At a glance the quick version
FCI gives approximate weights: about 45.5 kg for males and 36.5 kg for females.
Royal Kennel Club: over 10 years. Wikipedia cites a 2024 UK study average of 10.5 years.
Coat and looks how to spot one
harsh, ragged, close-lying
Looks like a bigger, heavier-boned, rough-coated Greyhound. The coat is thick and crisp, roughly 8-10 cm on the body, softer on the head, chest and belly, shaggy but never overdone.1
Personality what they are like
A gentle giant: friendly, dignified and easy-going, keen to please and never sharp or nervous, yet capable of great speed when it runs.13
Daily activity how busy a day looks
More than two hours of exercise a day, ideally including safe space to gallop.3
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Groom more than once a week to keep the crisp coat neat; it does shed.3
Home where they are happiest
Needs a large house and large garden and suits country living better than town life.3
Company who they like around
Gentle and friendly with people, a calm and affectionate family companion.13
The story where it all began
Deerhounds have been coursing red deer in Scotland for many centuries and keep the same type they have always had. As deer coursing declined in the 1800s the breed became a show and companion dog, while still being used abroad to hunt wolves, coyotes and kangaroos.12
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
AKC calls it the 'Royal Dog of Scotland' and ranks it among the tallest dog breeds.4
- 2
Sir Walter Scott owned a famous Deerhound named Maida.2
- 3
Karen Blixen (Isak Dinesen) received a pair as a wedding gift, and her dog Dusk appears in Out of Africa.2
- 4
The FCI standard says the breed has hunted red deer for about a thousand years.1
Recognised by the official bits
- FCI
- Standard no. 164 (as Deerhound), Group 10 Sighthounds, Section 2 Rough-haired sighthounds.1
- The Royal Kennel Club
- Hound group, as Deerhound; listed as a vulnerable native breed.3
- AKC
- Recognised as Scottish Deerhound.4
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Scottish Deerhound. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Brushingevery week
- Bathevery 8 weeks
- Nail trimSooner if you hear clicking on the floorevery month
- Ear checkevery 2 weeks
- Teeth brushingDaily brushing is idealevery 2 days
- ExerciseDaily walks and playevery day
- Flea, tick and worm protectionSchedule as your vet recommendsas your vet recommends
- Vet check-upSenior years usually start around age 6every year
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Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- FCI Standard No. 164 Deerhound fci.beused for origin, classification, size, coat, colours, temperament, history
- Wikipedia: Scottish Deerhound en.wikipedia.orgused for lifespan study, history, fun facts
- The Royal Kennel Club: Deerhound royalkennelclub.comused for lifespan, exercise, grooming, home size, vulnerable status
- AKC: Scottish Deerhound akc.orgused for nickname, recognition
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.