meet the... Scottish Deerhound

Head

• General Appearance: Fairly dolichocephalic skull type, long, large, but appearing proportionate in size to the rest of the body. It tapers just slightly from the ears toward the nose. The topskull is fairly broad to allow for sufficient substance and power but never so broad as to appear bulky or coarse. It appears flat when felt or viewed from the front or in profile. The head is clean-cut and without excess skin or wrinkles.
• Expression: Gentle, soft, alert, noble, self-confident, and self-composed.
• Stop: The stop is slight and almost non-existent.
• Skull: The ideal muzzle-to-skull ratio is 1:1, with the topskull being equal to the muzzle.
  The ideal muzzle-to-skull axis is parallel.
• Muzzle: The muzzle is long, full, deep, and broad in comparison to the skull. The plane, or bridge of the muzzle, is straight or may have just a very slight bump toward the end before the nose. The upper and lower jaws are well developed, approximately equal in length, and have good bone substance, never appearing snipy or weak. There is a slight, almost imperceptible taper to the muzzle.
• Lips or Flews: The lips are well pigmented, clean, and fit tightly over the teeth and jaws.
• Nose: The nose is well-pigmented and black. The nostrils are well opened.
• Cheeks: The cheeks are well-filled to denote strength. They are never coarse or bulky. They should never appear chiseled.
• Dentition and Bite: Forty-two strong, clean, and white teeth. The bite may be level or scissor. Contact must be made between the top and bottom incisors. Missing or broken teeth due to routine work are not to be penalized.
• Eyes: Moderate in size, oval to almond in shape, and hazel to dark brown in color, with darker eyes preferred. The eye rims are well-fitted and well-pigmented. The eyes are never bulging. There should be sufficient bone in the surrounding orbital sockets to protect the eyes. Any signs of entropion or ectropion are incorrect for this breed.
• Ears: Small in size (the smaller, the better), set high and far apart on the skull, and rose in shape. In repose, they are folded slightly backward, and when alert, they are fly-away, hanging with tips away from the head. The ears are never long, overly large, flat against the head, fully erect, drop, or button.

Body and Tail

• General Description: Fairly large and substantial, denoting endurance, speed, and power without appearing racy or bulky. The body is somewhat long. The width at the forequarters is approximately equal to the width at the hindquarters.
• Neck: Moderate length allows for proud head carriage. Strongly muscled and well-arched. The neck tapers smoothly from the deeper and broader body toward the head. The neck is clean-cut and without excess skin, throatiness, or dewlap.
• Chest: Deep and broad but never wider than deep. The brisket extends to the point of the elbows or just below.
• Topline: Level from slightly prominent withers to loin. The back is broad and long without appearing weak, strongly muscled, and straight, yet supple. The loin is taut and slightly arched, yet supportive. The topline is never completely flat, short, swayed, dipped behind the withers, sloped, or roached.
• Croup: Broad between the hipbones, long and sloped.
• Underline: Well tucked-up, but not wasp-waisted. The underline is taut and firm, without any indication of sagging or excess weight.
• Ribs: Long, well-sprung, well-laid-back, and oval-shaped, never barrel-chested or slab-sided.
• Tail: Set neither high nor low on the croup but as a natural extension of the topline. It is thick at the base and tapering toward the tip. The tail is carried in accordance with the dog’s mood and energy level but never tucked or carried up over the back. The tail is long, with the tip of the last vertebrae extending to the hock joints when held down. The tail may be straight or gently curved.

Forequarters and Hindquarters

• Forequarters: The forequarters are always balanced with the hindquarters and well-angulated with well-laid-back shoulder blades. The shoulder blades are long and approximately equal in length to the upper arm and forearm.
• Elbows: The elbows are close to the body. The point of the elbows is approximately half the dog’s height at the withers.
• Forelegs: Frontal View: Straight, long, of good muscle, sturdy, of solid bone, and parallel to one another.
  Side View: The forelimbs appear straight with strong pasterns.
• Pasterns: Never weak or broken.
• Hindquarters: The upper and lower thighs are long and equal in length, strong, sturdy, solid bone, and well-muscled.
  Rear View: When viewed from the rear, the rear pasterns are parallel to one another.
  Side View: Good angulation will allow the rear toes to align with the point of the rump or within one to two paw-lengths behind the point of the rump, with the rear pasterns remaining perpendicular to the ground and parallel to one another.
• Stifle Joint: Well-angulated with a good bend to well-let-down rear pasterns.
• Stifle Joint: The angulation of the hindquarters is always in balance with the angulation of the forequarters.
• Feet: Oval to round and compact, with well-arched toes and tough pads.

Coat

• Skin: Well-fitted, yet supple. The skin should never obstruct the outline of the dog.
• Coat Type: Double-coated, shaggy, rugged, with a protective, hard, rough, wiry outer coat that forms a beard and brows on the head and a dense, soft undercoat. The coat on the ears is naturally short and soft, akin to that of a mouse coat. There is no fringing of the tail. The coat should never be silky, wooly, curly, or soft.
• Coat Color or Pattern: Any shade of gray, brindle, or fawn. Minimal white or light white trim is permissible.

Movement

Tireless, effortless, efficient, and energetic for their size, the characteristics of a healthy structure are evident. When moving away, the forelegs and rear pasterns should remain parallel to one another. When viewing movement from the front, the forelegs should remain parallel, with elbows and paws moving neither in nor out. From the rear, the back pads should be visible when the rear legs are extended. As speed increases, the forelimbs and hindlimbs will converge to the centerline of gravity. From the side, the topline should remain firm and level. Good reach of movement in the front allows the forepaw to extend out in line with the nose. When extended, the width between the forefeet should be approximately equal to the width between the hindfeet when extended, indicating balance, good reach, and good drive. Dogs that exhibit any sign of breathing or locomotive difficulty shall be disqualified from the show ring.

Temperament

Although their immense size and rugged appearance can look imposing, the Scottish Deerhound breed is a gentle giant. The breed is known renowned for its calm, gentle, and kind-hearted nature. Puppies are naturally more rambunctious, but as they mature and approach adult sizes, they become less active—until they are given the opportunity to hunt, that is. While on the chase, they can be fierce and tenacious.

Faults

All dogs should be in proper healthy condition, free from disease or defect. Any departure from this description is considered a fault. Unless altered, all male dogs should have two fully descended testicles.