Judging the Dachshund by Dan Harrison
Download this page in PDF formatAlthough there are three coats and two sizes of Dachshunds, each coat is shown separately and all sizes compete together. Miniatures and Standards should share the same look, being long, low and level and covering ground, easily and effortlessly, with striking movement from the side. The dogs should have a sense of style and comfort that makes them appear to own the ground they stand on and cover it with graceful motion.
Seeing pictures of the standing dogs, you should not be able to tell which is a Standard and which is a Miniature as they all should look alike from the side. Remember, the Standards and the Miniatures all came from the same dogs and should be just size variations of the same type of Dachshund. In looking for that top quality, you must have the correct oval-shaped front, which is the foundation for all the correct Dachshund structure emanating from that elusive quality. Three varieties are being shown and all are judged alike, with the same strong points being on display for all to see and for all to discover.
We start with a puppy class and, as a judge, I have each class come in and stack itself very near the gate. I then take a quick look up and down the line, checking for things that I like and hope are there. At that early stage, I want a big front (which is the hallmark of a Dachshund), a gorgeous head, neck and neckset with the withers being far back on the body, a level topline, a strong front and rear, a pronounced underline that shows the correct depth of chest and a strong croup. After looking at them on the ground, I send them all around and have the first one go on the table. Then, I look at the head, feet, feel for the strong chest that I hope is there, feel the withers and the neckset and the sweep into a long, level topline that flows into a nice croup with a tail that should be of the correct length. I check to see that the front and rear legs are where they should be and those legs should carry the dog around the ring with that beautiful profile we seek. We want the correctly placed head, a beautiful length of neck which is long without being too long, a long and level topline with a pronounced underline, a strong front and rear and a correctly carried tail. What I am looking for is great reach and drive, with head held high, level topline and great neckset and front and set off by a gorgeous forechest. That front should be strong, and oval and should have many places where other parts fit into the maze that is the Dachshund forechest. Many people who watch me judge wonder why most of my hands-on time with the Dachshund is spent on the front portion of the dog. I will say here that most things wrong with not having a great Dachshund happen in that neckset area as the neck should be far back on the body and, at the same time, be where the topline comes in to meet that neck and where the shoulders also should end and fit comfortably into that neck and topline. The shoulders should be well laid back because those shoulders should meet where the neck and topline meet up as well. In my mind, that perfect carriage would be there all the time if all those three pieces were working together, and that easy carriage would make the Dachshund a real mover for me to admire on the go-round. I always try to feel the shoulders then and get what I like by having them tight to the body and making that angulation I am always looking for by bringing that beautiful oval chest to the fore. Since you all know how important the front is when I look at a Dachshund, I, of course, am looking at how well laid back those shoulders are and how they fit in snugly to make that oval chest. When I look at the shoulders, I want to see them further back on the body and meeting on the neckset which should be right over where the lower shoulder ends when it attaches to the foreleg. The foreleg and the neckset should be in a straight line down from the neckset to where the front paw is touching the ground. When you think of how much has to be right when you go over a Dachshund to get that well-made, great-moving dog around the ring to maintain my approval, my attention to the front where so many people need help is probably not enough. I have been doing this for a long time and, when you know where to look and what you want to see, you see the great ones when they walk into the Show Ring and move around the Ring. The great ones are always a joy to go over and I do love going over the class to see what the rest have to work with. However, no matter the quality, I enjoy every dog that I get to examine as I am always on the lookout for greatness wherever I find it.
I then send them down and back to check for soundness and then send them round to see if they have that Dachshund profile we are looking for. When doing the down and back, I want to see how well they use their legs and keep that Dachshund outline, standing and moving. I want to see them moving around the ring and looking like a gorgeous Dachshund while doing it. I want lots of ground coverage using as few steps as possible and always looking like great Dachshunds. When I started, most of the big winners were Standards as they had the look that I liked and were very efficient movers, but now, the best Miniatures are showing the qualities that their great breeders have added to them and so, in my opinion, just judging the dogs, the best Miniatures can beat the best Standards and, while that is alarming to many who don’t ever want changes, it makes me, a Judge and Breeder, very happy indeed. Remember, most Judges DO want to see better Dachshunds, no matter the size. Trust me, moving from the side and looking like the best one in the Ring is what we all, Judges, Handlers, Breeders and Exhibitors should want at the end of a long Show Day.
After all the Dachshunds have been looked at in this manner, they should then be lined up right behind the table. I then walk around and take another cold hard look at them and hope I see the features I want to see in this class of livestock. At that point, I walk past them all, looking at them and checking for what I feel is most important, starting with the big front that is called for in the Standard and which, when absent, really throws the whole front off, making all the angles that much harder to attain. This is a breed in which the angles are very important and necessary for them to go to ground, getting their front around the field and keeping the same proportions in gaiting in the Breed ring. After looking at them, I send all the dogs around, individually to get a great view again of how they look from the side and then pull out a couple and send them around to compare them to each other. I sometimes do the whole class this way and then look at them and compare their virtues, then placing them One, Two, Three and Four, sending them around the ring and making my placings.
After all the classes are judged, Winners come around and all the First Place winners come into the ring, starting with Open, Standard, and going down to the youngest Puppy Class. After the entries are all in the ring, I look at the whole class and compare the virtues, with special attention to the things that are getting harder and harder to find in our Breed, such as a great front, beautiful neckset and withers, gorgeous topline and underline and great croup and tail set. Along with great movement, it should all be so easy to find!! Anyway, I always insist on a great, oval-shaped front to fasten the dog’s breed type on and then hope to find other positives to add to the dog itself. I then send them all around and then move them around by themselves once, then pick out a few to send around together, and finally pick out the top two or three to move to the head of the line with the Winners at the head of the lineup. After awarding Winners, I then call in the Second-place Winner for the Reserve competition and repeat the process, picking Reserve at this time.
After the two Winners classes have been done, I bring in the Best of Variety competition and again set them up and have a look see at the quality that is there. After a look, I send all of them around to the table where I start looking at the Specials, one at a time, on the table. Still looking for the same things (front, neckset, topline, underline, croup and soundness), I start looking at each one on the table, looking for good things that are more apparent up close. I then send each one up and down and then around to the end of the line, watching for that perfect outline and the correct structure that we all seek with each new dog. After I work the Winners again, I look up and down the line, searching for the qualities that are so necessary in the Breed. Then, I send each one around by himself, looking again for the perfect outline. After working each dog, I may send a few more around and compare them with each other before I make my decision. As I said earlier, the concept of Standard or Miniature should not be what we are think of at this time. Think of the Dachshund as a whole dog, not a Size or Coat, and truly pick out the best Dachshund you have to be a winner at the Dog Show. As a Judge, that is how you show the Fancy how much you know what is important about the Breed.
At that point, I put my BV at the head of the line, the BW right behind him/her and the BOS behind the BW. After him, I add the Select Dog and Select Bitch if I decide any are worth the effort. Sending the whole class around, I soon point to BV, BW and BOS with Select Dog and Bitch following immediately.
After the three Varieties, Best of Breed is judged and I then bring in the BV Long, Smooth and Wire and have them stacked so, again, I can see their pluses and see what they are bringing to the gene pool. I then send them all around , as a group, and see them all moving from the side and see if they still move in a pleasing fashion. I then may move them individually and look at them again stacked. I then send them around and point to the BB winner.
Then the three BOS winners come in and I repeat the process. At this point, you just hope you have pointed out what you like and what you feel is important in the Breed.
For me, as a Judge, I try to find good fronts and always want a Dachshund to have that set back shoulder plaement with a great neckset and body. I usually get that accomplished as I love to work on those parts of a Dachshsund as, when the problems happen there, the effects are shown all over that body in so many ways. Remember, we are supposed to find the best Dachshund no matter what class it comes from. That is why there are Dog Shows.
October/November 2013
Some info added on Sept 19, 2024