Scottish deerhound dog breed info and scottish deerhound health problems

The Scottish deerhound dog is one of the bigger sized dogs and is largely considered to be part of the sight hound family that relies primarily on their speed, agility as well as very sharp eyesight when it comes to its hunting and attacking instincts, rather than the sense of smell that most other dog breeds use.



These dogs were bred historically by the Highlanders in the Scottish mountains around the Middle Ages and primarily used them to hunt large deer. Their very sharp hunting skills have even led them to be classified amongst the superior bands of hunting dogs and, with the demise of the clan systems in its native Scotland, the dogs were primarily used for sporting events by landowners and nobility.



The Scottish deerhound breed is closely related to the Irish wolfhound breed and contributed significantly to the recovery of the breed when it was almost wiped out around the end of the 19th century.
 
The Scottish deerhound dogs are very recognizable because of their very long legs.



They are very strong animals and have a very serious and intelligent expression on their faces. They have rough, shaggy coats and their ears hang down to frame the face. The average height of this gigantic dog breed sees them stand at a height of about 30 to 33 inches from the ground in males, while the height for females averages around 28 to 32 inches. The weight of a male dog is registered at around 85 to 100 pounds while that of a female is recorded at between 75 to 95 pounds.
 
Despite their frightening size, the animals are extremely friendly as well as gentle and are always eager to please their master. Their hunting heritage requires that they get a lot of exercise over the course of the day and while a large farmhouse will be the ideal residence for such an animal, they are known to adapt to smaller apartments as long as they are regularly taken out for walks and runs. If not allowed sufficient exercise, the animals are known to turn a little destructive and unruly. The dogs are also known to be quite lazy indoors unless they have the company of another deerhound. Most deerhound will live up to between 8 and 11 years, but are prone to a number of health related issues including heart problems, obsessive compulsive disorders as well as bone cancer.