HeavenlyHund Reg'd Hounds

THE DACHSHUND - DECIDE

Place this male Dachshund class in order of merit from one to six. Each male contributes a variety of virtues and faults, some serious, some superficial. Between the six, almost every physical breed characteristic you might encounter in the show ring is represented. Place them in order.

PROPORTIONS

Posed in profile in much the same order they might position in the show ring, you might first consider optimum proportions (formulated by me in 1983 and adopted by the Dachshund Club the following year). They are: "One head length equals neck length; tail length, and body depth. And, three head lengths equal length of the body from breastbone to buttock is also twice as long as height. The best three of these six Dachshunds possess optimum proportions.
 

 

FIRST PLACE

First place would go to Dachshund E. This is the illustrated ideal I formulated in 1983 to describe optimum proportions. Care at that time was taken to include and make obvious those characteristics deemed important by breeders. The skull is only slightly arched, the less stop the better (the pronounced bridge bones over the eyes should not be confused with stop); the muzzle is slightly arched; the skull and muzzle taper towards the nose. Ears are set near the top of the head, of correct length, not pointed or folded. The size of the head is in balance with body.

This example is correctly "Low to ground, short-legged, long-bodied." For those more familiar with less unorthodox breeds, this excerpt complemented by my drawing still requires elaboration. It helps to be aware that unlike orthodox breeds where the elbow is level with the bottom of the chest, the Dachshund's elbow positions well above the bottom of the chest. The foreleg is short, but the Dachshund is also low to the ground because its body is brought down between the elbows and rests over the curved inner surface of the upper arms.

Describing part of the Dachshund's foreleg in profile with emphasis on the above-the-bottom-of-the-brisket position of the elbow increases appreciation, but it is the shape of the front leg viewed head-on where there is most confusion. Perhaps it is the description in the Standard (". . . so the front leg does not appear absolutely straight") which, although true, is the cause. A half-dozen different interpretations here and abroad (some promoting a perfectly straight leg) have only added to the mix-up.

Correct interpretation is better understood depicted than described. The foreleg of the illustrated ideal shown here viewed head-on, is straight not from the elbow down, as is the case with most breeds, but is instead (because of the high position of the elbow) straight only from the wrist down. The forearm between the wrist and the elbow curves around the body.

SECOND PLACE

Second place goes to the young dog, Dachshund A. He still lacks depth of body which in all likelihood will come with maturity. Even if depth never fully comes, this Dachshund is very sound together with excellent proportions. Perhaps because of immaturity the arch over the loin is a bit more pronounced than the first place dog, but where the back should be level - between the withers and the arch - the topline is all it should be. The good tail set is a continuation of the spine above sound hindquarters. This dog is also sound in front, the slight slope to the pastern bringing support directly under its forequarters assembly.

THIRD PLACE

Third place goes to Dachshund D. Structurally, this example resembles the first place dog with the exception of four minor faults: the ears are folded, a minor fault that often goes unnoticed; the short head is noticeable, disturbs many, as does this dog's dewlap, yet the Standard labels them both as minor faults; the fourth obvious fault is the kink in the tail. The Standard makes no mention of kink. Kinks occurring in Longhairs have been known to greatly upset some breeder-judges; but until it is identified as a serious problem, it continues to be considered a minor fault.

FOURTH PLACE

Fourth place goes to Dachshund B who has many good points to offset its obvious faults. Virtues of head, neck, body, shoulders, bone, pelvis and feet are some. Four obvious faults are: a short upper arm; no slope to pastern; overly long rib cage; and... oh yes... low set ears (a minor fault).

His short upper arm, which brings the elbow forward on the body reducing forechest and straightening (making vertical) the pastern is not uncommon. The long body (rib cage not loin) changes the length-to-height ratio. The front leg in conjunction with this vertical pastern often lacks a typical curve in the forearm; this front leg head-on is often straight and because there is no necessity for the feet to incline slightly outwards to obtain maximum static support. This incorrect Dachshund assembly often has appeal.

FIFTH PLACE

Not worthy of championship points, fifth place Dachshund F exhibits a number of serious and minor faults. To begin with, the head has a pronounced stop, whereas in the case of the Dachshund, the less stop the more typical the specimen. The ears are too high. Both of these faults are listed as minor.

The shoulders are steep, so is the upper arm (notice the low and forward position of the elbow). Notice also the front pastern is vertical and the feet are poor. This open forequarter assembly has lifted the body upward, forcing a departure from the required low-to-the-ground appearance. The breastbone ends too abruptly under the body. The loin is long.

Here, we have a dip in the topline because the shoulders are steep. This dip is magnified by a steep pelvis causing a reduction in hindquarter angulation at stifle and hock, raising the rear and lowering the tail set.

SIXTH PLACE

Not worthy of championship points, sixth place Dachshund C possesses a very nice head (less dewlap), but because of departures elsewhere, the head does not balance with the body. The most obvious departure is too much body depth. The body from shoulder to brisket should ideally be one head length deep. This Dachshund's body is deeper through than the optimum, appearing clumsy and incapable of work.

This example is steep in shoulder but manages to retain a degree of forechest because the elbow has not been forced forward on the body as usually happens when the shoulders are steep. Instead of positioning forward, the elbow remains in position and the too-deep, too-heavy body drops lower than the mid-point of the forearm. This causes the upper arm between point of shoulder and elbow to position parallel with the ground.

This dog lacks required tuck-up and possesses a flat and perhaps short pelvis. Unlike some breeds where this high a tail set would cause the tail to flag, it is often only at the base of the tail that this departure is noticeable.

An overly long rear pastern causes this dog to adopt a sickle-hock position to bring support more under the rear end, a problem not uncommon among short-legged, low-to-the-ground breeds.