Conformation

There are six varieties of Dachshund, and consequently six Standards, though one of them is very brief. The first consideration in the Standard is headed "Characteristics". This describes the mental and physical attributes which separate the Dachshund from other breeds of dog; it is a description of the very special and distinctive individuality of the Dachshund. Characteristics (Smooth-haired): First and foremost a sporting dog, the Smooth Dachshund is remarkably versatile, being equally adaptable as a house pet; his smooth coat is impervious to rain and mud. His temperament and acute intelligence make him the ideal companion for town or country. In the field of sport he is unequaled, combining the scenting powers of a Foxhound with unflinching courage, and will go to ground to fox, otter or badger.

All Standards are agreed that the Dachshund is a sporting or hunting dog. He was bred for the purpose of hunting small game that goes to ground. To be a successful hunter the Dachshund must be alert, courageous and tenacious, with good scenting powers and fairly keen eyesight. He also requires a bark penetrating enough to be heard from below ground, and the lung power to both breath and bark for long periods in the confined space of the burrow or den.

The Long-haired Standard mentions that this variety is also suitable for water retrieving. The Wire-haired on account of his harsh, strong coat is very fitted for hunting dense cover. On the other hand, the Smooth-haired Standard points out that the Dachshund makes an intelligent house pet. The miniature varieties should possess all the characteristics of the standard varieties. They were evolved not as lap dogs but to hunt smaller game in as brave a manner as their larger relatives. As a judge, it is not possible to evaluate whether the dog in front of you possesses a keen nose or would be courageous in the hunt. Most of these desirable Dachshund characteristics will have to be taken for granted by the judge, and providing that the dog is not seen to be cringing in fear or falling asleep in the ring it must be assumed that, given the right stimulus, the dog would behave in the correct manner.

We know that a dog can be trained to appear alert or gay,perhaps,even to the extent of masking his true temperament. We are aware that any dog continually exposed to the same routine, in this case the show ring, will eventually become bored; his performance will therefore lack zest. It is sure that while the Dachshund is "lively", he is not "merry" in the same way as the Cocker Spaniel. He can well do without the petting or attention of strangers.

GENERAL APPEARANCE: Long and low, but with compact and well muscled body, not cripple, cloddy or clumsy, with bold defiant carriage of head and intelligent expression. These few lines really tell us very little; particularly if we have not already seen a Dachshund. The "sausage dog" depicted in cartoons and illustrations bears little resemblance to the dog seen in the show ring today. The Long-haired and Miniature Long-haired Standards give us measurements of comparison of height and length. These are rarely used either by breeders or judges, both preferring to rely on correct proportions judged by the eye. While a long and low dog is good, the longest and lowest dog is not necessarily the best. The overall conformation of the dog must fit within the requirements of the entire Standard and all exaggerations should be avoided. Lowness refers to the height of the dog as measured from the withers, or top of the shoulder, to the ground, and not nearness of the chest to the ground. Excessive depth of chest would contribute to an undesirable stuffy appearance, and make the dog unfit for hunting. It is emphasized by the Standard that the Dachshund must not be clumsy or cloddy. Apart from the too deep chest already touched upon, a dog short in neck, heavily loaded in shoulder, or too short in body,would also be clumsy.

On the other hand, the Dachshund must not go to the other extreme and be too light in bone or lacking in such body substance that he appears frail or, as the Long-haired and Miniature Long-haired Standards put it, "weasel-like". This frail appearance has been the bane of miniature varieties and is still more often seen in these than in the standards. What is required is a dog appearing long in proportion to his height off the ground, with ample bone and giving an appearance of strength and agility without any suggestion of coarseness or at the other extreme fragility. The reference to head carriage and expression is self-explanatory.

HEAD AND SKULL: Long and appearing conical when seen from above, and from a side view tapering to the point of the muzzle. Stop not pronounced, skull should be slightly arched in profile, appearing neither too broad nor too narrow. Jaw neither too square not snippy but strong, the lips lightly stretched fairly covering the lower jaw. This is fairly well described for all varieties. The main points to bear in mind are the conical shape of the whole head whether viewed from above or from the side. Conical must not be confused with wedge-shaped. The tapering from the back of the skull to the nostrils is gradual and the muzzle is fairly filled in under the eyes, not hollowed out leaving the eye protruding. The stop, which is that part between the skull and the fore face approximating the bridge of the human nose, should not be marked by a dip. There are bony ridges over the eyes. The skull and the fore face should lie as much on the same plane as possible. Roughly, the head should be the same length from the back of the skull to the eye as from the eye to the nostril. The muzzle arches slightly to the nose. The lips are not pendulous or loose but lie neatly along the mouth, following the gradual slope of the muzzle and almost covering the lower jaw.

EYES: Medium in size, oval and set obliquely. Dark in color, except in the case of chocolates, in which they may be lighter, in dapples one or both wall eyes are permissible. There is little to add to this description. It must be remembered that the set of the eye and the expression conveyed by it does much to aid the appearance of the dog, and reinforces the specials Dachshund characteristics as required by the Standard. Faults are large round eyes with a soft expression, and in reds and black and tans a light or yellow eye which gives an unpleasant, staring expression.

EARS: Broad, of moderate length, and well rounded (not narrow, pointed or folded), relatively well back high and well set on, lying close to the cheek, very mobile as in all intelligent dogs; when at attention the back of the ear directed forward and outward. Faults are very low set droopy ears which are often folded or pointed and not very mobile. A short small ear set on in a terrier manner. The ear should end a little below the jaw line and it is very untypical if the inside edge of the ear does not lie close to the head.

MOUTH: Teeth must be strongly developed. The powerful canine teeth must fit closely. The correct bite is a scissors bite, any deviation being a fault. The Standards are very definite on this point and briefly say “any deviation is a fault”. Many mouths are faulty to some degree. The most common fault seen is the overshot mouth, where the upper jaw protrudes over the lower jaw, giving the teeth a ‘buck-toothed’ appearance. An undershot jaw, where the upper and lower teeth meet edge to edge, is not often seen.The pincer bite is not objected to in some countries, and arguments in its favor have been advanced amongst Dachshund fanciers from time to time. Our Standard, however, demands a scissors bite. The teeth must be strong and white, not shelly or of a pearly texture. The jaw must not be so narrow that the teeth are overcrowded.

NECK: Sufficiently long, muscular, clean, no dewlap, slightly arched in the nape, running in graceful lines into the shoulders, carried will up and forward. This description is clear. Faults are: a short, thick neck, a long thin neck without any crest on the nape (ewe neck); and too much baggy skin or dewlap under the throat.

FOREQUARTERS: Shoulder blades long, broad and set on sloping, lying on fully developed ribs, muscles hard and plastic. Chest very oval, with ample room for the heart and lungs, deep and with ribs well sprung out towards the loins,breast bone very prominent. The front legs should, when viewed from one side, cover the lowest point of the breastline. Upper arm of equal length with, and at right angles to, the shoulder blade; elbows lying close to ribs, but moving freely up to should blades. Lower arm short as compared with other animals, slightly inclined inwards (crook), seen in profile moderately straight; not bending forward or knuckling over (which indicates unsoundness). The forequarters are probably one of the most important special characteristics of the Dachshund and deserve much consideration by the judge. The prominence of breast bone called for by the Standard, couple with the overall length and lowness of the dog, requires an exceptional thoracic structure. With the preference decreed by fashion, rightly or wrongly, for straight front legs on the Dachshund, without any ‘crook’ whatsoever, the shoulder placement has suffered to some degree. It is now a common fault to find the should blades set so far forward as to be almost up the dog’s neck. When the shoulder is forward set there is often little prominence of breast bone and, in fact, if it were possible to slide the shoulder blade back to the correct position, it would be seen that the dog was then short in body. The upper arm, when correctly placed and set at the correct angle to the shoulder blade, curves slightly around the chest before the joint of the lower arm. The whole front of the dog should represent an oval, with the lowest point of the oval being no lower than the dog’s wrists. Another common fault is the upright shoulder. In this instance the upper arm is shorter than the shoulder blade, and the angle of the joint of the two is not a right angle. The Straighter the shoulder the more obtuse this angle and the greater the danger of the dog knuckling over at the wrists. When the chest and the rib cage are too narrow in construction, and the dog is slabsided, the forelegs often come too close together and the dog’s feet are forced to turn outwards unduly in order to support the weight of the dog. The shoulder of the dog is attached to the body only by muscle and ligament, and it is required that the whole shoulder should move freely about the dog’s chest as he moves. From a front view, the points of the elbows should not be seen either when the dog is moving or standing still. If the shoulder is upright and short the elbows tend to swing out, and it sometimes happens that a great deal of unnecessary lumpy muscle builds up over this region to compensate for the engineering weakness.

Whole "hard and plastic" muscle is called for. It should be a smooth flowing muscle that does not distort the blinding of one part of the body with another, or mar the graceful curving outlines of Dachshunds. The unwritten law, mentioned earlier, which has decreed that the Dachshund shall have straight front legs is not written into the Standard in any variety. In discussing both the lower arm and the feet, the Standard uses the word "slightly" inclined inwards and the feet my be "slightly" turned outwards. Anything more than "slightly" in both cases means that the weight of the dog will not be evenly distributed on the feet.

BODY: Long and muscular, the line of the back slightly depressed at the shoulders and slightly arched over the loin, which should be short and strong; outline of the belly moderately tucked up. What is required is a general levelness of the back, the hindquarters (the rump) not being higher than the shoulders.” Here again the word "slightly" is used twice. The slight depression at the shoulder should not be more than the continuation of the slight slope off from the top of the shoulders, after which the line follows fairly levelly with a slight, well muscled rise over the loin. This slight muscled arch gives a pliability to the hindquarters. When in full gallop this area comes into great play as the dogs hind legs are gathered under the body before hitting the ground and propelling or pushing the dog forward. The "tabletop" or dead level backline is undesirable as, in this instance, the back is too rigid and the tail, which is a continuation of the spine, runs straight off the rump of the dogs, and is often carried away from the body in a hook shape known as a "steer tail". This type of topline is frequently seen. The roach back, in which the spine arches up directly behind the shoulder and runs in an arc to the croup, is fortunately not often seen in the ring.

As I mentioned under the heading "Forequarters", the rib cage is oval and the ribs should extend right back to a short loin. A long rib cage is most important, but it must not be flat on the sides so that the dog is narrow or slab-sided. Round or barrel ribs are not required. The underline is at its lowest point at the wrists and then follows a smooth, gentle curve into and along the belly. A sudden cut up in underline just behind the front legs is most undesirable. It denotes a short rib cage. If the dog is carrying a fair amount of weight, this cut up may not be seen until the dog is handled. In the case of the faulty dog which stands higher at the rump than at the shoulder, the topline is very incorrect. The cause of this defect generally lies in the construction of the hindquarters. A sagging or hollow back often comes with an over-long loin or shortness of the rib cage, and in some cases general lack of muscle tone. It is necessary, to be a typical specimen, that the body or trunk of the Dachshund must be long in proportion to height off the ground, but he trunk must also be strong and with no suggestion of slackness.

HINDQUARTERS: Rump round, full, broad; muscles hard and plastic; hip bone or pelvic bone not too short, broad and strongly developed, set moderately sloping, thigh bones strong and of good length, and joined to pelvis at right angles; lover thighs short in comparison with other animals; hocks well developed and seen from behind the legs should be straight not cow-hocked). The dog should not appear higher at the quarters than at the shoulders.” The angles at which the bones are jointed to each other, and the actual length of each bone, is the basis of a correct hindquarter. The whole hindquarter with the correct angulation must be well muscled and give an impression of great power. The pelvis is fairly long and set at a slight slope with the upper thigh bone (femur). The lower thigh bone (tibia) forms a right angle at the stifle or knee joint with the upper thigh bone. The lower thigh bone must not only be set at the correct angle but also must be of sufficient length to place the dogs hock bones clear of his rump. An imaginary line dropped from the rear of the rump should fall along the inside edge of the hock bone (tarsal bone).The hock bones which are short (and not to be confused with the hock, which is a joint), are vertical to the ground, and as seen from behind must be parallel to each other.

These hock bones must be far enough apart to support comfortably the well-muscled rump, but not so far apart that the dog seems to have a leg on each corner and moves with a straddled, ungainly action. Faults commonly seen are cow hocks, in which the hock bones are not parallel to each other but slope inwards so that the hock joints are close together and the feet spread apart; sickle hocks, in which case the hock bone is not vertical to the ground but slopes so that the feet are under the body ( in this instance the hock bone is generally too long and the hind action lacks drive); barrel hocks, in which the hock joints are so far apart and the feet so close together that the dog appears bandy. It frequently happens that the bones forming the hindquarters are too short and the angles, particularly between the tibia and the femur, are too obtuse. This gives a stilted appearance and can cause the dog to be higher at the rear than at the shoulder.

FEET: The front feet should be full, broad and close-knit, and straight or very slightly turned outwards, the hind feet smaller and narrower. The toes must be close together, with a decided arch to each toe, with strong, regularly-placed nails and firm pads. The dog must stand true, ie equally on all parts of the foot. There is not much to add here except to touch upon some faulty types of foot such as long thin feet which spread out at the toes. Sometimes the dog will be slack in pastern through lack of exercise, and the weight of the dog will then not be evenly distributed, but will press down on the back of the foot causing toes to turn up and the pads to become visible. The feet may be slightly turned outwards but should never turn towards each other (pin toed). Dew claws are permitted on the front feet but not on the hind feet.

TAIL: Set on fairly high, strong and tapering, but not too long and not too curved or carried too high. The tail set should follow the very slight drop of the croup and follow behind the dog in a gentle curve. If the tail is set on too high it is often carried too gaily which very much spoils the general appearance. In this case the tilt of the pelvis is also to blame, the whole rear end of the dog being at an incorrect angle. Roughly, the tail should just reach the ground if pulled down while the dog is standing.

COAT: Smooth-haired – short, dense and smooth, but strong. The hair on the underside of the tail coarse in texture; skin loose and supple, but fitting the dog closely all over, without much wrinkle. Being a hunting dog, the coat must be fairly thick and strong. A soft or velvety coat in Smooths is faulty. Suppleness of the whole skin is called for, but overmuch wrinkle on the front legs is undesirable, although I do not think a little matter very much.

Wire-haired – with the exception of the jaw, eyebrows and ears, the whole body is covered with a completely even, short, harsh coat and an undercoat. There should be a beard on the chin. The eyebrows are bushy. The hair on the ears is almost smooth. The main fault seen in the Wire-haired varieties is an over-abundance of coat which is generally of an incorrect soft, fluffy nature. At a distance the Wire-haired should look like a Smooth except for the longer hair as stipulated in the coat description.

Long-haired – Soft and straight or slightly waved, of shining color. Long under the neck, the under parts of the body and particularly on the ears, behind the legs, where it should develop into abundant feathering, and reach the greatest length on the tail, where it should form a flag. The feathering should extend to the outsides of the ears, where a short hair is not desirable. Too heavy a coat gives an appearance of undue plumpness and hides the outline. The coat should resemble that of an Irish Setter, giving the dog an appearance of elegance. Too much hair on the feet is ugly and useless. The correct coat of this variety is very beautiful. Its soft and oily texture gives the dog quite a good waterproofing. This coat must never be curly, fluffy or so thick as to mask the body of the dog and make him appear clumsy or coarse. In the Wire-haired and Long-haired varieties, apart from some difference in weight, the coat is the one thing that distinguishes them from the Smooth, but true Dachshund conformation must not be sacrificed for the coat.

COLOR: Any color other than white (except a white spot on breast). Nose and nails should be black. In red dogs, a red nose is permissible but not desirable. In chocolates and dapples, the nose may be brown or flesh colored. In dapples, large spots of color are undesirable and the dog should be evenly dappled all over. The first paragraph in this section is all important and a personal preference must not be allowed to mar judgement. From a glamour point of view, there is no doubt that a bright clear red is eye catching, but all shades of red, right through to pale fawn, are permissible, with the proviso that the points are dark. In black and tans it is preferable that the tan be rich and bright but not spreading over too great an area. There should not be so little tan on the black and tan that he appears somber.

WEIGHT: Dogs should not exceed 11.34kg (25lbs). Bitches should not exceed 10.43kg (23lbs), (Smooth-haired). It is recommended that dogs weigh from 9kg (20lbs) to 10kg (22lbs) and bitches from 8kg (18lbs) to 9kg (20lbs), (Wire-haired). As a rule Long-haired Dachshund are classified as follows: Middle weight up to 7.71kg (17lbs) for bitches and 8.16kg (18lbs) for dogs. Heavy weight over 7.71kg 917lbs) for bitches and over 8.16kg (18lbs) for dogs. The middle weights are best suited for badger and fox drawing and the heavy weights for tracking or hunting larger animals and for water work.The last named are also very useful for retrieving rabbits and waterfowl, (Long-haired). Weight must not exceed 5kg (11lb), (Miniature Smooth-haired). It will be noted that there are different weight requirements for each of the standard varieties. The heavy weight bracket in Longhairs sets no maximum limit. This cannot be carried to ridiculous lengths, such as a 23kg (50lbs) dog. Long-hairs are generally acceptable at about the same weight as Smooth-haired. The miniatures of all coats are strictly limited to a maximum of 5kg (11lbs).Miniature Long-haired are given an ideal weight of even less – “from 3.17kg – 4.57kg (7-9 lbs)”. However, in Australia, where scales are not in use in the ring, the miniature weight can only be guessed at, and this can often put the judge in a quandary. At no time should Dachshund type be sacrificed to size and a good but perhaps slightly overweight dog should be favored before a poor specimen of under 5 kg (11 lbs). However, because of their very nature, miniatures must be small

This lecture by the late Jacqueline Reading has long been regarded as a valuable tool in the understanding of the Dachshund.