| Comments on Wrongful Branding of Miniature Dachshund's as "Dwarf", "Toy", "Tiny", "Tea-Cup", "Tweenie", or other unofficial classification, not recognized or authorized by the AKC This is being done by many sellers, re-sellers and breeders - Take a stand against this trend. It hurts the dog breeding industry and it hurts YOU the consumer, for being sold something that DOES NOT EXIST. --------------------------- We at GoodyGoody Gum-Dachs bring you this for educational reasons, to make you or someone you know a wiser consumer. We ONLY deal in Miniature Dachshunds from 7-11 pounds. There is no other name for them. |
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| Our Question... "...We are home breeders of Mini-Dachshund's and our animals are in the weight range of 7-11 pounds. We only sell and register our pups as "miniature", yet there are several people talking to us saying that there are people / breeders out there selling "mini" Dachs by what is known in other breed lines as: 1) Tiny; 2) Tea-Cup; 3) Tweenie, etc. To the best of our knowledge, the Dachshund only has 2-sizes recognized by the [major kennel club] (we hope), being "Standard" and "Miniature" and the weight range for both. Correct? Now, if one (anyone) can breed a "mini" to even smaller and smaller framework, would the [major kennel club] allow the registration of an animal to be labeled as 1 of the 3 choices above, or other "off brand name", other than "mini" or "standard"?..." |
| One Answer... "...Thank you for contacting the AKC. It seems that you know what you are talking about when it comes to Dachshund sizes. There is no such thing as a Tiny, Tea-Cup, or Tweenie Dachshund, and no Dachshund would ever be registered with the AKC with that breed name. Any Dachshund that is 11 pounds or under at 12 months of age is considered a Miniature Dachshund and any Dachshund that is usually between 12 and 32 pounds is considered a Standard Dachshund. A Dachshund that is called Tiny, Tea-Cup or Tweenie is a small Miniature Dachshund. These titles are used by some people to make the puppy buyer think they are getting something rare or unique, and when they send in their AKC papers, they will not see that as part of the breed name on their registration application or certificate. As far as what a breeder calls their breed, The AKC does not license, endorse, refer or recommend breeders and we have no control over how they advertise their puppies. If we can be of any other assistance, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank You..." K.W. December 17, 2002 Another Answer... "Dear Mr. Goody, ________ has asked that I respond to your email. My name is John Brading. I work in the Special Services Department where we are all required to be active dog people when hired and to have long-term background in the sport. My personal background is that I started showing and breeding standard Dachshunds over twenty years ago. I finished more than twenty champions in the breed during the ten years that I was actively exhibiting. I then became licensed to judge Dachshunds and continued to do so until joining the staff of the AKC in 1999. Dachshunds are only recognized as a single breed. There are three varieties - smooth, long and wire. The miniature is defined in the official standard and competes in the Open class at dog shows in a class division set aside for miniatures. Miniatures must be eleven pounds or under to compete in that class. I'm sure that none of this is new to you, but I just wanted to be sure to establish a groundwork for my answer. As far as registration goes, there is no differentiation for size. All Dachshunds are registered as a single breed. The sizes are not recorded. The only thing that AKC can do about the stipulations for a breed are to state what the breed standard says. That is the positive description of the breed. If breeders choose to ignore that standard and breed outside of the description, we can't control that. It would be impossible for us to cover all of the negatives that might be out there on any breed. In Dachshunds, if we had a statement about tiny dogs, why not about giant dogs, or sway-backed dogs, or fiddle-fronted dogs, or short keels, or dogs with erect ears, or wires with soft coats, or black and tans with no tan? All of these are situations that exist with some of the unscrupulous breeders. And this is only a single breed. Every breed has a set of negatives. Please understand that it isn't that we don't care about whether dogs are properly bred. But all that we can do is to encourage the positive things. It is up to both the breeders and they buyers to educate themselves. If you just look at our web site, I think it is obvious that we strive to provide as much information as possible. In addition, we provide links to the national clubs that are the actual keepers of the individual breeds. AKC's control is limited to the accuracy of records. I think that you might compare this to buying a car. Some people will believe whatever the seller tells them. Some people at least make the effort to go to a reputable dealer, even if they don't know anyting about the purchase. And some people read Consumer Reports, check the Internet, go from dealer to dealer and talk to the salesmen and sometimes the mechanics...in other words, do everything that they can to educate themselves before a purchase. On the other hand, some people will go to the guy whose television ad is the loudest or to the dealer that's behind the corner garage. It is the same with dog buyers. Some understand, some don't. Some will check reputable sources, some won't. In all of this, however, all that AKC really has control over is whether or not breeders keep accurate records. We can try to educate people about the positive aspects of breeds and dog ownership. We can make information and resources available. But, we can't make people be intelligent consumers. If you compare this again to car ownership, the role that we play is similar to the Department of Motor Vehicles. We register. We try to insure the integrity of the records we keep. But we can't make people go to the best sellers. And let me assure you that just because the weird ones (tiny, tweenie, white, purple) proliferate, that does not mean that they will become acceptable. All you have to do is look at white Dobermans or white Boxers. There's been pressure for years to add these as acceptable. They're not. And, as long as responsible owners and breeders run the parent clubs for the breed, they won't be acceptable. You state that you think that we should issue a statement that we are "cracking down" on the size issue. That would be an idle threat. We have no authority to crack down, except in the show ring. In competition is where dogs show what they're made of--whether that is in the Conformation ring or at a Field Trial or at an Earthdog event. And the savvy buyer is the one who does the homework and finds out how to find the best dogs. I hope my answer helps. I know it's not what you wanted, but when questions come up about the quality of dogs, they should be referred to the standard or to the Dachshund Club of America for further information. That is where they'll find out the best answers to their questions about the qualities of dogs. John Brading AKC Special Services December 18, 2002" Contact Mr. Brading here [email protected] for more information or questions. Reprinted with permission of Mr. John Brading - "Thanks John..." If you have a direct question, or want to ask the AKC a question like this, go to their site HERE, or click their logo below. |
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