MR. HUTTON ON DACHSHUNDS. 319 



have a hound's head set on a very long body on very short legs, and the fore legs 

 must be very crooked or bandy without being much out at elbows or knuckling over at the 

 knees, the extreme length from the nose-end to point of stem should be about four times the 

 height at shoulder, and the animal should be massive, or, as some of us would say, clumsy 

 and cloddy in appearance ; in short, a big dog in small compass. The head should re- 

 semble somewhat that of a Foxhound, but must not be of so decided a type as seen in the 

 Bloodhound. 



" My plan is to reproduce the breed in its purity, and endeavour to get the best and 

 purest blood possible to that end, but I will be no party to ' painting the lily.' It is 

 difficult even in Germany to find really excellent specimens of the Dachshund which can be 

 purchased, for the really pure breeds are mostly still in the hands of the nobility, and they 

 do not care to. part with even a puppy, except, perhaps, as a present occasionally to a 

 relative or friend in their own sphere of life, or, may-be, a common specimen now and then to 

 an inferior in position. 



"The breed kept so select is preserved in its purity mostly, but in this, as in other 

 breeds, unless the animals are properly cared for and kept up, there is no certainty of repro- 

 ducing the breed pure. But the chances are that without such care the produce will be 

 mongrels, with many of the characteristics of the breed doubtless, but still not the real thing ; 

 and I aver that many, very many, of the Dachshunds which are imported into this country 

 are not pure-bred. But yet with some people an imported animal must be correct and pure. 

 Even where the pedigrees can be traced back for many generations without a single stain or 

 cross on either side, it is impossible to breed all correct and good. 



" For some time there has been a lot of noise respecting the style of head a Dachshund 

 ought to have, some breeders making it appear that a "good head" makes a good dog, and 

 with some judges who do not thoroughly understand the breed, a so-called " good head " has 

 been an apology for the highest awards to otherwise badly-made dogs. 



" According to the new modern fancy a ' good head ' seems to mean a high-peaked skull 

 and down face, with long ears, no matter how snipe-nosed and weak-jawed the animal may 

 be, while the rest of his body may also be faulty i.e., it may be small and weak in bone, 

 flat-ribbed, and short of muscle ; and such a one is often allowed to rule the roast at our 

 canine exhibitions. 



" Now I wish to combat this erroneous idea, and as far as possible to write it down, if it may 

 be ; and to do so, though late in the field, I will give my notions, with the rules and points 

 by which I have been guided in my experience. 



"A good head is an indispensable point with me, but there must be other grand qualities 

 that must not be overlooked in a Dachshund ; but to describe the breed properly it will be 

 necessary to take point by point seriatim, and I will take the head first, allotting to it 25 points 

 out of a possible 100 for perfection. 



" I. Skull (5 points) must be long and flat i.e., it should form a nearly straight line from the 

 occipital bone to the nose point, and have very little stop ; and I prefer a moderate width 

 of skull behind the ears, as I find a broad-headed dog has more courage than a narrow 

 conical skulled one : the occipital bone should be well developed. 



" 2. Muzzle (5 points) must be long and very strong, for the size of the dog ; the length from 

 the lower corner of the eye to the nose-end in a 20 Ib. dog should be 3 inches to 3^ inches. 

 The muzzle should be squarely cut, and broad at nose ; the under-jaw strong ; flews should 

 be fairly developed, so as to cover the lower jaw, and rather more. The nose in black-and-tan 



