Half-Dog High and a Dog and a Half Long
I have dedicated this page to all the puppy buyers who are torn between which breed, (dachshund being the best of course) color or coat type to choose. Hopefully this will help you in your search in finding the perfect fur baby family member that suits all of your family needs.
Dachshunds are wonderful fun loving dogs that adore their owners and want to be involved in everything that is going on. The Dachshund has a whole host of virtues such as: amiable, intelligent, brave, alert, loyal, playful, inquisitive and dignified. They also make good watchdogs. On the less positive side, the Dachshund is somewhat independent and mischievous and will follow an interesting scent to the exclusion of everything else. Both Miniature and Standard Dachshunds make good apartment dogs that are small enough to travel everywhere with their owners. It really is no surprise to see why the Dachshund is one of the most popular small dog breeds registered by the AKC. RANKING IN THE TOP 10 FOR MANY YEARS
Dachshunds are a popular pet in the United States, ranking 6th in the most recent AKC registration statistics. They are popular with urban and apartment dwellers, ranking among the top ten most popular breeds in 39 of 50 major US cities surveyed by the AKC. One will find varying degrees of organized local dachshund clubs in most major American cities, including New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Chicago. American dachshund enthusiasts will enjoy their visits to overseas, as the breeds popularity is legion in places such as Germany, France, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, and Japan.
Children
Yes, all Dachys are family dogs. The long-haired Dachshunds are very good, wire-haired Dachshunds are good, and the smooth haired Dachshunds are fairly good and Miniature Dachshunds only with older children who do not grab, pull or drop the puppy. Make sure your Dachshund first experience with children is positive. If you dachshund is being aggressive to your children look to children to see how they are communicating with the animal.
"THERE ARE NO BAD HORSES ONLY BAD RIDERS"
Same as raising children, teach, treat and give what each child needs for their personality. Dachshunds respond to positive reinforcement and do not respond to aggressive negative training. This will only teach the dog to be aggressive. Same as if you are violent with your kids they will hit others and someday maybe you.
Dachshunds are playful, fun dogs, known for their propensity to chase small animals, birds and tennis balls with great determination and ferocity. Many dachshunds are strong-headed or stubborn, making them a challenge to train. Dachshunds are known for their devotion and loyalty to their owners. If left alone many dachshunds will whine until they have companionship. This is why owning 2 is always best!
The dachshund's temperament may vary greatly from dog to dog. Although the dachshund is generally an energetic dog, some are laid back. Due to this dog's behavior, it is not the dog for everyone. A bored dachshund will become destructive. If raised improperly, dachshunds can become aggressive or fearful. They require a caring owner that understands their need to have entertainment and exercise. Choose the right coat type for your household.
The original Standard Dachshund was developed to hunt badgers. The breed had to be: built low to the ground, agile and muscular enough to pursue the badger through a maze of underground tunnels, and brave enough to tackle its formidable adversary. Many people poke fun at this "sausage dog", but they don’t know how he was bred to be low, long, muscular and athletic. Dachshunds are scent hounds and track their prey by scent and not by sight. This breed is courageous and single minded in its work. Once the Dachshund had cornered its prey in a tunnel, he barked to let the hunter know where he was located under ground.
| Trainability The Long-haired Dachshund is easier to train than the Smooth-Haired Dachshund but they have a mind of their own and require patient and consistency. | |
| Friendliness The Dachshund is brave, intelligent and independent | Temperament This breed is somewhat reserved around strangers, but forms a strong bond with its family. It can be over-courageous around other dogs. |
WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENCES IN THE TRAITS OF THE 3 COATS, SMOOTH, WIREHAIRED, LONGHAIRED?
All of these blurbs on this page are various "opinions" I have located on the web. Some of the references are from the online http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dachshund
All the coat types are originally bred for hunting, they will do everything for catching a scent to getting that squeaky thing out of the middle. If you have critters you do not want get a dacshy as they are great for this. You won't need a cat in the barn when a dachshund owns you.
Smooth coat is the most common. It is especially popular in the southern states because of the summer heat. The smooth coat is virtually care free...just an occasional bath is all that is needed. A smooth coated dachshund is playful and loving. The Short hair seems to be the most independent and stubborn of the three varieties.
Wirehaired coat can range from soft and curly to stiff and spiky. Both coats can be left as is, plucked by hand (such as wire dachshunds shown in competition), or shaved. It's really just your preference. The wire coat sheds very little. They are the clown of the dachshund world. They are feisty, amusing, playful and protective.
The Soft Wire is fluffy, and soft to the touch, easy to groom. Combining the calm of the LC with the fun personality of the wire.
The Silky Wire is a Long Coat to Wire Breeding and NEW on the scene. These guys are fluffier then the soft wire and tends to have longer hair length that is gain popularity everyday. Falls into the category of the 'Designer Dog'.
The Rough Wire coat is the ultimate classic wire and most seen in the show ring and on trials. They are groomed mostly with the hand plucked method and hardly ever sheds.
Longhaired coat is the regal, elegant look. They do shed somewhat, but with occasional brushing it is minimal. Their temperament is usually softer, extremely loving, and very sensitive to your moods. The Longhair’s temperament seems more laid back, kinder and gentler reflecting the softer coat. This gentler demeanor doesn’t seem to impair its field trial competitiveness at all.
HOUSE COAT sometimes referred to as the broken coat. It is a LC down bred with smooth coats to produce a longer softer smooth or to say a shorter less shedding then a Long Coat. These guys are famous house and apartment dogs, the 'CITY DOG'. They require less grooming then the LC and have sweeter temperament then the smooths. The smooths that have litter mates that are House Coats will also have the calmer personality.
ALL DACHSHUND COATS LOVE TO BE BRUSHED AS IT IS A SIGN OF LOVE AND PETTING ""ATTENTION"" They also need to have their toenails trimmed and it is a good idea to even pretend you are doing this to you puppy from the first day home. Muzzling or mussling at the groomers will make your puppy hate it and turn your sweet baby into an aggressive dog every time you even want to touch their toes!
"FILEING FOR FUN"
Is one of the most important things you can do for your baby as they are very protective of their feet.
I WILL BE POSTING MANY MORE OPINIONS ABOUT TEMPERMENTS IN COAT TYPES AS I RUN ACROSS THEM. If you have anything you would like to add please email me with more info.
Dachshunds have the most variety of colors and coat types then any other breed
Dachshunds have an enormous range of coloration. Dominant colors and patterns are red or black & red (the latter being most popularly referred to as black & tan), but also occurring are cream, blue, wild boar, chocolate brown, fawn, and a lighter "boar" red. Solid black and solid chocolate-brown Dachshunds occur and, even though quite handsome, their colors are nonstandard; that is, the dogs are disqualified from conformance competitions in the U.S. and U.K.
Older traditional patterns such as piebald and sable have recently been gaining popularity. Other color and pattern combinations have been developed; it is not uncommon to see Dachshunds with brown & red, chocolate & red, dapple, double dapple, and even white coats. Unfortunately, some of these colors require extensive inbreeding to obtain; double dapples are often born eyeless or with severely underdeveloped eyes. For this reason, the double dapple coat is extremely disfavored among responsible breeders and owners.
Health
The breed is known to have spinal problems, especially intervertebral disk disease (IVDD), due in part to an extremely long spinal column and short rib cage. The risk of injury can be worsened by obesity, which places greater strain on the vertebrae. In order to prevent injury, it is recommended that dachshunds be discouraged from jumping and taking stairs, and encouraged to instead take the elevator (though some veterinarians say that slow stair-climbing is unlikely to lead to injury). (Holding the dog properly is important, with both front and rear portions of the body fully supported.) However, according to the same article above, dachshunds that climb stairs regularly may actually be less prone to IVDD, probably because the exercise helps to keep them fitter and healthier, and positive correlations were found between physically fit dogs and a lower incidence of IVDD.
As it has become increasingly apparent that the occurrence and severity of these spinal problems, or intervertebral disk disease, is largely hereditary, responsible breeders are working to eliminate this characteristic in the breed. Treatment consists of various combinations of crate confinement and courses of anti-inflammatory medications (steroids). Serious cases may require surgery to remove the troublesome disk contents. Some double dapples have problems with deafness and blindness. Therefore they need an owner who understands a disabled dog's special needs. Generally responsible breeders refuse to breed this coloration because of this.
History
Some have theorized that the early roots of the dachshund go back to Ancient Egypt, where engravings were made featuring short-legged hunting dogs. But in its modern incarnation, the dachshund is a creation of European breeders, and includes elements of German, French, and English hounds and terriers. Dachshunds have been kept by royal courts all over Europe, including that of Queen Victoria, who was particularly enamored of the breed.
The first verifiable references to the dachshund, originally named the "Tachs Kriecher" (badger crawler) or "Tachs Krieger" (badger warrior), came from books written in the early 1700s. Prior to that, there exist references to "badger dogs" and "hole dogs", but these likely refer to purposes rather than to specific breeds. The original German dachshunds were larger than the modern full-size variety, weighing between 30 and 40 lb. (14 to 18 kg), and originally came in straight-legged and crook-legged varieties (the modern dachshund is descended from the latter). Though the breed is famous for its use in exterminating badgers and badger-baiting, dachshunds were also commonly used for rabbit and fox hunting, for locating wounded deer, and in packs were known to hunt game as large as wild boar and as fierce as the wolverine.
Double-Dapple Dachshunds are prone to eye disease and deafness. It is generally believed that the breed was introduced to the United States between 1879 and 1885. This is not a favored breeding. Double Dapples are only produced by a dapple to dapple breeding sometimes confused with the dapple pie.
Symbol of Germany
Dachshunds have traditionally been viewed as a symbol of Germany, despite their pan-European heritage. During World War I many Americans began referring to dachshunds as "liberty pups." Political cartoonists commonly used the image of the dachshund to ridicule Germany. The stigma of the association was revived to a lesser extent during World War II, though it was comparatively short-lived. German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was known for keeping dachshunds.
For this association with Germany, the dachshund, was chosen to be the first official mascot for the 1972 Summer Olympics with the name Waldi.
The flap-down ears and famous curved tail of the dachshund have deliberately been bred into the dog. In the case of the ears, this is so that grass seeds, dirt and other matter do not enter into the ear canal. The curved tail is dual-purposed: to be seen more easily in long grass and, in the case of burrowing dachshunds, to help haul the dog out if it becomes stuck in a burrow.
Having been bred at one point as Wild Boar hounds, the Teckel breed of these dogs have a tendency to roll on their backs. This 'cute behaviour' has rather morbid beginnings. The dog would be sent into the undergrowth, to flush out the boar. The boar would, upon seeing the smaller dog, give chase. The dog would lead the boar towards the huntsman, whereupon it would throw itself upon its back. The boar would then pass over the dog, who would then attempt to either attack the throat or the genitalia of the passing boar, thus wounding the boar sufficiently for the huntsman to kill their prey.
During World War I the dachshunds' numbers declined because they originated in Germany and anything having to do with Germany was disliked. However, the dachshunds' charm brought a resurgence during the Roaring Twenties.
MORE INFO
AKC Ranking: 5
Family: scenthound, terrier, dachshund
Area of Origin: Germany
Date of Origin: 1500s
Original Function: flushing badgers
Today's Function: earthdog trials, dachshund field trials
Avg Size of male: Height: 5-6 Weight: 1-11
Avg Size of Female: Height: 5-6 Weight: 1-11
Other Name: teckel (miniature: zwergteckel)
History
Definitive evidence of the dachshund as a breed isn't found until the 16th century, when reference was made to a "low crooked-legged" dog called a little burrow dog, dacksel or badger dog. The modern name dachshund means simply badger (dachs) dog (hund) in German. These tenacious hunters would follow their quarry, enter its burrow, pull it out and kill it. The dachshund comes in three coat varieties and two sizes. The original dachshunds were smooth-coated and arose from crosses of the bracke, a miniature French pointer, with the pinscher, a vermin killer of terrier type. Some 16th-century woodcuts provide evidence of longer-haired dachshund-like dogs. It is also possible that smooth dachshunds were later crossed with spaniels and the German stoberhund (a gun dog) to produce the longhaired variety. Mention is made of wire-coated dachshunds as early as 1797, but these dogs were not carefully bred and most modern wires were created around the end of the 19th century by crossing smooth dachshunds with German wirehaired pinschers and the Dandie Dinmont terrier. Each of these varieties was best suited for hunting under slightly different terrain and climatic conditions, but all were tough, strong dogs capable of dispatching badgers, foxes and other small mammals. Before 1900, very small dachshunds were kept for going to ground after small quarry, such as rabbits. Although some were simply runts, others were intentionally produced from crosses with toy terriers or pinschers. Most of the resulting miniatures lacked dachshund type, however. By 1910, stricter criteria were adopted for type, and each coat type was crossed with different breeds to achieve the best results: Smooths were bred with the miniature pinscher, longs with the papillon and wires with the miniature schnauzer. The dachshund has since found its real niche as a family pet, steadily rising in popularity to hold a place as one of the most popular hounds in America.
Temperament
The dachshund is bold, curious and always up for adventure. It likes to hunt and dig, tracking by scent and going to ground after game. It is independent but will join in its family's activities whenever given a chance. It is good with children in its own family, but some may snap at strange children. Most are reserved with strangers. Some bark. The longhaired variety may be quieter and less terrier-like; the wires may be more outgoing. Some miniatures are more prone to be timid.
Upkeep
Although dachsunds are active, their exercise requirements can be met with moderate walks on leash and games in the yard. The dachsund is amenable to city life or apartment living, but it is still a hunter at heart and enjoys forays into the wilds. Although it can live outdoors in warm weather, it does best when sleeping inside. The smooth coat requires minimal grooming. The long coat requires brushing or combing once or twice weekly and occasional trimming of stray hairs. The wire coat requires brushing or combing about once a week, with occasional trimming of stray hairs and stripping to remove dead hair twice a year.
Health
• Major concerns: intervertebral disc disease
• Minor concerns: KCS
• Occasionally seen: diabetes, epilepsy, patellar luxation, deafness,
gastric torsion
• Suggested tests: (eye)
• Life span: 12 – 14 years
• Note: Obesity is a major problem for the dachshund. Many dachshunds tend to be overweight, which in turn predisposes them to intervertebral disc disease.
Form and Function
The dachshund's long, low-slung body enables it to enter and move freely inside the confines of a den or tunnel, without sacrificing the necessary jaw and body strength to overcome its quarry. Its confidence, hunting instinct, keen nose and loud voice also are of significant aid in hunting underground. Agility, freedom of movement and endurance are necessary for the dachshund's work, and its gait is fluid and smooth. The dachshund has an energetic, pleasant expression. Each of the three coat varieties has special attributes: The smooth is short and shining, imparting some protection against the elements; the longhair is sleek, sometimes slightly wavy, providing somewhat more protection; the wire has tight, thick and hard hair with a finer undercoat, providing maximal protection.
I get allot of questions about how and whys of breeding colors and patterns. I hope this helps in the understanding of the knowledge it takes to breed our wonderful DACHSHUNDS.
Color-Coat-Pattern Genetics
Lil Dachs has gathered this information from many different sources
... books, articles, web sites, dachshund organizations, breeders ...
and have simply compiled the information provided by other people.
As with anything, there are rules of nature that can't be broken, at least not usually. There are always exceptions...mutations of genes, and genes that have yet to be identified. The information they have compiled here is simply
the generally accepted set of rules regarding the inheritance of color, pattern, and coat in the dachshund breed. If you have bred dachshunds and have seen a specific case of color/pattern/coat inheritance that is contrary to something you read here, please let us know. We are always looking for more information on this subject, and welcome any input from you.
For example, the 'A' (Agouti) gene series helps determine a puppy's basic coat color.
There are three alleles in the 'A' series:ay, aw, at each resulting in a different color.
Every dachshund has TWO alleles from each gene series:
one inherited from their sire and one inherited from their dam.
The combination of alleles that a puppy inherits from their parents
determines their color, pattern, and coat. Just like humans, this is what makes every puppy unique. Some alleles are dominant, which means that allele will overpower a recessive allele. A dominant allele will be visible on the puppy. That means the puppy will 'show' the allele's trait. Dominant alleles cannot be 'carried'. If a puppy has even one allele for any dominant trait, the trait will show on the puppy. If a puppy doesn't show a dominant trait, they don't have it, and cannot carry it recessively.
Some alleles are recessive, which means that allele's trait will only be visible if the puppy inherits TWO of that recessive allele. A recessive allele that is overpowered by a dominant allele will not be visible on the puppy. That means the puppy will 'carry' for the allele's trait. If a puppy carries a recessive trait, they can produce offspring who show that recessive trait if bred to another dog who also carries or shows the recessive trait.
Some alleles are incompletely dominant, which means that allele's trait can be effected by a recessive allele, but not overpowered. Some alleles are incompletely recessive, which means that allele's trait can effect a dominant or other recessive allele, but not overpower it.
A puppy only has two alleles for each gene series. They inherit one allele from their sire & one allele from their dam. The traits a puppy shows and carries for each gene series is determined by the two alleles they inherited.
A purebred puppy can't have 3/4 (75%) of any trait.
They either have 0/2 (0%, none of it), 1/2 (50%, half of it), or 2/2 (100%, all of it).
A dachshund won't be 3/4 piebald, or 3/4 chocolate... recessive traits...
If they show any recessive trait, they must have two alleles (100%) for that trait.
If they don't show a recessive trait, they could carry (50%) the trait, or may have none (0%) of it.
A dachshund won't be 3/4 dapple, or 3/4 wirehair... dominant traits... If they show any dominant trait, they have two alleles (100%) for that trait, or may have only one allele (50%) for it. If they don't show a dominant trait, they don't have the trait at all (0%), and do not carry it.
For a dominant trait to show, a puppy only needs one allele for that trait, passed either from the sire or the dam.
For a recessive trait to show, a puppy must have two alleles for that trait, passed from both the sire and the dam.
There are many gene series in the canine genome. Not all of the known canine gene series are addressed here. Some of them do not appear to effect the dachshund breed, possibly because a certain allele of some gene series has been bred into the dachshund for centuries, and so, other alleles for that gene series no longer occur in the dachshund. An example of this is a purebred BLACK ANGUS cow & bull. You won't see them have a TEXAS LONGHORN calf, even though there are alleles in the bovine genome that cause Texas longhorns.
You must remember that these percentages work on the law of averages. Take a pair of dice and roll them 3 times in a row. Did you roll any double fives? Maybe... maybe not. Now, roll them 10 times in a row. Your chance of rolling double fives increases, but it's not guaranteed. However, there's a very tiny chance you could roll double fives every time! Now, if one of the dice had a "five" on all 6 sides, your chances get better.
The same reasoning is true of a litter of puppies. If you bred our hypothetical parents, depending on the size of the litter, you could get all red puppies, or only red puppies and black & tan puppies, or all chocolate & tan puppies.
What colors, patterns, & coats can a dachshund have ?
In the dachshund breed, there are only four base coat colors: red, black, chocolate, and wild boar/sable. All other colors are only varying shades of one of these four colors, which have been effected by dilution, patterns, or graying. A blue & tan (sometimes called gray & tan) is a diluted black & tan. An isabella & tan (sometimes called fawn & tan) is a diluted chocolate & tan. A cream is a diluted red, although a different type of dilution from blue & isabella. Any coat color can be solid or patterned, and can appear on any coat type.
Dominant red (ay) is dominant to every other color.
Wild boar/sable (aw) is dominant to every other color except dominant red.
Tan-pointed colors (at) are recessive to dominant red and wild boar/sable.
Recessive red (atat ee), also called clear red, is the most dominant tan-pointed color.
While the e allele is recessive to all other "E" (Extension) series alleles, two recessive red alleles (ee) will be dominant over every other tan-pointed color. Black & tan (atat BB , atat Bb) is dominant to every other tan-pointed color except recessive red. Chocolate & tan (atat bb) is recessive to every other color.
The DCA & AKC recognize wild boar as a color. However, they classify sable as a marking.
Wild boar dogs have individual hair strands that are banded with three or more different colors... cream, red, gray, black. Wild boar dogs often appear to have dark 'saddles' on their backs. The wild boar coloration appears primarily in wirehair, but has been seen on smooth coats. Sable dogs have individual hair strands that are two different colors...a base color (usually red) at the root progressing to black at the tip.
Red sable dogs will appear black or black & tan at a distance. A sable dog with red roots would be registered as a "red sable", with red being the color and sable being the marking. The sable coloration has only been seen in longhair. A true longhair sable dog can have any base color, just like a brindle, dapple, or piebald. We have personally only seen 'red sables', but that doesn't mean there aren't 'chocolate sables' or 'cream sables'. If you have a sable dog who has a base color other than red
we'd love to hear from you, so send us a message and a picture if you can.
There are solid colored dachshunds, with or without tan points, but there are also different patterns. In the dachshund breed, there are only three base patterns:
brindle, dapple, and piebald. The piebald pattern can occur, with or without ticking, in conjunction with brindling or dappling.
Brindle (ebr) & dapple (M) are dominant traits.
One allele for brindle will cause a dog to show brindle, regardless of the other "E" (Extension) series allele (E or e).
One allele for dapple will cause a dog to show dapple, even if the other "M" (Merle) series allele is for no dappling (m). Two alleles for dapple (MM) will cause a double dapple.
Piebald (si , sp , sw) is a recessive trait.Two alleles for piebald are required to show piebald. In piebalds, ticking (T) is a dominant trait.
Solid red occurs without tan points. This includes the creams. Wild boar/sable can occur with or without tan points. All other solid colors occur with tan points.
Any pattern can occur with or without tan points, depending on the base coat color.
Some breeders believe that a dog without tan points is some shade of red. They believe chocolates, dark chocolates, blacks, blues, isabellas, & creams, who do not show tan points, are really red dogs whose shade of red has been altered by some form of dilution or some unidentified gene/allele. Other breeders believe there is an unidentified gene/allele that actually prevents the tan points from showing on a genetically tan-pointed dog. Still others believe that some gene/allele causes the tan points to be rendered as some shade of the base coat color, not as tan, and that sometimes the points are so close in color to the base color that they can't be seen. We can't find a definite genetic answer for this phenomenon. Let us know your thoughts on the subject. Your input is welcome.
There are solids ... solids with tan points ...brindles ... dapples ... double dapples ... piebalds ... ticked piebalds ...brindled piebalds ... dappled piebalds ... double dappled piebalds ...ticked brindled piebalds ... ticked dappled piebalds ... & ticked double dappled piebalds. Any pattern can appear on any coat color or coat type.
In the dachshund breed, there are only three coat types: wirehair, smooth, and longhair.Any coat type can be solid or patterned, and can appear in any coat color.
Wirehair (xW) is dominant to every other coat.
Smooth (xS) is recessive to wirehair, but dominant to longhair.
Longhair (xL) is recessive to wirehair and smooth.
With four base colors, solids with or without tan points, three base patterns, three coat types, various forms of color dilution and pattern combination, the dachshund has one of the greatest varieties of color/pattern/coat of any canine breed. It seems as if they come in every color under the sun, in almost any pattern. In any case, dachshunds are beautiful!