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Label Element Value
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Registrant Name dei_EntityRegistrantName Dunham Funds
Prospectus Date rr_ProspectusDate May 02, 2019
Dunham Floating Rate Bond Fund  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Risk/Return [Heading] rr_RiskReturnHeading Dunham Floating Rate Bond Fund
Objective [Heading] rr_ObjectiveHeading Investment Objective:
Objective, Primary [Text Block] rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The Fund seeks to provide a high level of current income,
Objective, Secondary [Text Block] rr_ObjectiveSecondaryTextBlock

with capital appreciation as a secondary goal.
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 85 of the Fund's Prospectus and in How to Buy and Sell Shares on page 89 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 turnover rate was 79% of the average value of its portfolio.
Portfolio Turnover, Rate rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate 79.00%
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
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 objectives by investing, under normal market conditions, at least 80% of the Fund’s assets (defined as net assets plus borrowings for investment purposes) in bonds.  The Fund defines “bonds” as floating rate loans and other floating rate debt securities. Floating rate loans generally represent amounts borrowed by companies or other entities from banks and other lenders. The loans in which the Fund will primarily invest are non-investment grade (or “junk”) bank loans. Floating rate loans have interest rates that reset periodically (typically quarterly or monthly). The interest rates on floating rate loans are generally based on a percentage above LIBOR (the London Interbank Offered Rate), a U.S. bank’s prime or base rate, the overnight federal funds rate, or another rate.

The loans held by the Fund may be senior or subordinate obligations of the borrower. In the event of bankruptcy, holders of senior floating rate loans are typically paid (to the extent assets are available) before certain other creditors of the borrower (e.g., bondholders and stockholders). Holders of subordinate loans may be paid after more senior bondholders. Loans may or may not be secured by collateral. There is no limit on the Fund’s investments in unsecured loans or in companies involved in bankruptcy proceedings, reorganizations, or financial restructurings. There are no maturity restrictions, so the Fund can purchase longer-term loans and bonds, which tend to have higher yields (but are more volatile) than shorter-term loans and bonds. The Fund generally invests in loans that are rated below investment-grade (BB and lower, or an equivalent rating) or are not rated by a nationally recognized statistical rating organization (NRSRO).

The Fund may invest up to 25% of total assets in U.S. and non-U.S. dollar denominated foreign securities and foreign floating rate loans, including Yankee bonds. The Fund may purchase derivative instruments, including, but not limited to, options, futures contracts, credit-linked notes, and swaps (including interest rate swaps, inflation swaps and credit default swaps) for investment purposes and to manage risks identified by the Sub-Adviser.

In general, the Sub-Adviser buys securities that provide high current income that it believes possess attractive risk/reward characteristics. The Sub-Adviser generally measures a security's risk/reward by comparing the security's yield to the risks associated with the borrower, such as its financial condition and industry position, and compared to the yield available from other opportunities. It generally sells securities when they no longer meet the buy criteria or when a more attractive opportunity is identified.
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.

Call or Redemption Risk – If interest rates decline, issuers of debt securities may exercise redemption or call provisions. This may force the Fund to reinvest redemption or call proceeds in securities with lower yields, which may reduce Fund performance.

Changing Fixed Income Market Conditions Risk – During periods of sustained rising rates, fixed income risks will be amplified. If the U.S. Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee (“FOMC”) raises the federal funds interest rate target, interest rates across the U.S. financial system may rise. Rising rates tend to decrease liquidity, increase trading costs, and increase volatility, all of which make portfolio management more difficult and costly to the Fund and its shareholders.

Credit Risk – Issuers of debt securities may suffer from a reduced ability to repay their interest and principal obligations. They may even default on interest and/or principal payments due to the Fund. An increase in credit risk or a default will cause the value of Fund debt securities to decline. Issuers with lower credit quality are more susceptible to economic or industry downturns and are more likely to default.

Derivatives Risk – Financial derivatives may not produce the desired investment results because they are not perfect substitutes for the underlying securities, indices or currencies from which they are derived. Derivatives may also create leverage which will amplify the effect on the Fund, which may produce significant losses. Over the counter derivatives, such as swaps, are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligation.

Foreign Investing Risk – Investments in foreign countries are subject to currency risk and country-specific risks such as political, diplomatic, regional conflicts, terrorism, war, social and economic instability and policies that have the effect of decreasing the value of foreign securities. Foreign countries may be subject to different trading settlement practices, less government supervision, less publicly available information, limited trading markets and greater volatility than U.S. investments.

Interest Rate Risk – In general, the price of a debt security falls when interest rates rise. Debt securities have varying levels of sensitivity to changes in interest rates. Securities with longer maturities may be more sensitive to interest rate changes.

Leveraging Risk – Using derivatives can create leverage, which can magnify the Fund's potential for gain or loss and, therefore, amplify the effects of market volatility on the Fund's share price.

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 the Fund to dispose of a security position at all or at a price which represents current or fair market value.

Lower-Rated Securities Risk – Securities rated below investment-grade, sometimes called "high-yield" or "junk" bonds, are speculative investments that generally have more credit risk than higher-rated securities. Companies issuing high-yield fixed-income securities are not as strong financially as those issuing securities with higher credit ratings and are more likely to encounter financial difficulties. Lower rated issuers are more likely to default and their securities could become worthless.

Management Risk – The Fund is subject to management risk because it is an actively managed investment portfolio. 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. The successful use of hedging and risk management techniques may be adversely affected by imperfect correlation between movements in the price of the hedging vehicles and the securities being hedged.

Senior Bank Loans Risk – Senior loans are subject to the risk that a court could subordinate a senior loan, which typically holds the most senior position in the issuer’s capital structure, to presently existing or future indebtedness or take other action detrimental to the holders of senior loans. Senior loans settle on a delayed basis, potentially leading to the sale proceeds of such loans not being available to meet redemptions for a substantial period of time after the sale of the senior loans. The market prices of floating rate loans are generally less sensitive to interest rate changes than are the market prices for securities with fixed interest rates. Certain senior loans may not be considered “securities,” and purchasers, such as the Fund, therefore may not be entitled to rely on the protections of federal securities laws, including anti-fraud provisions.
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 Class A, Class C and Class N 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. 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 Class A, Class C and Class N 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 Year Ended December 31
Bar Chart Closing [Text Block] rr_BarChartClosingTextBlock

During the period shown in the bar chart, the highest return for a quarter was 2.36% (quarter ended September 30, 2016) and the lowest return for a quarter was -3.53% (quarter ended December 31, 2018).
Performance Table Heading rr_PerformanceTableHeading AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN For the periods ended December 31, 2018
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; actual after-tax returns depend on an individual investor's tax situation and are likely to differ from those shown.
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 shares.
Performance Table Narrative rr_PerformanceTableNarrativeTextBlock

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 shares.
Inception Date rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate Nov. 01, 2013
Dunham Floating Rate Bond Fund | Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text] rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes
Label rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 1.14% [1]
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 3.32% [1]
Life of Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.41% [1],[2]
Dunham Floating Rate Bond Fund | S&P LSTA Leveraged Loan Index  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text] rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes reflects no deduction for fees, expenses, or taxes
Label rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel S&P LSTA Leveraged Loan Index
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 0.44%
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 3.05%
Life of Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 3.13% [2]
Dunham Floating Rate Bond Fund | Morningstar Bank Loan Category  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Label rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel Morningstar Bank Loan Category (return before taxes)
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (0.26%) [3]
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 2.28% [3]
Life of Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 2.40% [2],[3]
Dunham Floating Rate Bond Fund | Class A  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Maximum Sales Charge (Load) Imposed on Purchases (as a % of offering price) rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice 4.50%
Maximum Deferred Sales Charge (Load) (as a % of the original purchase price for purchases of $1 million or more) rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOfferingPrice 0.75%
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 0.75% [4]
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.25%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.23%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.23%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 570
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 823
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 1,095
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 1,872
Label rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel return before taxes
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (5.55%)
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 0.76%
Life of Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 0.77% [2]
Dunham Floating Rate Bond 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 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 0.75% [4]
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets 0.75%
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.23%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 1.73%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 176
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 545
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 939
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 2,041
Label rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel return before taxes
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (1.55%)
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 1.18%
Life of Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 1.17% [2]
Dunham Floating Rate Bond 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 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 0.75% [4]
Distribution and/or Service (12b-1) Fees rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets none
Other Expenses rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets 0.23%
Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses rr_ExpensesOverAssets 0.98%
1 Year rr_ExpenseExampleYear01 $ 100
3 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear03 312
5 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear05 542
10 Years rr_ExpenseExampleYear10 $ 1,201
Annual Return 2014 rr_AnnualReturn2014 0.28%
Annual Return 2015 rr_AnnualReturn2015 (0.08%)
Annual Return 2016 rr_AnnualReturn2016 7.56%
Annual Return 2017 rr_AnnualReturn2017 2.95%
Annual Return 2018 rr_AnnualReturn2018 (0.71%)
Highest Quarterly Return, Label rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel the highest return
Highest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate Sep. 30, 2016
Highest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn 2.36%
Lowest Quarterly Return, Label rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel the lowest return
Lowest Quarterly Return, Date rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate Dec. 31, 2018
Lowest Quarterly Return rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn (3.53%)
Label rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel return before taxes
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (0.71%)
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 1.96%
Life of Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 1.94% [2]
Dunham Floating Rate Bond Fund | Class N | return after taxes on distributions  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Label rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel return after taxes on distributions
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (2.46%)
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 0.40%
Life of Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 0.42% [2]
Dunham Floating Rate Bond Fund | Class N | return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares  
Risk/Return: rr_RiskReturnAbstract  
Label rr_AverageAnnualReturnLabel return after taxes on distributions and sale of Fund shares
1 Year rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01 (0.40%)
5 Years rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05 0.80%
Life of Fund rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception 0.80% [2]
[1] Change in the Fund’s benchmark effective February 28, 2019. As a result, the Fund’s performance is compared to both indices in the table above. The Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index is designed to track the investable universe of the U.S. dollar-denominated leveraged loan market. Investors cannot invest directly in an index or benchmark.
[2] The Fund commenced operations on November 1, 2013.
[3] The Morningstar Bank Loan Category is generally representative of mutual funds that primarily invest in floating-rate bank loans instead of bonds. These bank loans generally offer interest payments that typically float above a common short-term benchmark such as the London interbank offered rate, or LIBOR.
[4] Management Fees have been restated to reflect an amendment to the Sub-Advisory agreement fee schedule that is effective February 28, 2019. Actual Sub-Advisory fees may be higher or lower depending on Fund performance. The new Sub-Advisory fee is a fulcrum fee with a base or fulcrum of 0.28% and can range from 0.10% to 0.46%, depending on the effect of performance fees.