Origins
Hunting sighthounds such as Greyhounds and Scottish Deerhounds accompanied early settlers as they spread across Australia, providing meat for their masters by catching game animals such as emus, kangaroos and wallabies. They also protected the early pioneers' sheep flocks against dingoes.
The best of these dogs were bred together, to combine the qualities of each breed to create a running dog that could cope with Australia's harsh and rugged conditions. The Greyhound was used for its speed and fantastic eyesight, while the Deerhound blood added tougher feet, a thicker coat, a more powerful body and excellent stamina. There is evidence that other running and working dog breeds such as Borzoi, Whippet, Saluki and Irish Wolfhound were added into the mix, but the majority of the heritage comes from greyhound and deerhound lines.
From these breeds two separate yet similar types emerged, the smooth-coated Kangaroo Dogs, and the rough-coated Australian Staghounds. Both types are noted for their great speed, excellent stamina and powerful bodies.
Read more about this topic: Kangaroo Dog
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