BREED STANDARD
DACHSHUND (Long-Haired)
(Pre 1987 Kennel Club, London)
GENERAL APPEARANCE - Form, colour, size and character similar in all respects to those of the smooth Dachshund, except for the long, soft hair. The form is compact, short-legged and long, but sinewy and well muscled, with bold and defiant head carriage, and intelligent expression. In spite of the shortness of the legs, the body should be neither too plump nor so slender as to have a weasel-like appearance. Height at shoulder should be half the length of the body measured from the breast bone to the set-on of the tail, and the girth of the chest double the height at the shoulder. The length from the tip of the nose to the eyes should be equal to the length from the eyes to the base of the skull. The tail should not touch the ground when at rest, neither should the ears (i.e. the leather) extend beyond the nose when pulled to the front.
CHARACTERISTICS - The long-haired Dachshund is an old, fixed sub-variety of the "Teckel", and its history extends back to the beginning of Teckel breeding. The breed is full of character, quick in attack and defence, faithful when properly brought up, and very obedient. All the senses are well developed. It has the reputation of being extraordinarily intelligent and easy to train. Its build and temperament fit it to hunt quarry both above and below ground; its eagerness, keen sight and hearing and its sonorous bark make it especially suitable for tracking. In these respects it compares very favourably with any other variety. The thick, soft hair protects it against thorns, enables it to endure both cold and heat, and is rain-proof. It is especially suited to water work. In following a trail, its highly developed sense of smell stands it in good stead. It is easily trained to retrieve. The long-haired Dachshund can therefore be used in many different ways by the sportsman.
TEMPERAMENT - (Not detailed)
HEAD AND SKULL - Long and conical when seen from above, and in profile, sharp and finely modelled. Skull neither too broad, nor too narrow, only slightly arched, without prominent stop. Foreface long and narrow, finely modelled. Lips should be tightly drawn, well covering the lower jaw, neither too heavy not too sharply cut away, the corners of the mouth slightly marked.
EYES - Medium in size, oval, set obliquely, clear, expressive and dark in colour.
EARS - Broad and placed relatively well back, high and well set on, lying close to the cheeks, broad and long, nicely feathered and very mobile.
MOUTH - Wide, extending back to behind the eyes, furnished with strong teeth which should fit into one another exactly, the inner side of the upper incisors closing on the outer side of the under ones.
NECK - Sufficiently long, muscular, showing no dewlap, slightly arched at the nape, running gracefully into the shoulders, carried well up and forward. Cont....next pagen both sides. Upper arm the same length as the shoulder blade, jointed at right angles to the shoulder, well boned and muscled, set on close to the ribs but moving freely as far as the shoulder blade. Lower arm comparatively short, inclined slightly inwards, solid and well muscled.
BODY - Long and well muscled, the back showing oblique shoulders and short and strong pelvic region. Ribs very oval, deep between the fore-legs and extending far back. Loin short, strong and broad. The line of the back only slightly depressed over the shoulders and slightly arched over the loin, with the outline of the belly moderately tucked up.
HINDQUARTERS - Rump round, full, broad, with muscles well modelled and plastic. Pelvis bone not too short, broad, strongly developed and set obliquely. Thigh bone strong, of good length, and jointed to the pelvis at right angles. Second thigh short, set at right angles to the upper thigh, well muscled. Hocks set wide apart, strongly bent and, seen from behind, the legs should be straight.
FEET - Broad and large, straight or turned slightly outwards; the hind feet smaller and narrower than the fore. Toes close together and with a distinct arch to each toe. Nails strong. The dog must stand equally on all parts of the foot.
TAIL - Set on fairly high, not too long, tapering and without too marked a curve. Not carried too high. Fully feathered.
GAIT/MOVEMENT - (Not detailed)
COAT - Soft and straight or slightly waved, of shining colour. Longer under the neck, the underparts 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 short hair is not desired. 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.
COLOUR - Black and tan, dark brown with lighter shadings, dark red, light red, dappled, tiger-marked or brindle. In black and tan, red and dappled dogs the nose and nails should be black, in chocolate they are often brown.
SIZE - As a rule Long-Haired Dachshunds are classified as follows:
Middle-weight up to 7.7 kg (fibs) for bitches and up to 8.2 kg (18 lbs) for dogs
Heavy-weight over 7.7 kg (17 lbs) for bitches, and over 8.2 kg (18 lbs) for dogs
The Middle-weights are best suited for badger and fox drawing and the Heavy-weights for tracking, hunting larger animals and for water work. The last named are also very suitable for retrieving rabbits and water fowl.
FAULTS - Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.
NOTE - Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.
The leather of the ears when pulled to the front should not extend beyond the tip of the nose.
