The Smooth coat needs no maintenance other than a brush with a soft-bristled brush and a polish with a chamois cloth. The Wirehaired Dachshund is generally stripped twice a year.

Smooth: dense, short coat.

Wirehaired: short, straight, harsh hair, with a dense undercoat, bearded chin and bushy eyebrows. The color is variable, but dapples should be evenly marked all over, and no white is permissible. There is red, black and tan, chocolate, and dapple.The wire coat consists of three types:

• The ideal pin-wire coat consists of a harsh 
topcoat with a soft, dense undercoat. It appears so flat that, from a distance, the dog has the appearance of a Smooth Dachshund, apart from some harsh
  whiskers and bushy eyebrows. This coat needs little attention, other than perhaps some tidying and thinning out on the neck with finger and thumb or by using a stripping knife about two weeks before a show.
• The more usual type of wire coat also consists of a double layer, but the top hair is more profuse and there will also be more beard, eyebrows and leg furnishings. This type of coat will need stripping with a stripping knife probably twice a year to keep it tidy, and certainly quite a lot of preparation and maintenance for show condition to give the desired smooth outline.

At least a month before a show, the hair on the neck, chest and back should be stripped right down, using a stripping knife, but only experience can be the guide to the time it takes for the new hair to grow through.

The hair under the dog must be tidy and the hair on the head should be neat and flat. Any long hair under the eyes and ears should be removed. The beard should be combed forward, and the hair behind it stripped flat. It is safer to use finger and thumb on the head area.

Long hairs under the tail should be removed and just enough left at the end to cover the tip to a neat point. The hair around the Dachshund’s feet should be trimmed, and the hair from the front of the forelegs should be removed. Strip away all the hair from the hocks to give a good, clean shape to the hindlegs.

• The softcoated Dachshund can be kept tidy only by stripping. Unfortunately, however, it can never be disguised. The hair on the legs, head and ears is always soft, and the harsh, even coat of the correct wirecoated Dachshund is completely lacking.

The Grooming Process

Equipment needed: Bristle brush, medium-toothed comb, stripping knife.

These hounds love following their noses, going down holes and sniffing in the undergrowth, and always end up with a great deal of the countryside in their coat! A quick brush at the end of every walk is highly recommended.

• Brush through the entire coat. A bristle brush or a sisal brush is the best choice for use on the Smooth and Wirehaired coat.
• Using finger and thumb, strip the Wire when required.
• Check for mats by combing through the coat with a medium-toothed comb.
• Dachshunds all benefit from an occasional bath, using a good dog shampoo. Rinse thoroughly, and dry with a blower or in warm air. For the Wirehaired coat, bathe the dog at least a week before a show, and several days beforehand for the Smooth, to allow enough time for the coat’s natural oils to be replenished.
• Check the Dachshund’s nails. Nails should be regularly trimmed for both show and pet dogs, and this must be done with great care since the quick (the nerves and blood supply) cannot be seen.
• The ears can be wiped with cotton batting, and the teeth should be kept clean by regular brushing.
• Add sparkle to the dog’s coat by lightly spraying (or applying with your hand) some coat-finish lanolin. Of course, if you are showing your Dachshund, no substances can be added to the coat.