This breed has had many names over the centuries, including Fleethound, Rough Highland Greyhound, Rough-coated Greyhound, Rough Greyhound, Scotch Greyhound, Scotch Deerhound, Highland Greyhound, Scottish Wolfhound, Wolfdog and Staghound. It was originally employed to hunt wolves but, when the wolves began to disappear, it was later developed as a deer-coursing breed. In France it is the Levrier Ecossais, in Germany the Schottischer Hirschhund, in Spain the Lebrel Escocs.
Scotland for at least 500 years. Early in its history, the breed now known as the Deerhound was essentially the same as the Irish Wolfhound, and was then called the Scottish Wolfhound. But over a period of time it grew slightly smaller, as its main quarry changed from the (now vanishing) wolf to the (still plentiful) deer.
The great, gangling, wire-haired Deerhound was immensely popular as a deer- courser in Scotland up until the 18th century, but when efficient firearms arrived in the Highlands, its usefulness was greatly diminished. It was kept on as a prized possession in some regions, but its numbers inevitably began to dwindle. Then, at the beginning of the Victorian period, in the early 19th century, it returned to favour with a number of breeders. Although it has never again been particularly common (because of its huge size and need for great running spaces), it is now safely preserved for the future by devoted enthusiasts and remains one of the most dramatic of all dog breeds.
When not hunting, this is said to be an unusually gentle dog wistful, polite, graceful, elegant and gentlemanly in its behaviour towards its owners. Surprisingly, this glamorous breed is most common today, not in its native Scotland, but far away in South Africa.
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