- Dark blue-grey, darker and lighter greys or brindles and yellows, sandy-red or red fawns with black points.
- Permissible: A white chest, white toes and a slight white tip to stern but the less white the better, since it is a self-coloured dog
- A white blaze on head or white collar unacceptable
About the Deerhound
Origin: Great Britain- FCI status
- Recognised by FCI
- FCI group
- Sighthounds
- Origin
- Great Britain
- Also called
- Lebrel Escoces
- Known hereditary risks
- Not researched yet
About
What the breed standard says
- Bred for
- Racing dog, hunting dog, companion
- Behaviour and temperament
“The build suggests the unique combination of speed, power and endurance necessary to pull down a stag, but general bearing is one of gentle dignity. Gentle and friendly. Obedient and easy to train because eager to please. Docile and good tempered, never suspicious, aggressive or nervous. Carries himself with quiet dignity”
Quoted from FCI standard n°164. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Characteristics
- Size
- —
- Exercise needs
- —
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- Not researched yet
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Deerhound
What you get with the Deerhound
- Purpose stated in the standard: “Racing dog, hunting dog, companion”
- The standard describes the breed as: “The build suggests the unique combination of speed, power and endurance necessary to pull down a stag, but general…”
What you are taking on
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “Shaggy, but not over-coated. Woolly coat unacceptable.”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FCI breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FCI standard · Deerhound
Coat and colour
As the FCI standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible.
Coat
Shaggy, but not over-coated.
Woolly coat unacceptable.
The correct coat is thick, close-lying, ragged
harsh or crisp to the touch.
Hair on body, neck and quarters harsh and wiry about 8 cms to 10 cms long
that on head, breast and belly much softer.
A slight hairy fringe on inside of fore- and hindlegs
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FCI’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FCI standard n°164 — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
What the breed standard says
- Size
- “Males: minimum desirable height at the withers 76 cms. Weight about 45.5 kgs. Females: minimum desirable height at the withers 71 cms. Weight about 36.5 kgs”
- FCI gives a bound on one side only, so there is no range to state.
Quoted from FCI standard n°164. It describes the breed the registry recognises, not any individual animal.
Breed-level information from The Dog API. It describes the Deerhound in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
What to ask for in a Deerhound
No breed-specific health panel has been written up for the Deerhound on this platform yet. That is a gap in our records, not a clean bill of health — ask the breeder which hereditary conditions their lines are tested for, and ask to see the results for both parents, dated and from a named laboratory.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Deerhound owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Puppies
No puppies listed right now
No Deerhound breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.