosystemic shunts¹ which is a condition where the blood does not pass through the liver normally, which leads to toxin build-up.
- Osteosarcomas which are a serious type of bone cancer.
- Dilated cardiomyopathy² which is a condition where the heart muscle becomes progressively weak and cannot beat properly.

Priority Kennel Club health schemes and testing: 
None but there are several recommended schemes that the Kennel Club recommends which can be found here

¹L. Kerridge, 'Questionnaire study investigating congenital portosystemic shunts in Deerhounds',
²J. Dukes-McEwan, 'Proposed Guidelines for the Diagnosis ofCanine Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathy', Nov 2003, Journal of Veterinary Cardiology 
 

Personality

Gentle and unassumingly friendly, the Deerhound can make an excellent pet if their instincts to chase and hunt are taken into account. Typically a quiet and reserved hound, Deerhounds can be very demonstrative in their affections with family and friends, but not overwhelming or outrageously rude. A gentle sense of humour is to be expected, and adult Deerhounds normally seem to be aware of their size around smaller animals or children and act carefully, although every dog’s personality will be different. As with all large or giant breeds, Deerhounds take several years to mature into calm adults. 

Did You Know?

  • Often mistaken for the Irish Wolfhound, in fact the Deerhound is one of the breeds used to recreate the Irish Wolfhound, along with several other breeds.
  • A Deerhound named Cleod played the role of Padfoot, Sirius Blacks Animagus form in two Harry Potter films, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2005) and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).
  • The Deerhound is an extremely old breed and can be definitively traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries. 
  • Sir Walter Scott owned a Deerhound called Maida who he referred to as “a most perfect creature of heaven”. 
  • Deerhound’s are incredibly skilled at lure coursing and in 1994, a 14-month-old Scottish Deerhound won the inaugural National Lure Coursing Championship.