Dachshund - Breed Standard (American)

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.