Scottish Lebrel: beauty, speed and elegance in a single dog
The Scottish lebrel is an unknown dog for the general public, since it is not common to see him outside his native country, where the Scottish Lebre them have become perfect companion dogs, which have not lost their hunting instinct.
- Weight: Around 45 kilos
- Hair type: Long and hard
- Character: Quiet and sociable
- Health: excellent
- Life expectancy: 8 to 10 years
Origins
As with many dog breeds, the origin of the Scottish lebrel is not clear, although due to its appearance it seems that comes from the same trunk as the English greyhound, to which it resembles a lot.
The belief is that it comes from the same bloodline as the English greyhound, but that the Scotsman evolved towards a larger size and hair for the climate of the Scottish highlands, where it is very cold.
Its size would also be related to the use of this dog, because unlike other greyhounds, it was not dedicated to hunting hares, but hunted deer. In fact, it was so appreciated that all the chiefs of the Scottish clans had several.
With the passing of the centuries He was about to extinction, because the appearance and development of firearms changed the way of hunting deer. To this also contributed the disappearance of the clans system and the fence of the farms.
So much so, that near the year 1800 there were hardly a few copies, although luckily there were fans who recovered this breed, getting to reach the present day.
Today its function is to be an excellent companion dog in its country of origin, since it is not well known outside of Scotland.
Main characteristics
The first thing that highlights from the Scottish Lebrel is its size, because SE classifies as a giant breed. Being a greyhound, the body is very thin and long legs, although it gives the feeling of being strong.
Due to the length of its legs it looks like a heartless dog, but we will not comment the same if we see it run, when it leaves us impressed to check how a dog that exceeds 70 cm is moved and that reaches 45 kilos.
He has an elongated head as well as snout, powerful and with a scissor bite that helped him when hunting.
Their ears rise folded when the dog is in full activity, but they are folded back if it remains at rest.
As for hair, different gray tones are admitted. It can also be red or fire red, yellow or grim. The mantle is rough, long, disheveled, forming mustache and beard, which gives it an expression of the most peculiar.
Character
We can define Scottish Lebrel as a quiet dog, very sociable and affectionate with people and dogs, although given their strength and size, it is convenient to do a socialization work with the puppy from very early ages.
They are good children's colleagues if they have socialized well, but when they are adults they are very friends with peace and tranquility, which means that they have to provide spaces in which they can take refuge to rest.
With other dogs they are very sociable, so that they are good candidates to live in a house where there are already other dogs, although this changes with smaller animals.
Although it is no longer used in hunting, its hunter instinct is very present. That means that you can try to hunt other small animals, among which are cats and even miniature dog races, so you have to be careful.
Since it is a dog with great force, it must be trained positively since it is young, since that will facilitate its handling when you are an adult.
It is not necessary to work in order to win an obedience contest, but you must learn the basic orders such as sitting, lying, stopping or coming to the call, which will make daily life easier with it.
Care
Among the main care to be given is the exercise. It is still a large lebrel, so you need to run every day in large spaces.
This means that it should not live in a floor, because its natural habitat is in a house in the field, although it is not a garden dog we can take from humans. He always asks for his love and that is why he has to always be next to the family.
Another care is related to the area in which it sleeps. Here, we must put a bed, otherwise you will suffer calluses and sores on the legs, which occur if you sleep in a hard place.
It is something that happens to most large dogs, because their weight causes pressure points when they lie on the ground.
Hair needs constant attention
Although it seems that hair will not require our attention, this is not. In fact, you will have to brush it every two days and daily when you move. In addition, for its type of hair it is a usual of the canine hairdressers, where they will do the trimming and the stripping occasionally.
Both techniques consist of tear the hair, which is very common in hard -haired dogs such as Scottish Lebrel.
We must space the bathrooms as much as possible and when we go to the field, it is always good to check the hair in case it brings parasites, scraps, pieces of branch, etc.
Feeding
As in all giant or large size races, food is essential when there is good body development. Therefore, and although you always have to take care of it, it is very important to be rigorous with it when they are puppies.
At this time, and very quickly, the Scottish lebrel must produce a huge amount of bone and muscles, so it will have to provide nutrients in order to do so.
You have to give you a specific feed for giant breeds
Within the market of dog feed We will find a huge variety, but in the case we are concerned, we are interested in the specific ones for giant dogs.
These feeds are formulated according to the nutritional requirements of these races, so since the Scottish Lebr is a puppy, it will have to be feed with feed of this type.
The brands take into account how the size of the croquette should be, what elements the dogs need in each part of their life, they can concentrate the nutrients so that the rations are lower, etc.
Luckily, Right now it is very simple, always choosing those that are of the highest quality for their composition.
How do we choose a quality feed?
Choosing a good feed is simpler than we think. We can choose to buy a recognized brand, but the truth is that we just look at your ingredient list.
Those of good quality will have meat suitable for human consumption. On the label, the ingredients are reflected so that the more there are more product amount.
Thus, the first element must be meat and feed will be better if it does not carry corn, barley or wheat, changing this source of carbohydrates for more suitable ones such as potato.
Health
The health of the Scottish Lebrel is very strong. In fact, unlike what happens with other races, we will not find just specific diseases here, with the exception of bone cancer.
Stomach torsion
One of the health problems most feared by giant dog breed owners is stomach torsion, that occurs when this turns on itself by a weakening of the tendons that hold it.
It is deadly if it is not treated in time, you have to act very quickly, and although it is not known much it seems that food binge contribute to the happening.
Therefore, it will be best to give the Scottish lebrel the food distributed in several portions, never before going to the field.
Hip dysplasia
Another of the diseases suffered by giant breeds is Hip dysplasia, which occurs when the femur joint does not fit well in the hip.
It has several causes, but they are almost always genetic and therefore it is convenient to ensure that the parents of the puppy we take home are free of the disease, something that today is very simple to certify.
It can also arise due to environmental causes, such as excess weight or force the animal to exercise when it is growing, so that care must be taken.
Depending on the degree of dysplasia, their symptoms can be alleviated with medications, but in the most serious cases the dog must pass through the operating room.
Bone cancer
Bone cancer is the only disease that affects more than normal to Scottish lebrel, or in other words, which is prone to its race.
It is a very aggressive type of cancer that is seen more in large breed dogs than in small size, and that usually kills the animal in a year at best, provided that radiotherapy is given.
Sometimes you can stop amputating the affected limb, if the cancer is there, but the truth is that once it is detected, the best thing is that we are doing the idea that our friend has little time to life.
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