Standards
Breed Standard (per AKC)
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
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