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Below you will find the Dachshund Breed Standard, which is the
"blueprint" of the perfect Dachshund as decided by a 2/3 majority
of the Dachshund Club of America, Inc. membership. DCA is the
parent club for
the Dachshund in the United States.
Other good ways to learn about Dachshunds are by talking to reputable
breeders by phone, email or at conformation shows in your area (after
exhibitors are finished showing). Find list of shows at www.akc.org
There are also several good books about Dachshunds written by people
who have spent their entire lives in the breed. Those include,
but are not
limited to, "The
Complete Dachshund" by Bruce & Dee Hutchinson and
"The
Dachshund: A Dog For Town and Country" by Ann Gordon.
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Dachshund
Breed Standard
Hound Group
General Appearance
Low to ground, long in body and short of leg with robust muscular
development, the skin is elastic and pliable without excessive
wrinkling. Appearing neither crippled, awkward, nor cramped in his
capacity for movement, the Dachshund is well-balanced with bold and
confident head carriage and intelligent, alert facial expression. His
hunting spirit, good nose, loud tongue and distinctive build make him
well-suited for below-ground work and for beating the bush. His keen
nose gives him an advantage over most other breeds for trailing. Note:
Inasmuch as the Dachshund is a hunting dog, scars from honorable wounds
shall not be considered a fault.
Size, Proportion, Substance
Bred and shown in two sizes, standard and miniature, miniatures are not
a separate classification but compete in a class division for "11
pounds and under at 12 months of age and older." Weight of the standard
size is usually between 16 and 32 pounds.
Head
Viewed from above or from the side, the head tapers uniformly to the
tip of the nose. The eyes are of medium size, almond-shaped and
dark-rimmed, with an energetic, pleasant expression; not piercing; very
dark in color. The bridge bones over the eyes are strongly prominent.
Wall eyes, except in the case of dappled dogs, are a serious fault. The
ears are set near the top of the head, not too far forward, of moderate
length, rounded, not narrow, pointed, or folded. Their carriage, when
animated, is with the forward edge just touching the cheek so that the
ears frame the face. The skull is slightly arched, neither too broad
nor too narrow, and slopes gradually with little perceptible stop into
the finely-formed, slightly arched muzzle. Black is the preferred color
of the nose. Lips are tightly stretched, well covering the lower jaw.
Nostrils well open. Jaws opening wide and hinged well back of the eyes,
with strongly developed bones and teeth. Teeth--Powerful canine
teeth; teeth fit closely together in a scissors bite. An even bite is a
minor fault. Any other deviation is a serious fault.
Neck
Long, muscular, clean-cut, without dewlap, slightly arched in the nape,
flowing gracefully into the shoulders.
Trunk
The trunk is long and fully muscled. When viewed in profile, the back
lies in the straightest possible line between the withers and the short
very slightly arched loin. A body that hangs loosely between the
shoulders is a serious fault. Abdomen--Slightly drawn up.
Forequarters
For effective underground work, the front must be strong, deep, long
and cleanly muscled. Forequarters in detail: Chest-- The
breastbone is strongly prominent in front so that on either side a
depression or dimple appears. When viewed from the front, the thorax
appears oval and extends downward to the mid-point of the forearm. The
enclosing structure of well-sprung ribs appears full and oval to allow,
by its ample capacity, complete development of heart and lungs. The
keel merges gradually into the line of the abdomen and extends well
beyond the front legs. Viewed in profile, the lowest point of the
breast line is covered by the front leg. Shoulder Blades--Long,
broad, well-laid back and firmly placed upon the fully developed
thorax, closely fitted at the withers, furnished with hard yet pliable
muscles. Upper Arm--Ideally the same length as the shoulder
blade and at right angles to the latter, strong of bone and hard of
muscle, lying close to the ribs, with elbows close to the body, yet
capable of free movement. Forearm--Short; supplied with hard
yet pliable muscles on the front and outside, with tightly stretched
tendons on the inside and at the back, slightly curved inwards. The
joints between the forearms and the feet (wrists) are closer together
than the shoulder joints, so that the front does not appear absolutely
straight. Knuckling over is a disqualifying fault. Feet--Front
paws are full, tight, compact, with well-arched toes and tough, thick
pads. They may be equally inclined a trifle outward. There are five
toes, four in use, close together with a pronounced arch and strong,
short nails. Front dewclaws may be removed.
Hindquarters
Strong and cleanly muscled. The pelvis, the thigh, the second thigh,
and the metatarsus are ideally the same length and form a series of
right angles. From the rear, the thighs are strong and powerful. The
legs turn neither in nor out. Metatarsus-- Short and strong,
perpendicular to the second thigh bone. When viewed from behind, they
are upright and parallel. Feet--Hind Paws--Smaller than the
front paws with four compactly closed and arched toes with tough, thick
pads. The entire foot points straight ahead and is balanced equally on
the ball and not merely on the toes. Rear dewclaws should be removed. Croup--Long,
rounded and full, sinking slightly toward the tail. Tail-- Set
in continuation of the spine, extending without kinks, twists, or
pronounced curvature, and not carried too gaily.
Gait
Fluid and smooth. Forelegs reach well forward, without much lift, in
unison with the driving action of hind legs. The correct shoulder
assembly and well-fitted elbows allow the long, free stride in front.
Viewed from the front, the legs do not move in exact parallel planes,
but incline slightly inward to compensate for shortness of leg and
width of chest. Hind legs drive on a line with the forelegs, with hocks
(metatarsus) turning neither in nor out. The propulsion of the hind leg
depends on the dog's ability to carry the hind leg to complete
extension. Viewed in profile, the forward reach of the hind leg equals
the rear extension. The thrust of correct movement is seen when the
rear pads are clearly exposed during rear extension. Feet must travel
parallel to the line of motion with no tendency to swing out, cross
over, or interfere with each other. Short, choppy movement, rolling or
high-stepping gait, close or overly wide coming or going are incorrect.
The Dachshund must have agility, freedom of movement, and endurance to
do the work for which he was developed.
Temperament
The Dachshund is clever, lively and courageous to the point of
rashness, persevering in above and below ground work, with all the
senses well-developed. Any display of shyness is a serious fault.
Special Characteristics of the Three Coat Varieties
The Dachshund is bred with three varieties of coat: (1) Smooth; (2)
Wirehaired; (3) Longhaired and is shown in two sizes, standard and
miniature. All three varieties and both sizes must conform to the
characteristics already specified. The following features are
applicable for each variety:
Smooth Dachshund
Coat--Short, smooth and shining. Should be neither
too long nor too thick. Ears not leathery. Tail--Gradually
tapered to a point, well but not too richly haired. Long sleek bristles
on the underside are considered a patch of strong-growing hair, not a
fault. A brush tail is a fault, as is also a partly or wholly hairless
tail.
Color of Hair--Although base color is immaterial, certain patterns
and basic colors predominate. One-colored Dachshunds include red (with
or without a shading of interspersed dark hairs or sable) and cream. A
small amount of white on the chest is acceptable, but not desirable.
Nose and nails--black.
Two-colored Dachshunds include black, chocolate, wild boar, gray (blue)
and fawn (Isabella), each with tan markings over the eyes, on the sides
of the jaw and underlip, on the inner edge of the ear, front, breast,
inside and behind the front legs, on the paws and around the anus, and
from there to about one-third to one-half of the length of the tail on
the underside. Undue prominence or extreme lightness of tan markings is
undesirable. A small amount of white on the chest is acceptable but not
desirable. Nose and nails--in the case of black dogs, black; for
chocolate and all other colors, dark brown, but self-colored is
acceptable.
Dappled Dachshunds--The "single" dapple pattern is
expressed as lighter-colored areas contrasting with the darker base
color, which may be any acceptable color. Neither the light nor the
dark color should predominate. Nose and nails are the same as for one
and two-colored Dachshunds. Partial or wholly blue (wall) eyes are as
acceptable as dark eyes. A large area of white on the chest of a dapple
is permissible.
A "double" dapple is one in which varying amounts of white coloring
occur over the body in addition to the dapple pattern. Nose and nails:
as for one and two-color Dachshunds; partial or wholly self-colored is
permissible.
Brindle is a pattern (as opposed to a color) in which black or dark
stripes occur over the entire body although in some specimens the
pattern may be visible only in the tan points.
Wirehaired Dachshund
Coat-- With the exception of jaw, eyebrows, and
ears, the whole body is covered with a uniform tight, short, thick,
rough, hard, outer coat but with finer, somewhat softer, shorter hairs
(undercoat) everywhere distributed between the coarser hairs. The
absence of an undercoat is a fault. The distinctive facial furnishings
include a beard and eyebrows. On the ears the hair is shorter than on
the body, almost smooth. The general arrangement of the hair is such
that the wirehaired Dachshund, when viewed from a distance, resembles
the smooth. Any sort of soft hair in the outercoat, wherever found
on the body, especially on the top of the head, is a fault. The
same is true of long, curly, or wavy hair, or hair that sticks out
irregularly in all directions. Tail-- Robust, thickly haired,
gradually tapering to a point. A flag tail is a fault. Color of Hair--While
the most common colors are wild boar, black and tan, and various shades
of red, all colors are admissible. A small amount of white on the
chest, although acceptable, is not desirable. Nose and nails--same as
for the smooth variety.
Longhaired Dachshund
Coat--The sleek, glistening, often slightly wavy
hair is longer under the neck and on the forechest, the underside of
the body, the ears, and behind the legs. The coat gives the dog an
elegant appearance. Short hair on the ear is not desirable. Too profuse
a coat which masks type, equally long hair over the whole body, a curly
coat, or a pronounced parting on the back are faults. Tail--Carried
gracefully in prolongation of the spine; the hair attains its greatest
length here and forms a veritable flag. Color of Hair--Same as
for the smooth Dachshund. Nose and nails--same as for the smooth.
The foregoing description is that of the ideal Dachshund. Any deviation
from the above described dog must be penalized to the extent of the
deviation keeping in mind the importance of the contribution of the
various features toward the basic original purpose of the breed.
Disqualification
Knuckling over of front legs
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