150 THE DOGS OF THE BEITISH ISLANDS. 



deviation from the straight line, the toes not twisted or turned out too much. 

 When viewed from above, the elbows should not be turned out (out of shoulders) 

 nor in when the dog is standing quietly ; in walking they will always be turned 

 out more than in other dogs, When viewed from the front, the forelegs should have 

 by no means a crippled appearance, as if the dog had rickets, or as if the legs were 

 not able to resist the pressure of the weight of the body, and had broken down so 

 much as to join at the knees. Forelegs of that kind will do pretty well for 

 bassets and dachsbraken, to prevent their running too fast in hunting above ground, 

 but not for our badger dog. His forelegs must appear as firm supports of the body, 

 and as powerful shovels in digging away the ground, but without too much 

 arresting the movableness of the dog in other respects ; therefore the forearm 

 should be bent inwards in a slight regular curve, the inside of the knees not 

 projecting too much, and the inner outline of the pasterns (from knee to sole of foot) 

 nearly straight. The pasterns should by no means slope too much sideways 

 ("splayed feet"); if so, they will not be able to support the forearm sufficiently, 

 and will give way every year more. All that is wanted is that the foot should be 

 turned somewhat outwards; and this turning should begin already in the joint of 

 the knee. Therefore, the inner edge of the knee will project very slightly in front, 

 while its outer edge is turned more backwards. In some dogs the pastern and feet 

 are standing perfectly straight, only the toes being twisted outside, which is very 

 bad. The shape of the forelegs in dachshunds has often been mistaken, even by 

 German breeders. They should have a simple, pleasing sweep, like that of the 

 leg of an elegant but solid piece of rococo furniture. The bending of the forearm 

 should harmonise with the shape of the chest, and the pasterns and feet be not 

 more splayed and turned out than is required to restore the equilibre. When 

 the dog is lying on his back the whole foreleg from elbow to tip of toes should lie 

 quite close to his body, like the nippers of a seal. Owing to the movableness 

 of the forequarters in dachshunds, it is next to impossible to take exact measures 

 from the positions and width of the legs. In regularly built dogs with wide chest 

 I always found the distance between the knees to be equal to one-third of the 

 diameter (measured across and outside) of the shoulders. The distance between 

 the feet (from heel to heel) should never exceed the width between the knees more 

 than about half or three-quarters of an inch. The toes should not fully reach 

 sideways to a line which is drawn perpendicularly from the most prominent point 

 of the shoulder to the ground. 



Hind legs comparatively higher and less powerfully developed than the fore ones ; 

 the haunches muscular ; the under thigh remarkably short ; the leg (or that part 

 from hock to heel) high ; the feet small, but, like the fore one, round, with thick, 

 well-closed toes and strong nails. When viewed from the side, the hind leg 

 appears rather straight, as it is not much bent in the stifles and hocks, that part 

 from hock to heel standing nearly straight. When viewed from behind, quarters 

 wide, the haunches showing great development of muscle ; the legs should be wide 

 through them, the hocks being turned in very slightly, and the feet standing out 

 a little ; but this deviation from the straight line should not be very noticeable. In 



