Forelegs very short, strong in bone; forearm well clothed with muscles; knee broad and clean; pasterns strong, broad, and not too short; feet broad, rounded, with thick large toes, hard soles, and strong, long nails. Owing to the original employment of the dachshund, his forefeet are much larger and stronger than the hind ones. When viewed from the side, the foreleg should appear pretty straight, the knees not protruding much, the slope of the pasterns not exceeding a slight deviation from the straight line, the toes not twisted or turned out too much. When viewed from above, the elbows should not be turned out (out of shoulders) nor in when the dog is standing quietly; in walking they will always be turned out more than in other dogs, When viewed from the front, the forelegs should have by no means a crippled appearance, as if the dog had rickets, or as if the legs were not able to resist the pressure of the weight of the body, and had broken down so much as to join at the knees. Forelegs of that kind will do pretty well for bassets and dachsbraken, to prevent their running too fast in hunting above ground, but not for our badger dog.

His forelegs must appear as firm supports of the body, and as powerful shovels in digging away the ground, but without too much arresting the movableness of the dog in other respects; therefore the forearm should be bent inwards in a slight regular curve, the inside of the knees not projecting too much, and the inner outline of the pasterns (from knee to sole of foot) nearly straight. The pasterns should by no means slope too much sideways ("splayed feet"); if so, they will not be able to support the forearm sufficiently, and will give way every year more. All that is wanted is that the foot should be turned somewhat outwards; and this turning should begin already in the joint of the knee. Therefore, the inner edge of the knee will project very slightly in front, while its outer edge is turned more backwards. In some dogs the pastern and feet are standing perfectly straight, only the toes being twisted outside, which is very bad. The shape of the forelegs in dachshunds has often been mistaken, even by German breeders. They should have a simple, pleasing sweep, like that of the leg of an elegant but solid piece of rococo furniture.

The bending of the forearm should harmonise with the shape of the chest, and the pasterns and feet be not more splayed and turned out than is required to restore the equilibre. When the dog is lying on his back the whole foreleg from elbow to tip of toes should lie quite close to his body, like the flippers of a seal Owing to the movableness of the forequarters in dachshunds, it is next to impossible to take exact measures from the positions and width of the legs. In regularly built dogs with wide chest I always found the distance between the knees to be equal to one-third of the diameter (measured across and outside) of the shoulders. The distance between the feet (from heel to heel) should never exceed the width between the knees more than about half or three-quarters of an inch. The toes should not fully reach sideways to a line which is drawn perpendicularly from the most prominent point of the shoulder to the ground.

Hind legs comparatively higher and less powerfully developed than the fore ones; the haunches muscular; the under thigh remarkably short; the leg (or that part from hock to heel) high; the feet small, but, like the fore one, round, with thick, well-closed toes and strong nails. When viewed from the side, the hind leg appears rather straight, as it is not much bent in the stifles and hocks, that part from hock to heel standing nearly straight. When viewed from behind, quarters wide, the haunches showing great development of muscle; the legs should be wide through them, the hocks being turned in very slightly, and the feet standing out a little; but this deviation from the straight line should not be very noticeable. In common dogs the feet sometimes stand out so much that the hocks touch. This is a blemish, though not so objectionable as the contrary, when the hocks are turned out and the feet in. Dew-claws are seldom met with in dachshunds, and should be removed directly where they appear in a whelp.

Stern, set on rather high, strong at the root, tapering slightly to a fine point, short-haired, length not much exceeding that of the head, and not touching the ground when hanging straight down. Carriage of stern: the root or first third should be nearly straight, the two remaining thirds bent into a rather wide curve, the slender point standing straight again, or even sweeping upwards a little. The tail should be carried gaily, like that of the foxhound, either upright over the back, or straight down when the dog is tired. Horizontal carriage is not objectionable, but it usually indicates a drowsy temper; if the stern is at the same time very thin and long, it gives an objectionable appearance, when it becomes stiff and bare, by old age of the dog. The common dog has the stern longer and heavier, the hair on its under side longer; the lower two-thirds of the stern are in some specimens nearly straight, and the last third crooked suddenly in a short semi-circle, forming a hook at the end of the stern. This is a blemish, as well as the " ring tail" and much leaning to the right or left.

I have mentioned already the " otter-tailed " dachshund, a peculiar old strain - but now seldom to be found - with short, broad, or flat stern, very hairy beneath, and carried straight down.

Coat (skin and hair) : The skin of the dachshund is (with the exception of the head and extremities) rather full, but of sufficient elasticity to prevent looseness, which is only to be found in the common dog to a certain degree. The hair should be short, glossy, smooth, but wiry - not soft and silky, except on the ears, where it is extremely short and thin, the "leather" becoming often quite bare and shiny when the dog gets old. The longest and coarsest hair is to be found under the stern, lying close to the tail in well bred dogs; and even in the common breed it should never form a perfect brush. The hair is often very scarce under the chest and belly, which is not at all favourable for a dog standing so close to the ground.