Schwartz Dachshund

1. Auflage 2011
ISBN: 978-1-59378-884-1
Verlag: CompanionHouse Books
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 158 Seiten

Reihe: Comprehensive Owner's Guide

Few breeds trigger as much pride as the Dachshund, as only Dachshund people understand why this breed is superior to all others! Any Dachshund owner will explain it to you, as will author Ingrid Schwartz, an owner of Dachshunds for many generations. This Comprehensive Owner's Guide dedicated to Germany's Teckel (or weiner dog, as he's sometimes affectionately called) paints a vivid portrait of this dwarf-sized scenthound originally bred to hunt badger, surely a calling that requires a determined, feisty fellow. Although many Dachshund folk deny it (you can't blame them for their loyalty), Dachshunds may be the most stubborn canines on the planet and they're not for everyone, even though there are many varieties to choose from. The chapter dedicated to the breed's characteristics discusses not only the breed's two sizes and three coat types but also its comical, intelligent, and determined personality. New owners will welcome the well-prepared chapter on finding a reputable breeder and selecting a healthy, sound puppy. Chapters on puppy-proofing the home and yard, purchasing the right supplies for the puppy as well as house-training, feeding, and grooming (all three coat types) are illustrated with photographs of handsome adults and puppies. In all, there are over 135 full-color photographs in this useful and reliable volume. The author's advice on obedience training will help the reader better mold and train into the most well-mannered dog in the neighborhood. The extensive and lavishly illustrated chapter on healthcare provides up-to-date detailed information on selecting a qualified veterinarian, vaccinations, preventing and dealing with parasites, infectious diseases, and more. Sidebars throughout the text offer helpful hints, covering topics as diverse as historical dogs, breeders, or kennels, toxic plants, first aid, crate training, carsickness, fussy eaters, and parasite control. Fully indexed.

Ingrid Schwartz has owned Dachshunds for many generations.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Schwartz, Ingrid

Leseproben

Dachshunds are divided by size and coat types. There are two sizes, Miniature and Standard, and three coat types, Smooth, Wire and Long. Choosing the Dachshund for you can be an overwhelming, but very rewarding, task.

Saying you would like to have a Dachshund is similar to going into a candy store and saying you would like to have some chocolate. There are many kinds of chocolates and many kinds of Dachshunds. You have to decide which kind you would like.

Dachshunds come in many varieties. There are different sizes and colors as well as types of coat to choose from, each with its own characteristics and group of devoted owners and admirers.

Basically, Dachshunds are long-bodied, short-legged dogs—small in stature but very large in personality—whose noses are so close to the ground that not much escapes their notice! In fact, their physical structure is the primary reason for their hunting expertise. This scenting ability was recognized by German hunters as early as the 15th century.

Derived from early German hounds known as Deutsche Bracken, these little dogs were called badger dogs or diggers. Eventually they were crossed with small terrier-type dogs to produce the Dachshunds we know today. With the nose of the hound, the long, low body that burrows into holes in the ground and the fearless terrier-like enthusiasm for the chase, the Dachshund is hard to beat.

FORM AND FUNCTION

Since dogs have been inbred for centuries, their physical and mental characteristics are constantly being changed to suit man’s desires for hunting, retrieving, scenting, guarding and warming their masters’ laps. During the past 150 years, dogs have been judged according to physical characteristics as well as functional abilities. Few breeds can boast a genuine balance between physique, working ability and temperament.

This is the first known illustration that shows both Wirehaired and Longhaired Dachshunds. It dates from 1876 and was rendered by E. C. Ash.

Early artistic illustrations and sculptures from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries show Dachshund-type dogs hunting badgers. A statue of an early Egyptian pharaoh also has a Dachshund-type dog named “Teckel” on it. In each depiction, the characteristics of strength, stamina, courage and keenness were clearly illustrated.

Dachshunds come in two sizes, Standard and Miniature. Originally, Standard Dachshunds weighed between 30 and 35 pounds and were used in packs to catch wild boar. The modern-day Dachshund, however, weighs in at considerably less, 16 to 32 pounds at most.

Miniatures originally weighed from 16 to 25 pounds and hunted fox or tracked wounded deer. Today, the average Miniature weighs from 8 to 12 pounds and hunts rabbit or hare. Occasionally, a Miniature of only 5 to 6 pounds will be used in hunting, providing that the dog possesses plenty of hunting spirit that serves to offset his diminutive size.

There are three varieties of coat in Dachshunds: Smooth, Longhaired and Wirehaired. The Smooth and Longhaired varieties were developed first. The Wirehaired variety was developed later for hunting in briars and thorn bushes.

DEER TRACKER

The tracking of downed deer was the Miniature Dachshund’s original purpose in Germany. The term Vorstehhund referred to an all-purpose hunting dog, usually a cross between a Bloodhound (Schweisshund) and a Pointer. The Miniature Dachshund was able to use its fine nose and its low-to-the-ground stature, making it an exceptional tracking dog.

Coat colors offer something for every Dachshund lover. Red, cream, bi-color, black, chocolate, wild boar, gray-blue, fawn, dappled and brindle are colors/color combinations that can be found wherever Dachshunds are bred. Regardless of size, coat type or color, all Dachshunds possess exceptional scenting and digging abilities, which make them ideal hunters.

This old wood-engraved print, circa 1700, was captioned as The Badger-Dog at Work. The woodcut shows Dachshunds at various stages of badger hunting.

The Dachshund and the terrier breeds are not so far removed. They share some common ancestors and their love of all things dirty, as these two sandy pals illustrate.

DACHSHUNDS IN THE FATHERLAND

The breed began its formal organization when a standard of perfection for the breed was established in the Deutscher Hunde-Stammbuch (the “German Hound Family Tree Book”). It covered Smooth and Longhaireds when the first volume of this stud book was produced in 1840. Half a century later, in 1890, Wirehaireds were included in the book. The book was published until 1935, when it was discontinued.

During the latter half of the 1800s, several hunting Dachshund associations kept their own stud books. These clubs recorded only those dogs that had proved their hunting ability; they were not concerned about the coats or conformation of the dogs listed. The dogs’ accomplishments in the field were the sole criteria for inclusion in the hunting stud books.

The Countess Reventlow of Denmark, an outstanding judge circa 1930, judging Wirehaired Dachshunds. Note the dappled coloring of the dog farther from the camera.

Clubs devoted exclusively to the various Dachshund coat types also existed during this period, but no special identifying initials were given to define the coat types of the dogs listed in the stud books. That changed, too, in 1915.

Smooth Dachshunds, Festus, Waldman and Schlupferle, illustrated in The Book of the Dog, 1881.

The following designations were created: The initial “K” stood for Kurzhaar (Smooth); “R” for Rauhhaar (Wirehaired); “L” for Langhaar (Longhaired); and “Z” forZwerg (Miniature). Henceforth, the defining initial would be added to the registration number of all Dachshunds listed under the Teckelklub (German Dachshund Club).

Management of the breed initially was conducted by two groups: the Teckelklub, founded in 1888, handled bench conformation shows, and the Gebrauchsteckel Klub conducted hunting activities. In 1935, the two groups combined their stud books and activities into the FDRDG, the Fachschaft Dachshunde im Reichsverband fur das Deutsche Hundewesen. After World War II, the Deutscher once again resumed management of the breed.

TECKEL, TECKEL, TECKEL

In Germany, Dachshunds are measured by the size of the hole that the dog can enter (in pursuit of game), as opposed to pounds or inches like most other breeds. The Germans divide the breed into three categories, not two. The Standard Dachshund is known as the Normalgrossteckel, and the Miniature Dachshund, divided into two categories, is called Zwergteckel (meaning dwarf) and Kaninchenteckel (meaning rabbit). These latter teckels measure 13.8 inches around the chest for the Zwergteckel, and 11.8 inches for the Kaninchenteckel.

German Scenthounds

The Bavarian Mountain Hound.

The Dachshund is the only German hound that enjoys popularity outside its homeland. There are at least four other German scenthound breeds, including the Deutsche Bracke, one of the Dachshund’s ancestors; the Westphalian Dachsbracke, another short-legged hound; the Hanoverian Hound and the Bavarian Mountain Hound.

DACHSHUNDS IN THE USA

In America, Dachshunds have not been used for hunting ground game such as badger and wild boar nor for tracking wounded deer. However, the dogs’ sterling qualities of lively character, courage and devotion have always made them very popular. As a matter of fact, Dachshunds were imported into America well before the American Kennel Club initiated its stud book in 1885.

By 1895, the Dachshund Club of America advanced the breed’s popularity by promoting the hunting aspects of the dogs through badger-dog hunting trials. In 1913, Dachshunds were listed among the ten most popular breeds in America. When World War I began, Dachshund interest declined and remained low until the early 1930s. By 1940, they were again ranked among the top ten breeds in America and maintained that standing into the 21st century.

One of the long-legged German scenthounds, the Deutsche Bracke is one of the Dachshund’s early ancestors.

While in Germany, Miniature Dachshunds are shown in a special class for dogs weighing less than nine pounds, this is not the case in the USA. In America, Standard and Miniature Dachshunds compete in the same class, with dogs weighing 11 pounds or under at 12 months of age being shown in a special division.

DACHSHUNDS IN THE UK

England established a Dachshund specialty club even before one was begun in Germany. Indeed, despite the problems created by World War I, England claimed six noted Dachshund breeders who adhered to a strict breeding code throughout the war. Though these breeders were often referred to as “pro-German” or “German sympathizers,” they held firm to the integrity of the Dachshund in order to preserve its genetic foundation. Moreover, their efforts to protect the early gene pool succeeded.

Two of the earliest English Dachshunds to leave an indelible mark on the breed in the 1890s were Jackdaw, owned by Harry Jones of Ipswich, and Pterodactyl, owned by Sidney Woodiwiss. Those early ancestors still influence the breed today.

Australia, Denmark, Holland and India are also countries where Dachshunds are popular. In the UK, the Miniature Longhaired Dachshund is the favorite hound, even outnumbering such British hounds as the Basset, the Beagle and the...