Deerhounds are very adept at spending hours and hours on the living room sofa. But one should not be deceived by this furry couch potato act... mere seconds after being set free on a field a pair of Deerhounds is likely to be zooming past onlookers at breath-taking speed. Given half a chance and a lot of your time, a Deerhound will gladly don a mask, put on his or her running shoes and speed away, trying to...

Catch That Bunny !

Reetu at high speed. Kerava, May 1998.

Watching your Deerhound chase after the cloth lure you can see glimpses of the fierce yet kind hunting hound of the Celts who was only as good as his last catch. Combining the speed and stamina needed to catch a deer with the strength required to bring it down, a running Deerhound is a majestic sight. Unlike some other large sighthound breeds the Deerhound typically shows little need to slow down towards the end of the run.

Dora and Peppi, unleashed at last ! Helsinki, September 1998.

Coursing competitions are very popular in Finland. They are strictly for fun and the athmosphere at the races is usually very relaxed. For many dog owners participating in the competition is a great way of meeting other dog owners, exercising their dog and having a lots of fun all at the same time ! And the hounds love it ! The number of Deerhounds participating in coursing events is rather small and thus our great breed is often not present at all in a given race.

Isla showing off her incredible acceleration. Lohja, September 1998.

This page is dedicated to the racing Deerhounds. A word of warning to all rabbits, hares and other bunnies reading this: The following links may contain some rather frightening pictures and should not be viewed by long-eared readers of less than ten months of age.

Kerava, May 1998
Coursing Meets in 1999
Finnish Coursing Champion 2000
Track Meet in 2001
Finnish Coursing Champion 2001

More Deerhounds

Back to the front page