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Scottish Deerhound

The Scottish Deerhound is the taller and shaggier Scottish counterpart to the Irish Wolfhound, bred for coursing red deer in the Highlands from the 16th century.

Calculate Scottish Deerhound age
Lifespan10.5 yrrange 9–12
SizeGiantHound Group
Weight75–110 lb34–49.9 kg
Senior at5 yrgeriatric at 8

Gallery (3)

About

About the Scottish Deerhound

The Scottish Deerhound is the taller and shaggier Scottish counterpart to the Irish Wolfhound, bred for coursing red deer in the Highlands from the 16th century. The breed nearly disappeared in the 18th century after estate clearances and was restored by the Duke of Gordon's kennel.

Aging

How Scottish Deerhounds age

RVC VetCompass gives a median 10.5 years (n=617). Osteosarcoma is the defining cause of death — approximately 20% of mortality — with dilated cardiomyopathy and cystinuria (breed-specific inherited kidney disease) secondary concerns.

Lifespan deep-diveAvg 10.5 yr · range 9–12Senior careSenior at 5 · geriatric at 8Common health issues3 tracked conditions
Physical

Physical characteristics

Weight
75–110 lb(34–49.9 kg)
Height
28–32 in(71.1–81.3 cm)
Coat type
Wire
Colors
Blue GrayBrindleGrayGray BrindleBlackBlack BrindleBlue
Temperament

Temperament

How Scottish Deerhounds tend to show up around their people, other dogs, and the world.

gentledignifiedpoliteathletic
  • Energy
  • Trainability
  • Good with kids
  • Good with other dogs
  • Shedding
Health

Common health issues

Full health profile
  • Moderatetypical onset ~6 yr

    Adult-Onset Cardiac Disease (Echocardiogram)

    Description and veterinary guidance for Adult-Onset Cardiac Disease (Echocardiogram) land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~1 yr

    Congenital Cardiac Defect

    Description and veterinary guidance for Congenital Cardiac Defect land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

  • Low prevalencetypical onset ~7 yr

    Cataracts

    Description and veterinary guidance for Cataracts land in Phase 4. Prevalence and onset-age figures above are drawn from https://ofa.org/diseases/disease-statistics/.

Exercise
45min
per day

Scottish Deerhounds are satisfied by around 45 minutes of daily activity (energy level 3/5). Short, regular outings beat one long session.

Related

Related breeds

Breeds with a similar size and group profile, for readers comparing options.

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References

Sources

Lifespan and health figures on this page are drawn from the peer-reviewed and organizational sources below.

  1. AKC breed standardAmerican Kennel Club breed page

    Breed size, weight range, height, AKC group, origin, coat type, and temperament baseline.

  2. RVC VetCompassRoyal Veterinary College VetCompass life-table research (McMillan et al. 2024)

    UK primary-care records; source for the median-lifespan and mortality figures.