THE DACHSHUND, OE GEEMAN BADGEE DOG. 147 



ground. It is not possible to imagine a more favourable frame for an " earth dog " 

 than the real dachshund type, which I shall describe afterwards. I beg to say that 

 some of our high-bred dachshunds are near perfection, according to German 

 points ; they do not want much improvement, but propagation, for they are seldom 

 met with even in northern Germany. If I had to choose a likeness or model for 

 these active little dogs, it would certainly not be the bloodhound, but the weasel ! 



The desire for " hound-like type " in dachshunds would never have originated 

 if the natural vocation of this breed (underground work) had not been overlooked. 

 The consequence of this erroneous idea will be that well-bred dachshunds will be 

 regarded as a " terrier cross," and that it will be next to impossible for many dog 

 fanciers to get a clear idea of the real type of the dachshund. 



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 81b. to 201b., colour black- tan and its variations we shall still meet here many 

 varying forms. With some attention we shall soon distinguish the common breed 

 (Landschlag) 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 181b. and even 201b. 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 161b. to 171b. 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. 



The following points of the dachshund are fixed by the author, in strict con- 

 junction with one of our best connoisseurs, Mr. Gustav Lang, of Stuttgart, and in 

 agreement with some of our first breeders, with the judges on dachshunds at the 

 dog shows in Hamburgh and Cologne in 1876, and with the editor of the periodical 

 Der Hund. As these points are taken from the best existing specimens of the breed, 

 and with regard to the employment, anatomy, and history of this dog, they may 

 give a true picture of the real dachshund type as far as this is possible at present. 



