The Dachshund. 



the German authorities, dealing with the different 

 types of the breed, wrote as follows : 



Having concentrated all varieties of the badger dog to one 

 single class the crook-legged, short-haired dog, with head neither 

 hound nor terrier like, weight from i81b. to 2olb., colour black-tan 

 and its variations we shall still meet many varying forms. With 

 some attention we shall soon distinguish the common breed and 

 the well or high-bred dachshund. The first is a stout, strong- 

 boned, muscularly built dog, with large head and strong teeth ; 

 the back not much arched, sometimes even straight ; tail long and 

 heavy ; forelegs strong and regularly formed ; the head and tail 

 often appear to be too large in the dog ; the hair is rather coarse, 

 thick-set, short, and wiry, lengthened at the underside of the tail, 

 without forming a brush or feather, and covering a good deal of 

 the belly. These dogs are good workmen, and are less affected 

 by weather than high-bred ones ; but they are very apt to exceed 

 i81b. and even 2olb. weight, and soon get fat if not worked 

 frequently. From this common breed originates the well and 

 high-bred dog, which may at any time be produced again from it 

 by careful selection and inbreeding without any cross. The well 

 and high-bred dog is smaller in size, finer in bone, more elegantly 

 built, and seldom exceeds i61b. to i/lb. weight; the thin, slight 

 tapering tail is only of medium length ; the hair is very short, 

 glossy like silk, but not soft ; the under part of the body is very 

 thin haired, rendering these nervous and high spirited dogs rather 

 sensitive to wet ground and rain. These two breeds are seldom 

 met with in their purity, the vast majority of dachshunds in 

 Germany ranging between the two, and differing in shape very 

 much, as they are more or less well-bred or neglected. In this 

 third large group we still meet with many good and useful dogs, 

 but also all those aberrant forms, with pig snouts and short under 

 jaws, apple-headed skulls, deep set or staring eyes, short necks, 

 wheel backs, ring tails, fore-legs joining at the knees, and long 

 hind legs bent too much in the stifles and hocks. 



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