Dachshund AKC 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:
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