"Only Sausages Allowed" - Fund-raising

A fun day in support of Laforadogs!

Lafora Screening Day April 8th

50 more Mini Wires screened

The most recent Lafora screening session was held on April 8th at the Poole House Veterinary Hospital, Lichfield, Staffs. WS13 8JY.

50 dogs were tested and owners were once again able to take advantage of the subsidy from funds provided by the Breed Clubs and Kennel Club Charitable Trust.

Contact Sue Holt (susan.holt@talktalk.net) or Nora Price (pn.price274@btiniternet.com) to book a place on the next session.

Chances to learn

3 Breed Seminars and Assessment Days

The Dachshund Club of Wales is holding a Dachshund A2 Assessment day on Sunday 24th May at the Drill Hall, Chepstow. Download a Booking Form. (pdf)
If you have judged at least 150 Dachshunds you are eligible to take the hands-on assessment.  All attendees may sit the Written Paper.

The Dachshund Club of Wales are also holding a Handling Seminar on Sunday 24th May from 10am to 4pm £10.00 including Lunch and Tea and Coffee. More information here. (pdf)

Northern Counties Dachshund Association is holding a Breed Seminar and Assessment Day on 7th June in Boroughbridge. The speaker will be Ruth Lockett-Walters.  For more information, contact the Secretary: Suzanne Metcalfe-Bilgin on 01535 633934.

The Southern Dachshund Association will be holding a Breed Seminar and Assessment Day on 15th August in Chieveley, near Newbury. The speaker will be Ian Seath.  For more information, contact the Secretary: Sue Ergis on 01202 388195.

DachsLife 2015 initial results published

More than 2000 survey responses received

• 2031 surveys completed
• 1702 from the UK, 193 from Australia
• 21% of owners participate in obedience activities, 11% show their dogs
• 24% were under the age of 1; 1 in 6 were over the age of 8; average age was 4.4
• 56% had been spayed/neutered; 10% under 6 months; 55% under 12 months
• 12% of dogs over the age of 8 had a Body Condition Score above the ideal
  • Older bitches were more likely to be overweight (BCS 4-5)
  • Older dogs were more likely to be underweight (BCS 1-2)
  • Neutered male dachshunds were 4x as likely to be overweight than entire ones
  • Neutered female dachshunds were no more likely to be overweight than entire ones
• IVDD prevalence was highest in Smooths (25%) and lowest in Wires (9%)
• 76% of IVDD cases were diagnosed between the ages of 4 and 8
• The risk of IVDD was 8x higher in the 4-8 age band than up to the age of 4
• Spayed/neutered dachshunds were twice as likely to suffer IVDD
  • Dachshunds neutered under 12 months had a higher risk than those neutered older
• There was no evidence that overweight dachshunds had a higher risk of IVDD
• 3% of dachshunds had suffered an adverse vaccine reaction
• Mini Longs were 4x more likely to have Distichiasis than other miniature varieties
• Mini Longs were 4x more likely to have Epilepsy than other varieties
• Wires were 2x as likely to have Heart Murmurs than the overall breed average
• 2% of Mini Wires were clinically diagnosed with Lafora Disease
• Spayed bitches were as likely to suffer Mammary Tumours as entire bitches
• Skin allergies were the second highest prevalence condition reported

Breed Council AGM 2015

Chairman's Report

The member clubs attended the Breed Council's Annual General Meeting on 3rd May 2015. The Chairman presented his report, as follows:

2014 was another busy year for the Council and our member clubs as we continue to work together for the benefit of the breed.

Discover Dogs and the London and Stoneleigh Pet Shows were showcase events for us to enable potential Dachshund owners to find out about the breed. Without the host of volunteers and our hard-working organisers none of this would be possible.

I do, however, worry about the increasing popularity of the Mini Smooths and the decline of the Smooths and Longs. Mini Smooth Dachshund KC registrations have trebled since 2000 and doubled in the past 10 years. Mini Longs have declined and Mini Wires have remained relatively stable over the 15 years.  As of March 2015 the number of Google searches for "Dachshund" was up 194% compared with the general "Pets" category which was up 25%. The multitude of TV adverts featuring Dachshunds since the middle of 2014 would appear to have accelerated interest in the breed which is not necessarily a good thing. We are aware that Mini Smooths are one of the breeds increasingly being brought in by dealers, supposedly under the PETS scheme, to meet the growing demand. All of this makes our efforts to educate potential owners even more important, otherwise we risk running into a “rescue crisis” when new owners discover they have bought a live animal and not a stuffed toy.

I was pleased that the November meeting decided to appoint a Judging and Education Sub-committee as this is another area of our work that clearly benefits from teamwork. Thankfully, we have long moved away from the era of judging list inclusion being dependent on who you knew or whether particular clubs “liked” you. Whether or not you agree with the criteria we have, they do at least ensure decision-making is transparent.

Health matters continue to take up much time and we should be grateful to the many sub-committee members and other helpers who give of their time so freely. The major disappointment of the year is that we have not been able to make progress with practical actions to reduce the risk of IVDD. However, this was counter-balanced with the successful addition of Lafora Screening to the list of ABS Requirements. A big thank you to everyone, particularly all the active fund-raisers who have contributed to the Health Fund.

It was disappointing to lose Lesley Brown from the Secretary role in 2014, but she has been ably succeeded by Wendy Starkey, while Katherine Herrington continues to keep us solvent as Treasurer.

I would like to end by thanking the Officers, members of our Sub-committees and all the club delegates for their support during the past year.

Ian J Seath; Chairman