DOG FAQ - Do Dachshunds shed?

Wirehaired dachshunds don’t shed like smooth coated dogs; they have the type of coats, which require "stripping”, once or twice a year. They can be clipped, instead, but will perhaps loose some of the wiriness of their coats, and become softer coated.

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GROOMING

Grooming is important for the overall health and good looks of dachshunds. Dachshund grooming generally includes brushing out the coat, bathing, and giving special attention to its eyes, feet and skin. Grooming techniques and methods vary according to the different coats of dachshunds - shorthaired, wire-haired and longhaired.


Short-haired coats can be easily groomed with the help of a damp cloth. But fawn and chocolate colored, short-haired dachshunds have greater chances for skin burn if exposed to sunlight. Applying sunscreen with mink oil is effective for short-haired pets with skin problems. It is a big challenge to keep wire-haired dachshunds looking their best. This variety of dachshund is required to strip its coat at least 2 - 3 times a year. They also need a thorough brushing each week.

Grooming a long-haired dachshund also requires some expertise and skill. It is always advisable to seek the assistance of a professional to groom long-haired dachshunds. Long-haired dachshunds have to be blow-dried after bathing. They should be properly brushed, trimmed and clipped to maintain a shiny, longhaired coat. A comb or a brush with soft bristles can be used to untangle knots.

Problems like bald spots, bump, and swelling affecting dachshunds must be immediately brought to the attention of a veterinarian, as these signs may be symptoms of some kind of disease. Special attention must also be given to the ears, nails and teeth.

A soft, moist towel can be used to clean and remove earwax. Nails should be trimmed at least once a week to prevent digging in your garden. Cleaning teeth includes an oral examination, root scaling, root planning, polishing, and supragingival plaque and tartar removal using hand instruments. Proper treatment for worm infestations is also a part of dachshund grooming.

In the US, there are a lot number of dachshund grooming salons offering state of the art facilities for all your pet's grooming needs, from hair cuts and exotic styling to pedicures and skin care.

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COAT AND COLOR

Dachshunds exhibit three coat varieties: smooth coat (short hair), long hair, and wire-hair. Wire hair is the least commonly seen coat in the US (it is the most common in Germany) and the most recent coat to appear in breeding standards. Many people are unfamiliar with wire-hairs and commonly mistake them for other breeds.[not in citation given]

Dachshunds have a wide variety of colors and patterns. They can be single-colored, single colored with spots ("dappled"—called "merle" in other dog breeds), and single-colored with tan points plus any pattern. Dachshunds also come in Piebald. The piebald has a white background with various shades of brown. The dominant color is red, the most common along with black and tan. Two-colored dogs can be black, wild boar, chocolate, or fawn ("Isabella") with tan "points", or markings over the eyes, ears, paws, and tail, of tan or cream. A two-colored dachshund would be called by its dominant color first followed by the point color, such as "black and tan" or "chocolate and cream". Other patterns include piebald, in which a white pattern is imposed upon the base color or any other pattern, and a lighter "boar" red. The reds range from coppers to deep rusts, with or without somewhat common black hairs peppered along the back, tail, face, and ear edges, lending much character and an almost burnished appearance; this is referred to among breeders and enthusiasts as a "stag" or an "overlay" or "sable". True sable is a dachshund with each single hair banded with three colors: light at the base of the hair, red in the middle, black at the end. An additional, striking coat marking is the brindle pattern. "Brindle" refers to dark stripes over a solid background, usually red; if a dachshund is brindled on a dark coat and has tan points, you will see brindling on the tan points only. Even one single, lone stripe of brindle is brindle. If a dachshund has one single spot of dapple, it is a dapple.

Solid black and solid chocolate dachshunds occur and, even though dogs with such coloration are often considered handsome, the colors are nonstandard, that is, the dogs are frowned upon in the conformation ring in the US and Canada. Chocolate is commonly confused with dilute red. Additionally, according to the conformation judges of the Dachshund Club of America (DCA) and the American Kennel Club (AKC) the piebald pattern is nonstandard. However, The Piebald dachshund can still be shown, the ONLY disqualifying Fault in Dachshunds is Knuckling over. While some judges choose to dismiss a dog of color, many choose to judge them and those who are actually judging the dog will look past the cosmetic color of a dog and judge the conformation of the dog FIRST. There were several Piebald dachshunds that became AKC Champions in 2008. All things being equal between the dogs in the ring, the traditional colors which are listed in the Official AKC Standard (governed by DCA) should be put up.

Light-colored dachshunds can sport amber, light brown, or green eyes; however, kennel club standards state that the darker the eye color, the better. They can also have eyes of two different colors; however, this is only found in dapple and double dapple dachshunds. Dachshunds can have a blue and a brown eye. Blue eyes, partially blue eyes, or a blue eye and a brown eye are called "wall" coloring, not considered a non-desirable trait in kennel club standards. The standard was changed by the DCA in 2007 to exclude the wording double-dapple from the standard and strictly use the wording dapple. The reason is that the double merle gene is linked to blindness and deafness. Wall-eye is permissible. Piebald-patterned dachshunds will never have blue in their eyes, unless the dapple pattern is present.

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