The harsh, wiry coat is either dark blue-gray or brindle in color.
Scottish Deerhounds are quiet and dignified, though keen and alert.
Although they are not aggressive, they have great persistence and indomitable courage, when necessary. They are dependable and loyal, and excellent with children. They love their owners and, despite their grand size, will try to squeeze into the smallest space to get as close as possible to them. The origin of the breed is of such antiquity, and the earliest descriptive names bestowed on it so inextricably mixed, that no sound conclusion can be arrived at as to whether the Deerhound was at one time identical with the ancient Irish Wolfdog and, in the course of centuries, bred to a type better suited to hunt deer, or whether, as some writers claim, he is the descendant of the hounds of the Picts. Very early descriptive names were used to identify the purpose of the dog rather than to identify species.