General Dachshund Information from the AKC
In General Appearance, the
dachshund is 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.
In
Size, Proportion, and Substance, the dachshund is 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.
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.
1/28/06