The body is long and close to the ground, the legs are short, energetic and muscular, and the skin is elastic and supple, without wrinkles.
His mobility appears neither lame, awkward nor difficult. The head is confidently held up in great harmony and clarity, and the facial expression is intelligent and alert.
When hunting, he relies on his nose, his loud voice, and his unusual body structure, which makes him suitable for working underground or in the underbrush.
His keen sense of smell enables him to outperform other breeds by far. Note: Since he is a hunting dog, scars are a sign of honor and are not treated as defects.
Place of origin
Germany
Body type
Dachshunds can be categorized into two sizes, Standard and Miniature. The Miniature is not classified separately in breeding and dog shows, but in competitions it is classified separately as “11 pounds, under 12 months and larger”. The Standard size weighs about 16 to 32 pounds.
Head
The head is tapered (tapering toward the tip of the nose) when viewed from above or from the side.
The eyes are medium-sized, almond-shaped, dark-rimmed, with a pleasant, comfortable expression; they are not sharp; they are very dark in color. The bridge of the nose (over the eyes) is very strong and prominent. The presence of colored rings in the eyes is a very serious defect, except in the spotted-colored Dachshund. Ears positioned very near the top of the head, not too far forward, medium length, round, not too narrow, pointed or folded. The ears hang, and when moving, the front edge of the ear rests against the cheek and becomes part of the face.
The head is slightly rounded and arched, neither too wide nor too narrow, gradually tilting and transitioning past a slight, but perceptible stop to a delicate, slightly rounded muzzle. Black is the preferred color for the nosepiece.
The lips extend closely over the lower jaw. The nostrils are flared. The mouth can open wide, and the jaws, where they join the skull, are located behind the eyes, with strong bones and teeth.
Teeth: Powerful canines with close, clipped bite and. The clipped bite and are minor defects, the other bites and are serious defects.
Neck
Long, well-muscled, neat, free of bulk, with a slightly rounded arch to the back of the neck, which blends smoothly into the shoulders.
Torso
The trunk is long and fully muscled. In profile, the back (between the stifle and the short, slightly rounded loin) is as straight as possible. The body hanging loosely over the shoulder blades is a serious defect. Abdomen: slightly lifted.
Forequarters
In order to work effectively underground, the forequarters must be firm, deep and neatly muscled.
The ideal forequarters are : Chest . The sternum protrudes very strongly in front so that both sides show collapse or depression. When viewed from the front, the thorax is ovoid and extends down to the middle of the forearms.
It is surrounded by well-supported ribs, which are ovate and plump, yielding ample space for the heart and lungs to develop fully. The line of the thoracic floor gradually merges into the abdomen and extends fully over the forelimbs.
In profile, the deepest part of the underparts is hidden by the forelimbs. Scapulae . Long, broad, and sloping backward, resting firmly on top of the ample chest, with the horse-shoulder rump very close by, and the muscles hard and supple.
Upper Arm . Ideally of the same length as the scapula, at right angles to it, inclined backward, and close to the ribs, with the elbows close to the body, but capable of free movement. Forearm . Short, with hard but pliable muscles in front and on the outer side, and closely extending tendons on the inner and back, slightly curved inward. The distance between the joints (wrists) of the forearms and foot-claws is closer than that between the shoulder joints, so that the front does not look very straight; the joints being beyond are out of order. Footpaws . The forefeet are plump, close, compact, and complemented by moderately rounded arched toes and very hard, thick pads. The paws may all be slightly inclined outward. There are five toes, four of which are useful, tightly coupled, round-arched and strong, with short toenails. The forelimb wolf claws may be excised.
Hindquarters
Sturdy and well-muscled. The ideal structure of the pelvis, the first thigh bone, the second thigh bone, and the metatarsals are all of the same length and are connected to each other at multiple consecutive right angles. When viewed from behind, the thighs are firm and strong. The leg is neither bent inward nor turned outward. Metatarsals: short and strong, perpendicular to the second thigh bone; when viewed from behind, they are perpendicular and parallel to each other. Foot claw (hindfoot): smaller than the forefoot claw, with four closely fitting, rounded-arched toes and a thick padded foot. The entire foot paw is straight forward, and the paw is harmonious and bulbous as a whole, not just the toes. The hind wolf claws may be excised. Rump: long, rounded and plump, slightly submerged in the pronounced tail. Tail: Located on the extension of the spine, not crooked, twisted, or noticeably curved, nor overly jauntily raised.
Gait
Fluid and smooth. Good forward extension of the forelegs, without lifting the legs too high, in harmony with the driving action of the hindquarters. Correct shoulder structure and proper elbows allow for a spacious stride with a large stride length. When viewed from the front, the forelimbs do not move in absolutely parallel planes, but slightly inward to counteract the effects of too short a leg, and the width of the chest. The driving action of the hind limbs is in the same line as that of the forelimbs, and the fleur-de-lys (metatarsals) are neither bent inward nor turned outward. Hind leg drive relies heavily on his ability to fully extend his hind leg, which, when viewed from the side, extends forward to the same degree as it extends backward. The correct action of the hind stirrups is one in which the pads of the hind feet are clearly visible throughout the backward extension. The paws should be parallel to the direction of travel, neither swinging, crossing, nor interfering with each other. Short, undulating movements, swaying, high legged gaits, too close and too far when coming over or passing over are considered errors. The Dachshund must have a lively, sprawling action and the stamina to do his work.
Temperament
The Dachshund is resourceful, lively, courageous, somewhat rash, indefatigable when working above or below ground, and all the senses are very well developed. Any show of shyness is a serious defect.
Three different coat characteristics
Dachshunds have three different coat types; (1) short-haired, (2) bristly, and (3) long-haired, and come in two sizes: standard and miniature, both of which have the three coat types above. All of the looks described below include the two different sizes.
Short-haired type
The coat is short, smooth and sleek. Neither too long nor too thin. Ears should not look like leather.
Tail: Tapering towards the tip of the tail, but not excessively hairy. The hairs on the lower abdomen are long and sleek, and a partial block with stubby hairs is not a defect. A brush-like tail is a defect, as is a tail that is wholly or partly hairless.
COLOR OF THE HAIR: The basic color is not important though, definite styles and basic colors prevail. Single colors, red (with or without shades of darker, lighter brown scattered about) and cream. A small amount of white on the chest is permissible but undesirable. Noseglasses and toenails are black.
Bicolors, including black, chocolate, boar, gray (orchid), and camel (Isabella brown), each with brown markings above the eyes, on the sides of the jaws, on the lower lip, on the inside edges of the ears, on the front, on the chest, on the inside and back of the forelegs, on the pasterns of the feet, and around the anus and on the underside of the tail, extending 1/3 to 1/2 of the way down the tail.
Improperly prominent or too light brown markings are not desirable.
A small amount of white on the chest is permissible but undesirable.
Nostrils and toenails, black for black dogs; dark brown for chocolate and other colors, but its own color is acceptable.
Mottled, “single mottled” style, with a distinct range of lighter mottling, intersected by very dark undertones, can be any color possible. Neither light nor dark colors should predominate.
The noseglasses and toenails are the same as those of a single-colored weenie or a two-colored weenie. Part or all of the eye color is blue (with a color ring within the eye) and is as acceptable as a dark eye.
Mottled color dachshunds with large white markings on the chest are permitted. “Double mottling” is the presence of varying amounts of white mottling on the body of a mottled-colored dachshund, with the same snout and toenails as a monochromatic dachshund or bicolored dachshund.
Partially or partially its own color is also acceptable. A mottled color pattern (contrasting color) is black or dark markings all over the body, although, some mottled color Dachshunds can only see brown markings.
Bristle type
Coat: With the exception of the jaws, eyebrows, and ears, the body is covered with a uniformly close, short, thick, rough, and hard outer cloak of hair, with fine, soft, short hairs (undercoat) distributed among the rough hairs. Lack of undercoat is a defect. Characteristic facial hair includes whiskers and eyebrows. The ear hairs are shorter than the body hairs and are almost smooth.
The general arrangement of the bristly Dachshund’s coat, when viewed from a distance, is much the same as that of the short-haired Dachshund. If there are some soft hairs, regardless of the body, especially on the top of the head, they are defective. The correct length of hair, curly hair or wavy hair is the same. The hair is in irregular strips in different directions.
Tail: Robust, with thick hair that tapers toward the tip. A flat tail is a defect. COAT COLOR: Most colors are boar, black, brown, red with varying depths, all colors allowed. A small amount of white on the chest is acceptable but undesirable. Snouts and toenails: same as short-haired types.
Long-haired type
Coat: sleek, glossy slightly wavy coat with long hair below the neck, on the chest, under the body, behind the ears and legs. The coat gives him a civilized appearance.
Short hair on the ears is undesirable. Hair over and abundant, forming a mask, hair of uniform length over the whole body, curly coat, or distinctly differentiated on the back are defective.
Tail: Gently held up, on the extension of the spine. Hair reaches optimum length and forms a flag. COLOR OF HAIR: Same as the short-haired Dachshund. Nosepiece and toenails: as in the short-haired Dachshund.
NOTE: The preceding descriptions are of the ideal Dachshund, and all departures from the above descriptions are defects, and points are deducted according to whether the departures are important or not, and whether or not they defeat the purpose for which the different types of this breed were bred.
Disqualification
Joints over front legs.
