The Dachshund Standard
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Official Standard of the Dachshund 2007 Dachshund Club of America
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, giving a Roman appearance.
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 without
creating the impression of a right angle.
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 breast-bone 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 the 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. The inclined shoulder blades, upper arms
and curved forearms form parentheses that enclose the ribcage, creating
the correct “wraparound front.” 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 rear pastern are ideally the same
length and give the appearance of a series of right angles. From the
rear, the thighs are strong and powerful. The legs turn neither in nor
out. Rear pasterns -
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. Hind legs drive on a line with the
forelegs, with hock joints and rear pasterns (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. Rear feet do not reach upward toward the abdomen
and there is no appearance of walking on the rear pasterns. 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 and cream, with or
without a shading of interspersed dark hairs. 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 deep, rich tan or cream
markings over
the eyes, on the sides of the jaw and underlip, on the inner edge of
the ear, front, breast, sometimes on the throat, 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 of tan or cream 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 dapple (merle) 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.
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.
Sable – the sable pattern consists of a uniform dark overlay
on red dogs. The overlay hairs are double-pigmented, with the tip of
each hair much darker than the base color. The pattern usually displays
a widow’s peak on the head. Nose, nails and eye rims are black. Eyes
are dark, the darker the better.
Wirehaired
Dachshunds - 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 and patterns listed above
are admissible.
Wild boar (agouti)
appears as banding of the individual hairs
and imparts an overall grizzled effect which is most often seen on
wirehaired Dachshunds, but may also appear on other coats. Tan points
may or may not be evident. Variations include red boar and
chocolate-and-tan boar. Nose, nails and eye rims are black on wild-boar
and red-boar dachshunds. On chocolate-and-tan-boar dachshunds, nose,
nails, eye rims and eyes are self-colored, the darker the better.
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 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.