Marble dachshund: color features, nature and content

The amazing dog breed marble dachshund is a very active, friendly and affectionate pet, which quickly becomes a loyal and devoted friend of each family member. It is excellent for keeping in the conditions of an apartment, for large families with children, it is distinguished by curiosity and calm character.

Today there is only a hypothesis about the origin of this breed. The assumption is based on the ancient Egyptian images of stunted dogs with long bodies and short legs. These papyrus are about 2000 years old. Long-grown hounds, as well as terriers, are long-time progenitor of the breed, therefore dachshunds have excellent hunting skills, a keen dog scent and intelligence.

The mention of dachshunds appeared at the beginning of the XVIII century. The first representatives of this breed were larger than modern and weighed about 18 kg. The size of the newly bred individuals gradually decreased, which allowed dogs to hunt small animals. The oldest representative of the breed is a short-haired dachshund. It was bred in the 17th century as a result of the crossing of low growth hounds and pinschers.

In the XVIIІ century long-haired breeds appeared. Their grandparents are sleek-haired dachshunds and spaniels. In 1879, the breed standard was designated.

In nature, there are several types of dachshunds:

• short-haired
• long haired;
• hard haired.

By size dogs are divided into 3 types:

• standard (height at withers to 25 cm);
• miniature (dwarf);
• rabbit (small, height up to 15 cm).

In addition, the breed standard allows color of several types:

• monochrome;
• two-color;
• brindle;
• marble.

Often you can find brown and tan colors. These dachshunds have a brown nose instead of the usual black. Sometimes animals have white spots. If they are small and few, then it is not considered a marriage in the breed. Tiger tiger colors are rare, but their appearance is worthy of attention. Its feature is the presence of dark stripes on a red background.

Among the wire-haired breeds, there are also wild boar dogs (brown with light tan), completely black, blue-gray, beige-brown and others. These types of coloring are not considered to be the standard of the breed, but are quite acceptable. The most unusual of all the varieties is the marble dachshund, which has an unusual coat color. This breed represents a rare decorative appearance.

For marble rock specimens, an elongated head tapering towards the nose with a sloping forehead is characteristic. Ears hang down to the center of the cheekbones. The body in dogs is long with a strong skeleton and a developed muscle mass. The neck goes into a straight back, the belly is tucked up. Paws are short, but strong, with contoured relief.

Thickened tail saber-shaped. The average weight of a marble dachshund, depending on the variety, is from 3.5 (rabbit) to 9 kg (standard). Like all types of breed, marble differs by type of wool:

• Wire Dachshund has a rather short, hard coat that forms a pronounced beard, mustache and eyebrow on the pet's face;
• longhair the species has a short, smooth coat on the face and head, and on the body, paws, tail and ears it is longer, slightly curly;
• smooth-haired marbles Dachshund pile is very short, soft and adjacent to the body.

The main feature of the breed is the color of its wool: on a dark background are chaotic spots of a lighter color, evenly distributed throughout the body. The location of the spots on the dog's body is strictly individual and is not repeated in other individuals of the same species.

Very often in the litter of marble dogs puppies are born with blue eyes. This is due to a gene mutation. And also there are also odd dachshunds, in which one eye is blue and the other is brown. Blue-eyed marble dachshund has a high decorative effect. The hair of such a dog almost always has a black-red color with a gray tint; dark-marble or coffee-marble shade is highly valued. Light brown or gray spots, distributed over the body, have different outlines.

Choosing a marble dachshund, you should definitely pay attention to bright contrasting shades of wool. As they grow up, the puppies may change the color of the spots. Lighter ones will become smaller, darker and brighter. If the main color is dark, the number of spots may decrease. therefore it is better to choose a puppy with a large number of them.

At first, a small marble puppy will need a lot of attention in a new house. Be sure to explain to all family members, especially children, that the puppy is small, weak, and it needs peace and quiet. In order not to injure the baby, you need to gently take it in your arms, do not lift it by the paws. Young children are recommended for the first time to completely prohibit wearing a puppy in their arms in order to avoid its falls.

By the nature of marble dachshunds are friendly, affectionate, quick-witted. They are mobile and hardy. Dogs are strongly attached to their owner, catch his mood by the intonation of voice. Pets require quite a lot of attention and care.

Of the negative qualities of character can be noted vindictiveness.

For breeding puppies marble colors It is imperative that one of the crossed individuals be standard color. The gene of marble dachshunds dominates the genes of other species, which provides marble progeny. Unfortunately, breeding marble is at your own risk. It is associated with a mutation of the marbling gene, which can adversely affect the organs of vision and hearing of the animal.

For this reason, it is not recommended to cross each other marble. At best, puppies will acquire a double dose of marbling (double merle), but such experiments are fraught with poor health in the offspring and the appearance of albino puppies.

For the favorable existence of a marble dachshund at home, it is necessary to give it due attention and care. Caring for a pet is not particularly burdensome, but must include the following mandatory measures:

• preventive examination and vaccination in order to detect and prevent diseases;
• daily walks in the fresh air;
• regular hygiene procedures (cleaning the ears, eyes, nose, teeth, trimming claws), bathing at least 1 time in 1-2 months;
• daily combing wool with a special comb or brush;
• balanced meals 2 times a day (specialized dry mixes, meat, cereals, fish);
• It is necessary to monitor the weight of the dog, to prevent obesity, as it adversely affects its health.

In the most comfortable conditions, a marble dachshund can live on average 15 years. Representatives of the breed have good health and rarely get sick.

For lovers of unique dogs, the marble dachshund is an ideal option, although it differs from other representatives of the breed only in its peculiar shades of wool. A large number of dog breeders speak well of the marble dachshunds. The positive features of dogs include:

• friendliness;
• independence;
• bravery;
• playfulness;
• devotion;
• resourcefulness;
• as well as simple conditions of detention.

With a significant number of positives, there are some negative factors:

• hereditary genetic diseases;
• training difficulties;
• stubborn, self-willed and touchy temper;
• It is worth noting the considerable cost of pedigree puppies.

Given the attractive appearance and unique character of the marble dachshund, these animals are definitely worthy of attention. A cheerful and energetic pet in any family will create a cheerful atmosphere, will become a devoted and reliable four-legged friend.

Watch the marble dachshund closer in the next video.