Old Deerhound Sheepdog

When it comes to understanding the significance of why a breed was created, the best place to uncover such things is at the beginning. For the Old Deerhound Sheepdog, there isn't much of beginning story to study as he is a relatively new hybrid breed. That's why we must look to the parent breeds to uncover the mystery behind why this particular hybrid breed is special and what his main purpose may be today. For instance, when we look closely at the origin story of the Old English Sheepdog, we discover something interesting. Despite his name being the Old English Sheepdog, he is actually one of the youngest sheepdog breeds to exist in England. Developed somewhere in South Central England, this sheepdog may have had a start as a herding animal, but by the time he was relatively well-known in the year 1885, his fame primarily came from being a show dog. Now, this didn't stop his herding nature in the slightest but people every where took a liking to the shaggy features and gentle disposition of the Old English Sheepdog and his talents were used in many different areas. The American Kennel Club registered the breed in the year 1888 and it didn't take long for this lovable breed to show up in movies and television shows, which caused their popularity to rise quickly between the years of 1960 and 1970. Nowadays, the Old English Sheepdog is still a showman, but he is also extremely popular as a family companion and watch dog. The Scottish Deerhound is one of the well-known ancient breeds who have been around since the 16th century. Part of the Greyhound family, the Deerhound was a slightly larger variation with the specific purpose of hunting and taking down deer; hence where he takes his name. Be it that this breed was so capable at bringing down the Highland Stag during hunting events, it is no surprise that the Deerhound was highly valued. In fact, these dogs were so popular that a lord convicted of a capital offense could actually buy his freedom back with a few Deerhounds! Unfortunately, even despite their popularity with the people of that time, nature has a way of diminishing the most valuable of things. Due to a decrease in large game, and the deterioration of the Scottish clan system during the 1700's, the population of Deerhounds became extremely low by the year 1760. Thankfully, Archibald and Duncan McNeil worked tirelessly to restore the breed a few years later and saved the Deerhound from complete extinction. To this day, Deerhounds are a rather rare breed, but they are still used to hunt coyotes, small game, and sometimes wolves. Besides hunting, the breed is used in shows all over the world and as the rare family companion. Due to the Deerhound's high energy level and hunting instincts, he will never be fully content as just a companion pet. The right family is needed to own this breed; one who is willing to get outside and give the Deerhound a purpose.