The breeds · sighthound · sighthound

AKC Hound · UKC Sighthound & Pariah · FCI standard 164

Scottish Deerhound.

FCI 164 utilization: racing dog, hunting dog, companion; Group 10 sighthounds, Section 2 rough-haired, without working trial. UKC: stag hunter; the build suggests the speed, power and endurance to bring down a stag. FCI: the breed has hunted red deer for a thousand years. RKC: developed as a deer coursing breed from the earlier Scottish Wolfdog; popular as a deer courser until the 18th century when huntsmen took up guns. AKC standard: neck 'as strong as is necessary to hold a stag'; Deerhounds 'do not stoop to their work like the Greyhounds'. Wikipedia: hunted red deer by coursing and deer-stalking until the end of the nineteenth century..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

10.5YRMedian lifespan9.7 to 11.3, measured on real dogs.

0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.

75–110LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 85 to 110 lb; breed bitches 75 to 95 lb.

2.5+ HRSExercise, every dayMore than 2 hours per day (RKC). RKC size band: large; large garden and large house. SDCA: a big, busy puppy and 'prone to long naps as an adult', with a real need for exercise.. The constraint most homes get wrong.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 29.9 in · bitches 28 in

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1935

Floor only, all three agree. Conversion cm / 2.54.

Weight

dogs 85 to 110 lb · bitches 75 to 95 lb

Breed clubAKC breed standard, 1935

Same treatment as males. Conversion kg x 2.2046.

Coat

Harsh, wiry hair about 3 to 4 in (FCI 8 to 10 cm) on body, neck and quarters; much softer on head, breast and belly; slight fringe inside the legs, never a Collie's feather; a woolly coat is a very serious fault (UKC). Colors: dark blue-grey most preferred, then darker and lighter greys or brindles, yellows, sandy-red or red fawn with black points (AKC, UKC, FCI). A white chest, white toes and a slight white tail tip are permitted; a white blaze or white collar is a disqualification (AKC, UKC) and 'unacceptable' (FCI). AKC adds that the US climate tends to produce a mixed silky-and-hard coat.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2008

AKC, UKC and FCI 164 agree on the coat; the US-climate line is AKC only.

Shedding

Shedding 3 of 5 (AKC breed page trait score)

Breed clubAKC

AKC breed page trait score, 1 to 5: a breed-club tendency, never a measurement.

Heat tolerance

3 of 5 · Coat is thick, close-lying, ragged, harsh or crisp, about 3 to 4 in (FCI: 8 to 10 cm) on body, neck and quarters; softer on head, breast and belly (UKC, AKC, FCI). A very large, lean hound.

DerivedUnited Kennel Club, 2008

Derived from the coat (rough, medium length = 3). The scale is coat-only. No measured data.

How long they live, and what they cost

Measured on real dogs, with the sample and the spread. Never a guess.

Median lifespan

10.5 years (9.7 to 11.3)

MeasuredMcMillan KM, 2024

UK pet dogs. Teng 2022 (VetCompass) does not include the Deerhound. The AKC and RKC lines are shown beside the study and not used to set low/high.

The dog at home

What the breed asks of a day. The first thing most homes get wrong.

Exercise need

More than 2 hours per day (RKC). RKC size band: large; large garden and large house. SDCA: a big, busy puppy and 'prone to long naps as an adult', with a real need for exercise.

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'More than 2 hours per day' = 150 min by the ruled mapping. RKC also lists the breed as a vulnerable native breed. AKC energy 3 of 5 is lower than the RKC band; both appear in the energy row.

Energy

AKC rates energy level 3 of 5, mental stimulation needs 3 of 5, trainability 3 of 5 (AKC's own bands). RKC puts exercise at more than 2 hours a day. UKC: obedient, friendly, docile, willing and easy to train; FCI 164: eager to please, gentle, never suspicious, aggressive or nervous. SDCA: he probably will not retrieve a thrown stick and will not bark and growl at the door.

Breed clubAKC

AKC bands are an owner-audience summary. UKC and FCI are the standards' words; the SDCA line is the club's public-education text.

Grooming load

3 of 5 · More than once a week (RKC; coat length medium, sheds). AKC coat grooming frequency 1 of 5, shedding 3 of 5, drooling 1 of 5 (AKC bands).

Breed clubThe Royal Kennel Club

RKC band 'More than once a week' = 3 on the 1-5 scale. The AKC's 1 of 5 for grooming frequency is much lower; both stand.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2026

FCI utilization line, UKC and RKC history, AKC standard. Wikipedia is editorial colour.

Primary game

Red deer / stag (FCI 164: hunted the red deer for a thousand years; UKC: stag hunter; RKC: deer coursing). RKC: early in its history the breed was called the Scottish Wolfdog.

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2026

Historical quarry. Deer coursing with dogs is not a current practice in the UK or US.

Also used on

FCI 164 utilization lists racing dog. Wikipedia: fast, silent hunters that made quick work of any game the size of a hare or larger, valued by nobility and poachers alike. Modern venues: lure coursing and racing (SDCA Activities; IWCA overview).

Breed clubFederation Cynologique Internationale, 2026

FCI utilization line; SDCA lists conformation, obedience, lure coursing and racing. The hare-size line is Wikipedia and editorial.

Search pattern

Wikipedia: in coursing deer, a single Deerhound or a pair was brought as close as possible to a red deer, then released to run one down by speed; success came within a few minutes and sustained chases were rare. Described as fast and silent hunters (Wikipedia). AKC standard: the neck is carried to hold a stag once caught.

EditorialWikipedia

Single editorial source (Wikipedia) for the single-or-pair method and the silence; no registry standard or club page read describes the slip. Flagged for human check.

Field trial standard

Lure coursing under AKC and ASFA (up to 3 hounds of the same breed over a loop of at least 600 yards), open field coursing (NOFCA), straight racing (LGRA), oval racing (NOTRA); for racing the IWCA says Deerhounds and Irish Wolfhounds are usually hand-slipped. SDCA Activities lists conformation, obedience, lure coursing and racing. FCI 164: without working trial.

Breed clubIrish Wolfhound Club of America

The IWCA overview is written for Wolfhounds and names Deerhounds in the racing line. The SDCA activities list gives the sports without rules. Rule books were not read.

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Most common disorders

SDCA Health and Genetics Committee statement names Factor VII deficiency (many affected dogs have no bleeding problem, others do) and osteosarcoma (a researcher at the 2018 specialty said dogs with some osteosarcoma variants were more than nine times more likely to develop it) as conditions for breeders to weigh. AKC's national-club test list adds cardiac exam, bile acids and delayed post-operative hemorrhage (DEPOH).

Breed clubScottish Deerhound Club of America

Not a ranked or prevalence list: the club statement names these as genetic-testing concerns. No VetCompass or Kennel Club survey figure read.

akc bands

AKC breed page trait scores (1-5): Energy Level 3; Mental Stimulation Needs 3; Trainability Level 3; Barking Level 1; Watchdog/Protective Nature 3; Good With Young Children 3; Openness To Strangers 3; Good With Other Dogs 5; Shedding Level 3; Coat Grooming Frequency 1; Drooling Level 1; Affectionate With Family 5; Playfulness Level 3; Adaptability Level 3.

Breed clubAKC

Fourteen AKC bands in one row; the selector reads each by name. Breed-club ratings: a tendency, never a measurement.

What to ask a breeder for

The health clearances the breed’s own club and registry name. Reference only: what to ask for, never a statement about any dog’s health.

USDelayed post-operative hemorrhage (DEPOH), DNA testDNA · American Kennel Club, Hound Group health testing requirements (national breed club recommended tests)
USBile acid testBlood test · American Kennel Club, Hound Group health testing requirements (national breed club recommended tests)
USCoagulation Factor VII deficiency, DNA testDNA · American Kennel Club, Hound Group health testing requirements (national breed club recommended tests)
USCardiac examVeterinary cardiologist / OFA cardiac · American Kennel Club, Hound Group health testing requirements (national breed club recommended tests)

No KENAI kennel lists the Scottish Deerhound yet. If you breed them, list your kennel free: it shows on this page and in the hunting dog breed finder, under every handler whose answers land on the breed.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 10 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called: Deerhound, Royal Dog of Scotland

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