The Breeding Program at Vindachs
25 years of Breeding Miniature Dachshunds
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Our Goal at Vindachs is to produce quality miniature dachshunds which are physically and mentally sound with a minimal risk of genetic problems. We are a very small time breeder with a very limited number of high quality males and females. We try to produce dachshunds who fit closely to the standard set by the Dachshund Club of America. If you wish to read this standard, you should visit the DCA web site at www.dachshund-dca.org. To insure that our dachshunds meet this standard, we utilize parents who exhibit these qualities. To insure that we do not become "kennel blind" we show most of the parents at AKC conformation dog shows, where they are judged against other dachshunds against the dachshund standard. Correct body structure and good temperament are of primary importance. Certainly, this should be important to those of you who are trying to purchase a dachshund to show, but it should be equally important to those of you who only wish a family pet. A healthy dachshund who has a great temperament and good health makes for a great family pet. In the end, most of our dachshund pups end up as family pets, whether they show or not which is the way it should be.
How do we go about getting and maintaining quality dachshunds. Initially, the foundation of our line came from the LoDachs kennels of Jim and Billie Ruffel, whose dogs we admired. Subsequently we added bloodlines from Cindy Ke, Criscross, Taliesin, My Way, Teckelwood, Linlos, Duradach, EZ Goins, Grand Gables and Heartland Hills to name a few. We had a vision of the "look" we were trying to achieve and bred in that direction. To date be have bred 25 AKC champions with many more to come.
WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO US IN OUR BREEDING PROGRAM
1) Good genetic health- We try to minimize negative genetic problems, which in most cases involves recessive genes. The easy ones to control usually involve a pair of recessive genes, but unfortunately, some of the more severe genetic problems, such as intervertebral disc disease involves multiple genes making them very difficult to eliminate. The latter problem is further complicated by the fact the disease may not appear until the dog is 3-6 years of age and may already been bred.
2) Correct body structure and good physical health- these characters are heavily tied to genetics. We bred only male and females who exhibit correct desirable qualities and tend to produce offspring which exhibit these same desirable qualities.
3) Good temperament- There is nothing better than a friendly dachshund. They should get along with everyone not just their owners ( this is essential for a show dachshund and should be for all pets). Temperament is a product of genetics, early life experiences (1-9 weeks) and good socialization and training the rest of their lives.
CHARACTERISTICS WHICH ARE OF LESSER IMPORTANCE
1) Coat type- We breed both the wire and smooth coats, As long as the coat itself is of good quality (which is a product of their genetics and diet), the type of coat is a personal preference of the owner, pet or show.
2) Coat color and pattern - While most people have a certain preference for coat color and pattern, they seldom have little to do with the health or quality of the dachshund, except in a few cases where certain colors or patterns are associated with serious genetic problems. For example the dilute color and the double dapple pattern - see our discussion on colors. You should select your new dachshund based off of its quality and if it turns out to be a color or pattern you prefer than so much the better. You would not choose a car based solely on its color, but on its performance.
