4. Variegated Varieties (Tiger-Dachs)

4. Variegated varieties (tiger-dachs) : Slate, mouse, silvery-grey, with irregular black, chocolate or, tan stripes and blotches, with or without tan marks; eyes, at least one of them, bluish or colourless; nose and nails, fleshy or spotted; white marks on throat and breast are not objectionable in the tiger-dachs.

In judging dachshunds no difference should be made between the four groups of colours, except when there were two dogs of equal merit; there the black-tan dog should be preferred, or that dog would have developed the marks most exactly in the richest tone, and with no white at all.

Size, Symmetry, And Quality

The height of an average specimen is from din. to l0in. at the shoulder; the weight should be from 151b. to 171b., bitches being always smaller than dogs of the same litter. I have mentioned already that the class will most probably embrace dogs from 91b. to 201b. weight, owing to the different sized dogs used to hunt underground by our sportsmen. In a regularly built dog of 171b. weight I found these proportions: head, from nose to occiput over the skull, 8in.; neck to shoulders, 4 1/2in.; back, 15in.; stern, 8in.; distance from ground to brisket, 2 1/2in.; from ground to elbow, 6in.; to shoulders, l0in.; to hip, l0 3/4 in.

In judging dachshunds it must be borne in mind that the frame of these dogs has preserved pretty well all the proportion of a large or middle-sized dog, only the legs are shortened; while in the terriers all parts of the body have been reduced equably. A cross with the terrier will be directly indicated in the offspring by alteration of the peculiar proportions of the dachshund, and therefore the badger dog cannot be called " dachs-terrier," it not being a cross. We must also notice that the reduction of the legs is not quite equal in all parts of the legs, but is chiefly limited to the bones of the forearm (radius and ulna) and those of the lower thigh (tibia and fibula). The consequence is that the paws of the fore-feet appear large and broad, and the hind-leg (from hock to heel) rather high and straight. These peculiar proportions become unfavourable when carried to excess; but even then they are not so bad as the contrary (too long forearms being out at the shoulders and joining at the knees, and too long under-thighs being bent too much in the stifle and hocks). The disadvantage of the short lever in the hind legs must be compensated by powerful arched loins.

The dachshund runs pretty fast on level ground; he must even be able to jump and to climb, which will often save his life in steep passages underground, where an unwieldy dog is quite helpless.

A good dachshund should be built long and low, but never to such an extent as to become unwieldy. The whole outline must be most elegant, something like a weasel; head and neck carried neither quite horizontally nor straight upright.

The two dachshunds, Fritz and Dina, are pretty good representations of the breed respecting their bodies; and I was very glad to find them not corresponding much to the hound-type scheme of points proposed in the Field of Jan. 13. But there is something very strange in their heads, particularly in the foremost dog: there the skull is far too much vaulted, the ears are set on too low, and not at all of a dachshund-like shape and carriage. The jaw should be larger and stronger, and the tail somewhat shorter. Heads of this kind are the mistaken qualities {missveretandne Schonheit) in dachshunds, and more fit for house pets and for dogs used in hunting above ground than for an earth dog.

If I Had To Fix The Value Of The Points, I Should Rank Them Thus

value.

Head......

15

Ears, eyes, teeth...

10

Neck........

10

35

value.

Body..........

10

Fore legs.......

15

Hind legs.........

10

35

value

Stern..........

10

Coat.........

10

Size, symmetry, quality

10

30

Grand Total 100.

Many particulars will have to remain open to conclusion till we have had a show for dachshunds only (e.g., extension or division of the class, white ground colour, carriage of stern, and so on).

Where opinions differ among our fanciers, I have always added the arguments for my assertions. Perhaps my description of the dog has become too minute by these additions; but I hope it has not thereby been rendered unintelligible. I know very well that there are few dogs to be found that will agree in all respects with the particulars I have mentioned in describing the points. But nobody who is acquainted with the endless variety of animal forms will expect to find all well-bred dachshunds having exactly the same proportions. No dog is perfect, and those particulars are taken from the best head, best neck, best leg, etc., which were to be found among a number of regularly-built dogs, in order to find out the archetype of the breed, which is rarely, if ever, reached in a single specimen.

Before I conclude my writing I may mention shortly some particulars about breeding, disposition, and employment of the badger dog.

I have seldom found bitches whelping more than four or five pups; they are born with straight forelegs only the paws turn outside somewhat more than in other dogs. This would lead to the old theory of "hereditary rachitis" in dachshunds; and I have offered already a number of hopeful puppies for osteological researches in this direction, but without any noticeable success. Dachshunds are not much subject to distemper if kept in a dry, warm, and clean place. When they are full grown - say when twelve or eighteen months old - they will mostly be ready for business, when once seeing an old dog doing his work underground. By frequent exercise with rats, foxes, etc., their education will be completed sooner; but they should not be used to badgers before having reached their second year and their full development. When going to the burrows the dogs should not be allowed to tire themselves out during the walk, but should be carried in a basket in a wheelbarrow, or taken in the box of the dogcart when driving. Young dogs should always be taken up as soon as they show an indisposition to go to ground, or return too often from the earths. Many old dogs have the habit of coming out when they have received a first blow from the badger or fox.

Some people say, " He comes to show his wound "; but the dog only wants to have a glance round above to see if all is right there, and, if so, he will go in again without being asked. There are many badger dogs that will kill their fox under ground, and drag the dead body out to the surface if possible; but I remember only two dachshunds who had the strength and the will to "draw" an old badger from its den, and this was only managed when they had the good fortune to seize the unlucky badger from behind in the haunches, the channel at the same time being neither too narrow nor too steep. I have already said that this is not at all the task of our dachshund, who has only to hunt and to attack his game till it quits the den or stands at bay. For bolting a fox (spregen) one small game dachshund will be sufficient when the shooters (for the fox is shot in Germany) have been posted cautiously and noiselessly; but, in digging out a badger or fox, one small dog will seldom be able to resist his enemy at the moment when the drain is opened, and the badger or fox is frightened by the daylight. Therefore, at least one large dog, or two small ones, should be used for this purpose.

Dogs which are used often to hunt coverts are seldom persevering earth dogs; besides, they are accustomed to give tongue as soon as they come upon the track, which is the worst an earth dog can do (weidelaut). On the contrary, we find often good earth dogs hunting quite silent above ground till they get sight of the game.