SK Dox Mini Dachshunds
Purebred AKC Miniature Dachshund's since 1992
Dachshund Coats
How often do we bathe our dogs? Very rarely, only if they get into something stinky and so dirty. If they get into heavy mud, we might rinse them, dry and brush them. Giving frequent baths and using shampoos is not recommended as it strips the skin of natural oils leaving it dry and itchy. Our dogs are allowed to swim as they want - no shampoos are used in that process!
Dachshunds produce a special oil in their hair that serves as an insulating layer to protect it against the elements. Bathing removes this oil which makes the coat softer but also leaves your dog more vulnerable. So bathe your dog occasionally, but not too often. We recommend 2-3 x a year at most.
Dachshunds come in 4 Coat Types:
Dachshunds do shed, but when it comes to the amount of shedding, they are generally considered low to moderate shedders.
Dachshund haircuts are simple, low maintenance and not required at all for many pet doxies!
Each of these hair types has a different growth cycle.
The smooth coat grows and sheds throughout the year, which means you’ll see some hair come out on a regular basis.
The long-haired coat has an undercoat that sheds seasonally, but the hairs on this type of Dachshund take a while to grow, so they don’t shed a lot.
Meanwhile, wire-haired Dachshunds also shed seasonally because they have a double coat. Overall, they may shed less than the other two types, especially if groomed properly.
Smooth or Short
Smooths or short-hairs have a short, tight coat. Short, smooth and shining. Should be neither too long nor too thick.
Shedding: The smooth coat grows and sheds throughout the year, which means you’ll see some hair come out on a regular basis.
Grooming: Smooth Dachshunds can have a slight doggy odor. For grooming they are pretty minimal just give them a weekly rub down with a grooming mitt and polish off with a chamois cloth and you are ready to go! This also helps to distribute the oils from the hair root to tip. See how shiny Anthony (black) is below.
Personality: Smooth Dachshunds are most apt to attach themselves to one person and are often more aloof with strangers.
Pictured are a Red Smooth and a Black & Tan Smooth
Longhair
The sleek, glistening, often slightly wavy hair is longer under the neck and on the fore chest, the underside of the body, the ears, and behind the legs. The coat gives the dog an elegant appearance.
Shedding: The long-haired coat has an undercoat that sheds seasonally, but the hairs on this type of Dachshund take a while to grow, so they don’t shed a lot.
Grooming: Carefully brush weekly with a wire-pinned brush to remove any tangles that may have formed. Start at the head and work backwards. Once you have groomed the coat thoroughly, use the soft bristled brush to remove any loose hairs. Always brush in the direction the hair grows, not against the growth pattern. Grooming removes already-loose fur and helps redistribute the dog’s natural skin oils, to keep the coat healthier. Longer-haired dogs benefit from a slicker brush or pin brushes for tangles.
Even long-haired Dachshunds really only require clipping hair into its natural patterns if your showing your dog or want it in a show cut, pets just need occasional brushing.
Personality: Longhaired Dachshunds tend to be the quietest and sweetest-natured (probably stemming from their spaniel heritage).
Pictured are a Isabella & Tan Piebald Longhair and a Cream Longhair.
Wirehair
With the exception of jaw, eyebrows, and ears, the whole body is covered with a uniform tight, short, thick, rough, hard outer coat but with finer, somewhat softer, shorter hairs (undercoat) everywhere distributed between the coarser hairs. The distinctive facial furnishings include a beard and eyebrows. On the ears the hair is shorter than on the body, almost smooth. The general arrangement of the hair is such that the wire haired Dachshund, when viewed form a distance, resembles the smooth.
Shedding: The wire-haired coat has an undercoat that sheds seasonally, but the hairs on this type of Dachshund take the longest to grow, so they don’t shed a lot. Even wire haired Dachshunds are not hypoallergenic dogs but shed the least of all three Dachshund coats.
Grooming: Wire-haired Dachshunds don’t require as much maintenance as the long-haired Dachshund, Wire-haired Dachshund grooming doesn't need to be too frequent or complex, simply an occasional brushing and coat stripping two x a year for pets. What is stripping you ask? Simply a deep thorough brushing with the right undercoat rake that plucks out the dead hairs. Stripping allows a new coat to grow in and reduces shedding.
Some groomers will tell you that you need to come in twice a month to maintain the coat, simply not true for pets and not even as much for show prospects if done twice a year. The two below were only ever stripped twice a year and they look wonderful.
A good undercoat rake for wire coat stripping is the Coat-King by Mars. It pulls the hair out quickly, and you can groom a wire much faster this way than by hand. There is a lot of good info about this tool at http://www.groomersmall.com/coat_kings.htm use the 20-blade. An Andis de-shedding rake is also a wonderful tool, and a bit cheaper.
Personality: Wirehaired Dachshunds tend to be the clowns they are silly and the most mischievous, but many have said once they have owned a wire they will always own a wire being sold on that sweet, silly personality.
Pictured are a Chocolate & Tan Wirehair and a Red Sable Wirehair.
Wirehair
Ideal wire- haired coats do not breed true, even when both parents have ideal coats, most likely their pups will have a whole range of coats. You will often get a very good coat, and some with longer curly coats (soft wire).
Soft Wire: These are Improper Wire coats. Soft wires are still considered wirehairs. They do not have the correct coat according to AKC standards for working/showing.
In Wirehair Dachshunds, there’s an additional “curl” or “furnishings” gene that influences how dense and wavy the coat becomes. When a dog inherits stronger versions of this gene, its wire coat grows longer, thicker, and curlier than usual, even though it’s still technically a wire coat. This is different from a Silky Wire (which comes from the longhair base); it’s still a true wire coat, just with extra curl and length due to genetics affecting texture rather than base coat type.
Silky Wirehair
Silky Coat: These are improper coats. All Dachshunds start with one of two base coat types: smooth or longhair. The wirehair gene acts more like a modifier on top of those bases, rather than being its own coat by itself. When a dog is genetically smooth and inherits the wire gene, it produces the wirehair coat. When a dog is genetically longhair and inherits the wire gene, the result is a softer, finer “silky” wire coat, what people call a silky wirehair or Silky coat. In other words, the wire gene overlays texture onto the base coat: harsh and bristly on smooth bases, but softer and silkier on longhair bases. This is why silky wirehairs look and feel different from coarse wirehairs.
Silky wires are still considered wirehairs. They do not have the correct coat according to AKC standards for working/showing. They require more grooming and will need a good trimming, at least around the eyes and feet every once in a while. However, they do shed allot less than traditional coats.
Pictured are a Dilute Red Silky Wirehair and a Chocolate & Tan Silky Wirehair.
Explanation of Dominant & Recessive Coat Genes
SMOOTH: The smooth coat gene is dominant to a longhair.
LONGHAIR: is a recessive gene.
WIRE (is a modifier) The wire coat gene is dominant to both and will modify the coat. (smooths will be wire hair, and long hair will be silky coats)
This does not mean all littermates will be the same coat-
EXAMPLE: A smooth male carrying longhair has one smooth gene and one longhair gene. A wire female carrying longhair has the dominant wire gene plus a hidden longhair gene. When you breed them, each puppy gets one coat gene from each parent. Because wire acts as a modifier on either smooth or longhair, you can get:
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Smooths (smooth + smooth)
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Longhairs (long + long)
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Wires (wire on smooth base)
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Silky Wires (wire on longhair base)
So from that one pairing, depending on how the genes line up, you could see all four coat types in the litter.
Wire is dominant so at least one parent has to be a wire to get wire coats (it cannot be carried as a recessive)