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Label Element Value
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName Dunham Funds
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate Mar. 01, 2012
Dunham Small Cap Value Fund | Class A
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a % of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 5.75%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a % of the of the original purchase price for purchases of $1 million or more) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice 1.00%
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther none
Redemption Fee rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Exchange Fee rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption none
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 1.47%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.63%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.01% [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.36%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 800
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 1,269
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,763
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 3,116
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (6.90%)
5 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05    [2]
Life of Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception (2.29%) [2]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Jan. 03, 2007
Dunham Small Cap Value Fund | Class C
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a % of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a % of the of the original purchase price for purchases of $1 million or more) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther none
Redemption Fee rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Exchange Fee rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption none
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 1.47%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 1.00%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.63%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.01% [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 3.11%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 314
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 960
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,630
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 3,420
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (1.95%)
5 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (1.94%)
Life of Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 0.74% [2]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Dec. 10, 2004
Dunham Small Cap Value Fund | Class N
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a % of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a % of the of the original purchase price for purchases of $1 million or more) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice none
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Reinvested Dividends and other Distributions rr_MaximumSalesChargeOnReinvestedDividendsAndDistributionsOverOther none
Redemption Fee rr_RedemptionFeeOverRedemption none
Exchange Fee rr_ExchangeFeeOverRedemption none
Management Fees rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets 1.47%
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.63%
Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses rr_AcquiredFundFeesAndExpensesOverAssets 0.01% [1]
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 2.11%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 214
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 661
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,134
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 2,441
Annual Return 2005 rr_AnnualReturn2005 (4.93%)
Annual Return 2006 rr_AnnualReturn2006 19.78%
Annual Return 2007 rr_AnnualReturn2007 (4.60%)
Annual Return 2008 rr_AnnualReturn2008 (33.85%)
Annual Return 2009 rr_AnnualReturn2009 21.24%
Annual Return 2010 rr_AnnualReturn2010 25.87%
Annual Return 2011 rr_AnnualReturn2011 (0.94%)
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel the highest return
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Sep. 30, 2009
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 21.24%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel the lowest return
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2008
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (27.88%)
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (0.94%)
5 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (0.94%)
Life of Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 1.74% [2]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Dec. 10, 2004
Dunham Small Cap Value Fund | Class N | return after taxes on distributions
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (0.94%)
5 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (1.14%)
Life of Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 1.10% [2]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Dec. 10, 2004
Dunham Small Cap Value Fund | Class N | return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (0.61%)
5 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (0.85%)
Life of Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 1.45% [2]
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Dec. 10, 2004
Dunham Small Cap Value Fund
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading
Dunham Small Cap Value Fund
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective:
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks to maximize total return from capital appreciation and income.

Expense [Heading] rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses of the Fund:
Expense Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseNarrativeTextBlock

This table describes the fees and expenses that you may pay if you buy and hold shares of the Fund. You may qualify for sales charge discounts on purchases of Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in How to Purchase Shares on page 113 of the Fund's Prospectus and in How to Buy and Sell Shares on page 67 of the Fund's Statement of Additional Information.
Shareholder Fees Caption [Text] rr_ShareholderFeesCaption

Shareholder Fees

(fees paid directly from your investment)
Operating Expenses Caption [Text] rr_OperatingExpensesCaption

Annual Fund Operating Expenses

(expenses that you pay each year as a

percentage of the value of your investment)
Portfolio Turnover [Heading] rr_PortfolioTurnoverHeading

Portfolio Turnover:
Portfolio Turnover [Text Block] rr_PortfolioTurnoverTextBlock

The Fund pays transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in annual fund operating expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance. During the most recent fiscal year, the Fund's portfolio turnover rate was 50% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 50.00%
Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text] rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts You may qualify for sales charge discounts on purchases of Class A shares if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in the Fund.
Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount] rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount 50,000
Expenses Not Correlated to Ratio Due to Acquired Fund Fees [Text] rr_ExpensesNotCorrelatedToRatioDueToAcquiredFundFees The operating expenses in this fee table may not correlate to the expense ratio in the Fund's financial highlights because the financial statements include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Fund, not the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies.
Expense Example [Heading] rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example:
Expense Example Narrative [Text Block] rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of investing in the Fund with the cost of investing in other mutual funds.

The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then redeem all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based upon these assumptions your costs would be:
Strategy [Heading] rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategies:
Strategy Narrative [Text Block] rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

The Fund's sub-adviser seeks to achieve the Fund's investment objective by investing primarily in domestic, value-oriented, small-capitalization or "small cap" equity securities (common stock) of companies traded on U.S. stock exchanges or in the over-the-counter market using its fundamental stock selection process. The Fund defines small capitalization companies as those that have market capitalizations less than $4 billion at the time of investment. Under normal market conditions, the Fund invests at least 80% of its assets (defined as net plus borrowing for investment purposes) in small cap companies. In general, the sub-adviser buys securities of dividend-paying small cap companies that have positive free cash flow and improving returns that it believes are undervalued. It sells them when the company's fundamentals change, more compelling investments are available or the stock appreciates outside of the market capitalization range of the small stock universe. Although a "total return" investment objective typically entails both capital appreciation and income, the Fund emphasizes capital appreciation, but will capture some income through dividends and interest from cash investments.
Risk [Heading] rr_RiskHeading

Principal Investment Risks:
Risk Narrative [Text Block] rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund. Although the Fund will strive to meet its investment objective, there is no assurance that it will do so. Many factors affect the Fund's net asset value and performance.


Liquidity Risk – Some securities may have few market-makers and low trading volume, which tend to increase transaction costs and may make it impossible for a Fund to dispose of a security position at all or at a price which represents current or fair market value.


Management Risk – The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. The sub-adviser's judgments about the attractiveness, "value" and potential appreciation of securities may prove to be inaccurate and may not produce the desired results. The sub-adviser will apply its investment techniques and risk analyses in making investment decisions for the Fund, but there is no guarantee that its decisions will produce the intended result.


Small Capitalization Risk – The Fund's investments in small cap companies carry more risks than investments in larger companies. Small cap companies often have narrower markets, fewer products, or services to offer and more limited managerial and financial resources than do larger, more established companies.


Stock Market Risk – Stock markets can be volatile. In other words, the prices of stocks can fall rapidly in response to developments affecting a specific company or industry, or to changing economic, political or market conditions. The Fund's investments may decline in value if the stock markets perform poorly.
Risk Lose Money [Text] rr_RiskLoseMoney As with all mutual funds, there is the risk that you could lose money through your investment in the Fund.
Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading] rr_BarChartAndPerformanceTableHeading

Performance:
Performance Narrative [Text Block] rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the performance of Class N Shares of the Fund from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance. The Class A sales charge is reflected in the average annual total return table. Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how a Fund will perform in the future. Performance prior to March 3, 2008 is the performance of a predecessor fund. Updated performance information is available at no cost by visiting www.dunham.com or by calling toll free (888) 3DUNHAM (338-6426).
Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text] rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns The following bar chart and table below provide some indication of the risks of investing in the Fund by showing changes in the performance of Class N Shares of the Fund from year to year and by showing how the Fund's average annual returns compare with those of a broad measure of market performance.
Performance Availability Phone [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityPhone (888) 3DUNHAM (338-6426)
Performance Availability Website Address [Text] rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress www.dunham.com
Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text] rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture Past performance (before and after taxes) does not necessarily indicate how a Fund will perform in the future.
Bar Chart [Heading] rr_BarChartHeading

Class N Shares Annual Total Return for Years Ended December 31
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

During the periods shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was 21.24% (quarter ended September 30, 2009) and the lowest return for a quarter was -27.88% (quarter ended December 31, 2008).

Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading

Dunham Small Cap Value Fund

AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN
Performance Table Does Reflect Sales Loads rr_PerformanceTableDoesReflectSalesLoads The Class A sales charge is reflected in the average annual total return table.
Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate After-tax returns are estimated, and are based on the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes;
Performance Table Not Relevant to Tax Deferred rr_PerformanceTableNotRelevantToTaxDeferred If you own shares of the Fund in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan, this information is not applicable to your investment, because such accounts are only subject to taxes upon distribution.
Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text] rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown After tax returns for Class C and Class A shares, which are not shown, will vary from those of Class N.
Performance Table Closing [Text Block] rr_PerformanceTableClosingTextBlock

After-tax returns are estimated, and are based on the highest historical individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes; actual after-tax returns depend on an individual investor's tax situation and are likely to differ from those shown. If you own shares of the Fund in a tax-deferred account, such as an individual retirement account or a 401(k) plan, this information is not applicable to your investment, because such accounts are only subject to taxes upon distribution. After tax returns for Class C and Class A shares, which are not shown, will vary from those of Class N.

Dunham Small Cap Value Fund | Russell 2000 Value Index (reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes)
  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (5.50%)
5 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 (1.87%)
Life of Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 2.74% [2]
[1] Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses are the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies. The operating expenses in this fee table may not correlate to the expense ratio in the Fund's financial highlights because the financial statements include only the direct operating expenses incurred by the Fund, not the indirect costs of investing in other investment companies.
[2] The Fund's Class N and Class C shares commenced operations on December 10, 2004. The Fund's Class A shares commenced operations on January 3, 2007.