Abstract
The aim of the study was to analyse the hair coat of the three dachshund varieties, i.e. shorthaired, longhaired, and wirehaired, with respect to its histological structure and content of selected chemical elements. The study was conducted on female dachshunds originating from individual breeders. The study included the assessment of the contribution of particular hair fractions, measurements of hair thickness and length, and also the analysis of histological structure of particular hair fractions. A great differentiation in the parameters and structure of particular kinds of hair from the examined dogs was demonstrated. Thickness and length of hair of particular varieties showed statistically significant differentiation, as well as percentage contribution of particular hair fractions. As regard the content of chemical elements in particular hair fractions and dachshund variety, it appeared that the elements forming hair keratin were the most abundant. The findings presented in the paper may be a useful tool for the recognition of dachshund varieties based on their hair coat structure. They may be also a valuable contribution to the expanding breed standards, which lack histological hair description.