The
Dachshund Breed Standard
According
to
The
American Kennel Club
And
Endorsed By
The
Dachshund Club of
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 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 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 clean 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 though, 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 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 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 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