Here is the "official" AKC standard for Dachshunds. The following characteristics are of the "perfect" Dachshund.
General Appearance
Low to the 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 a 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
Don't be discouraged if this sounds very "technical" at first! I am still getting used to identifying the good points of a dachshund from less desirable points. Time & Study will help. It is important to know what the ideal dachshund should look like even if you only want a dachshund for a pet and now show.
Visit Brandachs, Calabel &
Duchwood to see dachshunds that very closely fit the above AKC description!
Remember no dog is perfect but some come pretty close
