Wolfhound is the name of a family of dogs made up of three breeds—the Irish wolfhound, the borzoi or Russian wolfhound, and the Scottish deerhound. The Irish dog is the largest of all dogs, although not the heaviest. It was the companion of kings in ancient Ireland, and is still used for hunting.
The borzoi resembles the greyhound except for its long, luxuriant coat. This breed of wolfhound was developed by the Russian czars. The czars used these dogs to chase after wolves.
The Scottish deerhound descended from the staghound and other large breeds once used for stalking deer. It is a large, striking dog.
