The Scottish Deerhound is a giant sighthound of ancient lineage, bred to course and bring down red deer across the Scottish Highlands. Picture a Greyhound built on a far larger frame and clothed in a rough, wiry coat, and you have the Deerhound: tall, powerful, and astonishingly fast, yet famously gentle, dignified, and calm. Sir Walter Scott called his Deerhound "the most perfect creature of heaven," and owners tend to agree. This is a soft-natured, devoted dog that combines an athlete's drive in the field with a couch lover's serenity at home.
Two things define training a Deerhound: its size and its sighthound nature. Like all sighthounds it is independent, bred to chase and decide on its own at a distance, so it is not a reflexively obedient breed and has a powerful prey drive. At the same time it grows enormous, so the manners you allow in a puppy become serious matters in an adult, and its joints need protecting as it grows. It is also deeply sensitive and cannot tolerate harsh handling. Train gently, install manners early, manage the prey drive with secure space, and respect the breed's softness, and you get one of the most graceful companions there is.
This guide covers what works with a Scottish Deerhound, week by week, built around how a gentle giant sighthound actually learns.
What Makes Training a Deerhound Different
Four breed traits shape your approach.
1. Independent, with a strong prey drive. As a coursing sighthound, the Deerhound was bred to spot and chase game on its own. A fleeing animal triggers an immediate, committed pursuit, and recall around movement is the hardest skill you will teach. Off-leash freedom in unfenced areas is genuinely unsafe given the breed's speed.
2. Size makes manners urgent. A Deerhound puppy becomes a dog that can stand taller than a table on its hind legs. Polite greetings, loose-leash walking, and calm behavior must be taught early, while the dog is still manageable, because there is little margin for error with a giant.
3. Extremely gentle and sensitive. Behind the imposing size is a tender, soft temperament. Harsh corrections, raised voices, or pressure shut a Deerhound down and damage trust. Calm, encouraging, reward-based training is the only approach that works, and the breed bonds closely and dislikes isolation.
4. Slow-growing joints and a need to run. Giant breeds grow for a long time, so high-impact exercise and jumping should be limited until the dog matures to protect its joints. As an adult, though, it needs regular chances to run in a safe, enclosed space, after which it is a famous couch potato.
Week-by-Week Training Plan for Your Deerhound
Below is the framework we use at TailorPup for a Deerhound-specific 12-week plan. Run it at home; the order and emphasis are the point.
Weeks 1 and 2 : Foundation and Socialization
Build engagement with high-value, gentle rewards and socialize broadly while the puppy is small and impressionable. Run three to four short sessions a day: name, mark eye contact, reward warmly. Introduce calm handling early, because a giant dog must accept being touched and examined. Our puppy basics guide covers the foundations.
Weeks 3 and 4 : Core Commands
Lure sit and down, mark, reward, and add cues once reliable, expecting an independent learner who needs a genuine reason to comply. Prioritize a reliable settle and polite greeting, the manners that matter most in a future giant. Keep sessions short, gentle, and upbeat.
Weeks 5 and 6 : Loose Leash Walking (While It Is Easy)
Teach loose-leash walking now, while you can still physically manage the dog, because an adult Deerhound is immensely strong. Use stop-and-stand: stop the instant the leash tightens, advance only when it loosens. A front-clip harness helps, and a secure martingale prevents backing out, since sighthound necks slip flat collars.
Weeks 7 and 8 : Recall (Manage Expectations)
Build recall on a long line in low-distraction areas, jackpot every success, and never call the dog for anything it dislikes. Be realistic: even a trained Deerhound is not reliable off-leash around running game in the open. Treat the long line and secure fencing as permanent tools, not temporary aids.
Weeks 9 and 10 : Channeling Energy and Joint Care
Give the breed safe outlets for its need to run: free galloping in a securely fenced field, lure coursing, and gentle play. Keep exercise low-impact while the dog is growing, favoring flat running over jumping and stairs, to protect immature joints. A Deerhound that gets to stretch out at speed is serene at home.
Weeks 11 and 12 : Generalization
Prove the skills in the real world: calm loose-leash walking past distractions, recall inside fenced areas with mild temptation, and settling, which Deerhounds do beautifully. A Deerhound that is polite at home but not in public is only partly trained, and these last two weeks lock in the manners a giant needs.
Common Deerhound Training Mistakes
Three mistakes show up repeatedly with this breed.
Mistake 1 : Trusting off-leash recall. The prey drive and speed make an unfenced Deerhound a real risk; one can be out of sight in moments after deer or smaller animals. Treat open spaces as long-line or securely fenced only, and accept that reliable off-leash freedom is not realistic.
Mistake 2 : Delaying manners or over-exercising a growing giant. Postponing leash and greeting training leaves you with an unmanageable adult, while hard running and jumping stress immature joints. Train manners early and keep a young Deerhound's exercise low-impact until it matures.
Mistake 3 : Using harsh handling. The Deerhound is exceptionally gentle and shuts down under corrections. Keep everything calm and reward-based. The full list is in our Scottish Deerhound training mistakes guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Scottish Deerhounds easy to train ? They are among the more challenging breeds for formal obedience, being independent, sensitive sighthounds. They are intelligent and willing for those they trust, but need gentle, motivating training and realistic expectations, especially for recall.
Can I let my Deerhound off-leash ? In a securely fenced area, yes, and the breed needs that space to run. In open, unfenced spaces, no; the prey drive and speed make recall unreliable. A long line and secure fencing are essential.
How much exercise does a Scottish Deerhound need ? An adult needs regular chances to gallop in a safe, enclosed space plus daily walks, after which it is famously calm indoors. Keep a growing puppy's exercise low-impact to protect its joints.
Why is my Deerhound so calm indoors but wild outside ? That is classic sighthound character: a powerful sprinter built for short bursts of intense chase, paired with a serene, low-key house dog. Give it safe outlets to run and it is content to lounge the rest of the day.
Are Scottish Deerhounds good family dogs ? Yes. They are gentle, dignified, and affectionate, and good with respectful children, though their size means supervision around small kids. They bond closely and do poorly when isolated from their people.
Is positive reinforcement effective for Deerhounds ? It is the only approach that works well. The sensitive breed shuts down under harshness, while gentle, motivating, reward-based training earns cooperation from an otherwise independent hound.
How big do Scottish Deerhounds get ? They are one of the tallest breeds, with males often reaching 30 to 32 inches at the shoulder and well over 85 pounds. That size is exactly why early manners and gentle handling matter so much.
Why TailorPup Was Built for Scottish Deerhounds
A generic plan ignores what defines this breed: the independence, the prey drive, the sheer size, and the gentle sensitivity. That mismatch is why standard advice leaves Deerhound owners with an unmanageable or anxious dog.
TailorPup builds a 12-week plan around your specific dog: its sighthound nature, its age, and the behaviors you are seeing. For a Deerhound that means gentle reward-based methods, early manners while the dog is small, a realistic recall approach with long-line and fencing built in, safe outlets for the need to run, and joint-protective exercise planning.
Daily 12-minute sessions plus weekly adjustments based on your dog's progress. Free for 7 days, no card required.
Start your Scottish Deerhound's plan free at tailorpup.com →
Related: Scottish Deerhound Training Mistakes · Recall Training · Leash Pulling · Puppy Training Basics