314 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



11. Stem. — Set on fairly high, strong at root, 

 and tapering, but not too long. Neither too 

 much cur%-ed nor carried too high ; well, but not 

 too much, feathered ; a bushy tail is better than 

 too little hair. 



12. Coat and Skin. — Hair short and close as 

 possible, glossy and smooth, but resistant to the 

 touch if stroked the wrong way. The skin tough 

 and elastic, but fitting close to the body. 



13. Colour. — One Coloured : — There are several 

 self colours recognised, including deep red, yellow- 

 ish red, smutty red. Of these the dark, or cherry, 

 red is preferable, and in this colour light shadings 

 on any part of the body or head are undesirable. 

 " Black " is rare, and is only a sport from black 

 and tan. 



Two Coloured : — Deep black, brown (liver) or 

 grey, with golden or tan markings (spots) over the 

 eyes at the side of the jaw and lips, inner rim 

 of ears, the breast, inside and back of legs, the 

 feet, and under the tail for about one-third of 

 its length. In the above-mentioned colours 

 wliite markings are objectionable. The utmost 

 that is allowed being a small spot, or a few hairs, 

 on the chest. 



Dappled : — A silver grey to almost white 

 foundation colour, with dark, irregular spots 

 (small for preference) of dark grey, brown, tan, 

 or black. The general appearance should be 

 a bright, indefinite coloration, which is con- 

 sidered especially useful in a hunting dog. 



Very little attention has been paid to breed- 

 ing for colour in this country, and the subject is 

 not understood ; but in Germany, where the 

 Dachshund is classified at shows by colour as well 

 as by weight, the breeding for colour has been 

 brought to a fine art, and certainly, though a 

 good dog, like a good horse, is never of a bad 

 colour, it is good to look upon perfection of colour 

 as well as other points. Very elaborate advice is 

 laid down in Germany for the guidance of breeders 

 in keeping the colours pure, and some of the colours 

 have special clubs to promote the breeding. 



Speaking generally, on this very large subject, 

 it may be noted as an axiom that light eyes, red 

 noses, and pale colours are produced by the 

 too close breeding of red to red. Brown, or liver, 

 dogs bred to red produce flesh-coloured noses 

 and false colours — as, for instance, the pale 

 " chocolate " and tan — and more use should be 

 made of the black and tan to obtain the desirable 

 black nose, eye, and rich colour, whether red or 

 liver. 



The original colour of the Dachshund was 

 black and tan, and it is the most prominent still 

 on the Continent, but iii this country it has been 

 neglected for many years, and \\ith a deplorable 

 result as tar as colour goes. 



14. Weight. — Dachshunds in Germany are 

 classilicii by weight as follows : — Light-weight — 

 Dogs up to I OS lb., bitches up to 15I- lb. Middle- 

 weight — Dogs up to 22 lb., bitches up to 22 lb. 

 Heavv-weight — Over 22 lb. Toys- Up to 12 lb. 

 The German pound is one-tenth more than the 

 English. The light-weight dog is most used for 

 going to ground. 



For the purpose of showing the comparative 

 values of the " points," as set forth in the fore- 

 going standard, I add the following table of 

 values. The German club does not give this. 



At tlie time of writing there are three 

 speciahst chibs to foster the breeding of 

 true type Dachshunds in the United King- 

 dom. Of these one is Scottish and two are 

 Enghsh. The Enghsh clubs are " The 

 Dachshund Club " (Hon. Sec, Capt. Barry, 

 12, Queen's Gate Terrace, London, S.\\ .) 

 and " The Northern Dachshund Asso- 

 ciation " (Hon. Sec, T. A. Lever, Esq., 

 Greville Lodge, Dickenson Road, Rusholme, 

 near Manchester). The honorary secre- 

 taries of either club will furnish all in- 

 formation relative to membership. " The 

 Scottish Dachshund Club" has for its 

 honorarv secretary Mr. A. Tod, 5, St. 

 Andrew Street, Edinburgh. 



