Post by DogGoneGood on Mar 9, 2009 19:45:54 GMT -5
Group: II - Hounds
Origin: Scotland
Date of Origin: Middle Ages
Purpose: Coursing Stag
Other Name(s): Deerhound
Ownership of the graceful and gentle Scottish Deerhound was once restricted to the Scottish nobility; the breed was developed to course deer through the dense forests of the Scottish Highlands. With the felling of the forests in the 1700s and the introduction of the gun for hunting, the breed lost its popularity. Today, this dignified hound is most common in South Africa, but in Scottland its numbers are quite small. It is very much like a Greyhound in appearance, but with a weather-resistant coat. A good-natured breed, it gets along well with other dogs.
Breed Standards:
Coat and Colour:
The hair on the body, neck and quarters should be harsh and wiry, about 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) long; that on the head, breast and belly much softer. There should be a slight fringe on the inside of the forelegs and hind legs but nothing approaching the “feather” of a Collie. A woolly coat is bad. Some good strains have a mixture of silky coat with the hard which is preferable to a woolly coat. The climate of Canada tends to produce the mixed coat. The ideal coat is a thick, close-lying ragged coat, harsh or crisp to the touch. Colour is a matter of fancy, but the dark blue-grey is most preferred. Next come the darker and the lighter greys or brindles, the darkest being generally preferred. Yellow and sandy red or red fawn, especially with black ears and muzzles, are equally high in estimation. This was the colour of the oldest known strains - the McNeil and Chesthill Menzies. White is condemned by all authorities, but a white chest and white toes, occurring as they do in many of the darkest-coloured dogs, are not objected to although the less the better, for the Deerhound is a selfcoloured dog. The less white the better but a slight white tip to the stern occurs in some of the best strains.
Head:
Should be broadest at the ears, narrowing slightly to the eyes, with the muzzle tapering more decidedly to the nose. The head should be long, the skull flat rather than round with a very slight rise over the eyes but nothing approaching a stop. The hair on the skull should be moderately long and softer than the rest of the coat. The muzzle should be pointed, but the teeth and lips level. The nose should be black (in some blue fawns - blue) and slightly aquiline. In lighter coloured dogs, the black muzzle is preferable. There should be a good mustache of rather silky hair and a fair beard. Eyes should be dark - generally dark brown, brown, or hazel. A very light eye is not liked. The eye should be moderately full, with a soft look in repose, but a keen, far-away look when the Deerhound is roused. Rims of eyelids should be black. Ears should be set on high; in repose, folded back like a Greyhound’s though raised above the head in excitement without losing the fold, and even in some cases semi-erect. A prick ear is bad. The ears should be soft, glossy, like a mouse’s coat to the touch and the smaller the better. There should be no long coat or long fringe, but there is sometimes a silky, silvery coat on the body of the ear and the tip. On all Deerhounds, irrespective of the colour of coat, the ears should be black or dark coloured.
Neck:
The neck should be long - of a length befitting the Greyhound character of the dog. Extreme length is neither necessary nor desirable. Deerhounds do not stoop to their work like the Greyhounds. The mane, which every good specimen should have, sometimes detracts from the apparent length of the neck. The neck, however, must be strong as is necessary to hold a stag. The nape of the neck should be very prominent where the head is set on, and the throat clean-cut at the angle and prominent.
Forequarters:
Shoulders should be well sloped; blades well back and not too much width between them. Legs should be broad and flat, and good broad forearms and elbows are desirable. Forelegs must, of course, be as straight as possible. Feet close and compact, with well-arranged toes.
Hindquarters:
Drooping, and as broad and powerful as possible, the hips being set wide apart. A narrow rear denotes lack of power. The stifles should be well bent, with great length from hip to hock, which should be broad and flat.
Body:
General formation is that of a Greyhound of larger size and bone. Chest deep rather than broad but not too narrow or slab-sided. Good girth of chest is indicative of great lung power. The loin well arched and drooping to the tail. A straight back is not desirable, this formation being unsuited for uphill work, and very unsightly.
Tail:
Should be tolerably long, tapering and reaching to within 1-1/2 inches (4 cm) off the ground and about 1-1/2 inches (4 cm) below the hocks. Dropped perfectly down or curved when the Deerhound is still, when in motion or excited, curved, but in no instance lifted out of line of the back. It should be well covered with hair, on the side, thick and wiry, underside longer and towards the end a slight fringe is not objectionable. A curl or ring tail is undesirable.
Faults:
Big thick ears hanging flat to the head or heavily coated with long hair are bad faults. Loaded and straight shoulders are very bad faults. Cowhocks, weak pastern, straight stifles, and splay feet are very bad faults.
Disqualifications:
A white blaze on the head, or a white collar.
Points of the Deerhound arranged in order of importance:
1. Typical - a Deerhound should resemble a rough-coated
Greyhound of larger size and bone.
2. Movements - easy, active and true.
3. As tall as possible, consistent with quality.
4. Head - long, level, well balanced, carried high.
5. Body - long, very deep in brisket, well-sprung ribs and great breadth across hips.
6. Forelegs - strong and quite straight, with elbows neither in nor out.
7. Thighs - long and muscular, second thighs well muscled, stifles well bent.
8. Loins - well arched, and belly well drawn up.
9. Coat - rough and hard, with softer beard and brows.
10. Feet - close, compact, with well-knuckled toes.
11. Ears - small (dark) with Greyhound-like carriage.
12. Eyes - dark, moderately full.
13. Neck - long, well arched, very strong with prominent nape.
14. Shoulders - clean, set sloping.
15. Chest - very deep but not too narrow.
16. Tail - long and curved slightly, carried low.
17. Teeth - strong and level.
18. Nails - strong and curved.
Size:
Height:
Dogs from 30-32 inches (76-81 cm), or even more if there be
symmetry without coarseness, which is rare.
Bitches from 28 inches (71 cm) upwards. There is no objection
to a bitch being large, unless too coarse, as even at her greatest
height she does not approach that of the dog, and therefore
could not be too big for work as overbig dogs are.
Weight:
Dogs from 85-110 lb. (39-50 kg) in dogs, and
Bitches from 75-95 lb. (34-43 kg)
Temperment:
The Scottish Deerhound is gentle and extremely friendly. The breed is famed for being docile and eager to please, with a bearing of gentle dignity. It is however a true sighthound which has been selected for generations to pursue game, consequently most Deerhounds will be eager to chase. The Deerhound needs considerable exercise when young to develop properly and to maintain its health and condition. That does not mean it needs a large house to live in, however it should have regular access to free exercise in a fenced or otherwise "safe" area. Deerhounds should not be raised with access only to leash walking or a small yard, this would be detrimental to their health and development."Deerhound Character"
Young Deerhounds can sometimes, depending on the individual, be quite destructive especially when they are not given sufficient exercise; however, the average adult Deerhound may want to spend most of the day stretched out on the floor or a couch sleeping. They do require a stimulus, preferably another Deerhound, and a large area to exercise properly and frequently. They are gentle and docile indoors and are generally good around company and children (however they require supervision with young children due to their size).
Health:
Barring major medical emergencies, Deerhounds can be expected to live to approximately 9-11 years of age. The serious health issues in the breed include cardiomyopathy, osteosarcoma (bone cancer), bloat and torsion (GDV).
Life Expectancy:
11-12 Years
History:
The Scottish Deerhound is believed by some to have existed back to a time before recorded history. Its antecedents may have been kept by the Scots and Picts, and would have been used to help in providing part of their dietary requirements, namely from hoofed game (archaeological evidence supports this in the form of Roman pottery from around 2nd Century AD found in Argyll which depicts the deerhunt using large rough hounds these can be viewed at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh other evidence can be found on standing stones from around the 7th century AD reflecting the hunt using hounds, such as the Hilton of Cadboll Stone). In appearance the Scottish Deerhound is similar to the Greyhound and is likely to be closely related to the English greyhound. The environment in which it worked, the Scottish Highland Glens, contributed to the larger, rough-coated appearance of the breed. The Deerhound was bred to hunt red deer by “coursing”, and also “deer-stalking” until the the end of the 19th century with the advent of the modern rifle and smaller deer-forests, when controllable, slower tracking dogs were preferred to fast and far running Deerhounds. In coursing deer, a single Deerhound or more likely a pair of Deerhounds, would be brought as close as possible to red deer, then slipped to run one of them down by speed, which if successful would happen within a few minutes - rarely were there sustained chases. With the eventual demise of the clan systems in Scotland, these hunting dogs became sporting animals for landowners and the nobility, but when possible continued to be bred and hunted by common folk. Fast and silent hunters they made quick work of any game from a hare up and were highly regarded by the nobility and poachers alike. One of the most precarious times in the breed’s history seems to have been towards the end of the nineteenth century, when many of the large Scottish estates were split into small estates for sporting purposes, and few then kept Deerhounds for hunting deer. The new fashion was for stalking and shooting, which required only a tracking dog to follow the line of a wounded animal, and for which purpose a collie or similar breed was found to be more suitable. Although a few estates still employed Deerhounds for their original work, on most estates they became obsolete and the breed was left in the hands of a few enthusiasts, at which time they became a show breed. The Deerhound is closely related to the Irish Wolfhound and was the main contributor to the recovery of that breed when it was re-created at the end of the 19th century.
Sources:
Canadian Kennel Club Official Breed Standards - Scottish Deerhound
The New Encyclopedia Of the DOG by Bruce Fogle DVM Page 110
Wikipedia - Scottish Deerhound
Origin: Scotland
Date of Origin: Middle Ages
Purpose: Coursing Stag
Other Name(s): Deerhound
Ownership of the graceful and gentle Scottish Deerhound was once restricted to the Scottish nobility; the breed was developed to course deer through the dense forests of the Scottish Highlands. With the felling of the forests in the 1700s and the introduction of the gun for hunting, the breed lost its popularity. Today, this dignified hound is most common in South Africa, but in Scottland its numbers are quite small. It is very much like a Greyhound in appearance, but with a weather-resistant coat. A good-natured breed, it gets along well with other dogs.
Breed Standards:
Coat and Colour:
The hair on the body, neck and quarters should be harsh and wiry, about 3-4 inches (8-10 cm) long; that on the head, breast and belly much softer. There should be a slight fringe on the inside of the forelegs and hind legs but nothing approaching the “feather” of a Collie. A woolly coat is bad. Some good strains have a mixture of silky coat with the hard which is preferable to a woolly coat. The climate of Canada tends to produce the mixed coat. The ideal coat is a thick, close-lying ragged coat, harsh or crisp to the touch. Colour is a matter of fancy, but the dark blue-grey is most preferred. Next come the darker and the lighter greys or brindles, the darkest being generally preferred. Yellow and sandy red or red fawn, especially with black ears and muzzles, are equally high in estimation. This was the colour of the oldest known strains - the McNeil and Chesthill Menzies. White is condemned by all authorities, but a white chest and white toes, occurring as they do in many of the darkest-coloured dogs, are not objected to although the less the better, for the Deerhound is a selfcoloured dog. The less white the better but a slight white tip to the stern occurs in some of the best strains.
Head:
Should be broadest at the ears, narrowing slightly to the eyes, with the muzzle tapering more decidedly to the nose. The head should be long, the skull flat rather than round with a very slight rise over the eyes but nothing approaching a stop. The hair on the skull should be moderately long and softer than the rest of the coat. The muzzle should be pointed, but the teeth and lips level. The nose should be black (in some blue fawns - blue) and slightly aquiline. In lighter coloured dogs, the black muzzle is preferable. There should be a good mustache of rather silky hair and a fair beard. Eyes should be dark - generally dark brown, brown, or hazel. A very light eye is not liked. The eye should be moderately full, with a soft look in repose, but a keen, far-away look when the Deerhound is roused. Rims of eyelids should be black. Ears should be set on high; in repose, folded back like a Greyhound’s though raised above the head in excitement without losing the fold, and even in some cases semi-erect. A prick ear is bad. The ears should be soft, glossy, like a mouse’s coat to the touch and the smaller the better. There should be no long coat or long fringe, but there is sometimes a silky, silvery coat on the body of the ear and the tip. On all Deerhounds, irrespective of the colour of coat, the ears should be black or dark coloured.
Neck:
The neck should be long - of a length befitting the Greyhound character of the dog. Extreme length is neither necessary nor desirable. Deerhounds do not stoop to their work like the Greyhounds. The mane, which every good specimen should have, sometimes detracts from the apparent length of the neck. The neck, however, must be strong as is necessary to hold a stag. The nape of the neck should be very prominent where the head is set on, and the throat clean-cut at the angle and prominent.
Forequarters:
Shoulders should be well sloped; blades well back and not too much width between them. Legs should be broad and flat, and good broad forearms and elbows are desirable. Forelegs must, of course, be as straight as possible. Feet close and compact, with well-arranged toes.
Hindquarters:
Drooping, and as broad and powerful as possible, the hips being set wide apart. A narrow rear denotes lack of power. The stifles should be well bent, with great length from hip to hock, which should be broad and flat.
Body:
General formation is that of a Greyhound of larger size and bone. Chest deep rather than broad but not too narrow or slab-sided. Good girth of chest is indicative of great lung power. The loin well arched and drooping to the tail. A straight back is not desirable, this formation being unsuited for uphill work, and very unsightly.
Tail:
Should be tolerably long, tapering and reaching to within 1-1/2 inches (4 cm) off the ground and about 1-1/2 inches (4 cm) below the hocks. Dropped perfectly down or curved when the Deerhound is still, when in motion or excited, curved, but in no instance lifted out of line of the back. It should be well covered with hair, on the side, thick and wiry, underside longer and towards the end a slight fringe is not objectionable. A curl or ring tail is undesirable.
Faults:
Big thick ears hanging flat to the head or heavily coated with long hair are bad faults. Loaded and straight shoulders are very bad faults. Cowhocks, weak pastern, straight stifles, and splay feet are very bad faults.
Disqualifications:
A white blaze on the head, or a white collar.
Points of the Deerhound arranged in order of importance:
1. Typical - a Deerhound should resemble a rough-coated
Greyhound of larger size and bone.
2. Movements - easy, active and true.
3. As tall as possible, consistent with quality.
4. Head - long, level, well balanced, carried high.
5. Body - long, very deep in brisket, well-sprung ribs and great breadth across hips.
6. Forelegs - strong and quite straight, with elbows neither in nor out.
7. Thighs - long and muscular, second thighs well muscled, stifles well bent.
8. Loins - well arched, and belly well drawn up.
9. Coat - rough and hard, with softer beard and brows.
10. Feet - close, compact, with well-knuckled toes.
11. Ears - small (dark) with Greyhound-like carriage.
12. Eyes - dark, moderately full.
13. Neck - long, well arched, very strong with prominent nape.
14. Shoulders - clean, set sloping.
15. Chest - very deep but not too narrow.
16. Tail - long and curved slightly, carried low.
17. Teeth - strong and level.
18. Nails - strong and curved.
Size:
Height:
Dogs from 30-32 inches (76-81 cm), or even more if there be
symmetry without coarseness, which is rare.
Bitches from 28 inches (71 cm) upwards. There is no objection
to a bitch being large, unless too coarse, as even at her greatest
height she does not approach that of the dog, and therefore
could not be too big for work as overbig dogs are.
Weight:
Dogs from 85-110 lb. (39-50 kg) in dogs, and
Bitches from 75-95 lb. (34-43 kg)
Temperment:
The Scottish Deerhound is gentle and extremely friendly. The breed is famed for being docile and eager to please, with a bearing of gentle dignity. It is however a true sighthound which has been selected for generations to pursue game, consequently most Deerhounds will be eager to chase. The Deerhound needs considerable exercise when young to develop properly and to maintain its health and condition. That does not mean it needs a large house to live in, however it should have regular access to free exercise in a fenced or otherwise "safe" area. Deerhounds should not be raised with access only to leash walking or a small yard, this would be detrimental to their health and development."Deerhound Character"
Young Deerhounds can sometimes, depending on the individual, be quite destructive especially when they are not given sufficient exercise; however, the average adult Deerhound may want to spend most of the day stretched out on the floor or a couch sleeping. They do require a stimulus, preferably another Deerhound, and a large area to exercise properly and frequently. They are gentle and docile indoors and are generally good around company and children (however they require supervision with young children due to their size).
Health:
Barring major medical emergencies, Deerhounds can be expected to live to approximately 9-11 years of age. The serious health issues in the breed include cardiomyopathy, osteosarcoma (bone cancer), bloat and torsion (GDV).
Life Expectancy:
11-12 Years
History:
The Scottish Deerhound is believed by some to have existed back to a time before recorded history. Its antecedents may have been kept by the Scots and Picts, and would have been used to help in providing part of their dietary requirements, namely from hoofed game (archaeological evidence supports this in the form of Roman pottery from around 2nd Century AD found in Argyll which depicts the deerhunt using large rough hounds these can be viewed at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh other evidence can be found on standing stones from around the 7th century AD reflecting the hunt using hounds, such as the Hilton of Cadboll Stone). In appearance the Scottish Deerhound is similar to the Greyhound and is likely to be closely related to the English greyhound. The environment in which it worked, the Scottish Highland Glens, contributed to the larger, rough-coated appearance of the breed. The Deerhound was bred to hunt red deer by “coursing”, and also “deer-stalking” until the the end of the 19th century with the advent of the modern rifle and smaller deer-forests, when controllable, slower tracking dogs were preferred to fast and far running Deerhounds. In coursing deer, a single Deerhound or more likely a pair of Deerhounds, would be brought as close as possible to red deer, then slipped to run one of them down by speed, which if successful would happen within a few minutes - rarely were there sustained chases. With the eventual demise of the clan systems in Scotland, these hunting dogs became sporting animals for landowners and the nobility, but when possible continued to be bred and hunted by common folk. Fast and silent hunters they made quick work of any game from a hare up and were highly regarded by the nobility and poachers alike. One of the most precarious times in the breed’s history seems to have been towards the end of the nineteenth century, when many of the large Scottish estates were split into small estates for sporting purposes, and few then kept Deerhounds for hunting deer. The new fashion was for stalking and shooting, which required only a tracking dog to follow the line of a wounded animal, and for which purpose a collie or similar breed was found to be more suitable. Although a few estates still employed Deerhounds for their original work, on most estates they became obsolete and the breed was left in the hands of a few enthusiasts, at which time they became a show breed. The Deerhound is closely related to the Irish Wolfhound and was the main contributor to the recovery of that breed when it was re-created at the end of the 19th century.
Sources:
Canadian Kennel Club Official Breed Standards - Scottish Deerhound
The New Encyclopedia Of the DOG by Bruce Fogle DVM Page 110
Wikipedia - Scottish Deerhound
