The history of the Scottish Deerhound is shrouded in mystery, folklore and myth. There is a lot of debate surrounding the Scottish Deerhounds as Greyhound types, both short hair and long hair, have existed all across the UK for many centuries. It’s well known that these large running dogs that came in various types were highly rated by the Scottish Picts and then later by the many Scottish clan chiefs. The breed in its current form can be traced back to the 16th century where it’s been continuously bred to hunt large red deer in the Scottish highlands.
In the 1800’s the breed began to dwindle in numbers due to a change in hunting methods but a few dedicated fanciers continued to keep and work the breed in remote areas of Scotland. The breed was also taken to America and Australia by British settlers, where it was widely used to hunt big game from wild pigs to kangaroos.
The Scottish Deerhound today is mainly used as a pet on British shores but its still used in its pure form and in crosses to hunt large game in Australia and America.
