Dachshund
Hound
Group
Breed Standard
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
Approved
April 7, 1992
Effective May 27, 1992