reference-dlfi.htm - Generated by SEC Publisher for SEC Filing

Objective, Primary [Text Block]

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

Risk/Return [Heading]

rr_RiskReturnHeading

Fund Summary

Objective [Heading]

rr_ObjectiveHeading

Investment Objective

rr_ObjectivePrimaryTextBlock

The fund seeks to maximize total return through capital appreciation and income.

Expense [Heading]

rr_ExpenseHeading

Fees and Expenses

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 if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in certain funds in the Dreyfus Family of Funds. More information about these and other discounts is available from your financial professional and in the Shareholder Guide section beginning on page 12 of this prospectus and in the How to Buy Shares section and the Additional Information About How to Buy Shares section beginning on page II-1 and page III-1, respectively, 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)

Fee Waiver or Reimbursement over Assets, Date of Termination

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssetsDateOfTermination

2015-03-01

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 304.46% of the average value of its portfolio.

Portfolio Turnover, Rate

rr_PortfolioTurnoverRate

304.46%

Expense Breakpoint Discounts [Text]

rr_ExpenseBreakpointDiscounts

You may qualify for sales charge discounts if you and your family invest, or agree to invest in the future, at least $50,000 in certain funds in the Dreyfus Family of Funds.

Expense Breakpoint, Minimum Investment Required [Amount]

rr_ExpenseBreakpointMinimumInvestmentRequiredAmount

$ 50,000

Expenses Restated to Reflect Current [Text]

rr_ExpensesRestatedToReflectCurrent

Management fees and total annual fund operating expenses have been restated to reflect a new Management Agreement with The Dreyfus Corporation effective April 1, 2014, which provides for a reduced management fee payable by the fund of .50%. All of the services provided under the prior Management Agreement remain unchanged.

Expense Example [Heading]

rr_ExpenseExampleHeading

Example

Expense Example Narrative [Text Block]

rr_ExpenseExampleNarrativeTextBlock

The 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. The one-year example and the first year of the three-, five- and ten-years examples are based on net operating expenses, which reflect the expense limitation by The Dreyfus Corporation. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions your costs would be:

Expense Example, No Redemption, By Year, Caption [Text]

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionByYearCaption

You would pay the following expenses if you did not redeem your shares:

Strategy [Heading]

rr_StrategyHeading

Principal Investment Strategy

Strategy Narrative [Text Block]

rr_StrategyNarrativeTextBlock

To pursue its goal, the fund normally invests at least 80% of its net assets, plus any borrowings for investment purposes, in fixed-income securities. The fund's portfolio managers typically allocate the fund's assets among the following sectors of the fixed-income market: (i) below investment grade (high yield) sector, (ii) the U.S. government, investment grade corporate, mortgage and asset-backed sectors, (iii) the foreign debt securities of developed markets sector, and (iv) the foreign debt securities of emerging markets sector. The fund's portfolio managers normally allocate 0% to 70% of the fund's net assets in each of these four categories of market sectors.

The fund is managed using a blend of macro-economic, quantitative and fundamental analysis. Through security selection and tactical allocation across fixed-income asset classes and sectors, countries and currencies, the portfolio managers seek to construct a portfolio comprised of the best opportunities to produce absolute returns with low correlation with, and less volatility than, major markets over the long term. The portfolio managers have significant flexibility in how they position the portfolio to implement the fund’s investment approach and are not bound by benchmark specific guidelines. Security selection is generally guided by internally generated fundamental analysis that looks to identify individual securities with high risk-adjusted potential for absolute returns based on relative value, credit upgrade probability and other metrics. Securities may be sold based on the changing macro environment or a change in the securities' fundamentals.

Although the fund may invest in or have investment exposure to individual bonds of any maturity or duration, and there are no restrictions on the dollar-weighted average maturity of the fund's portfolio, the average effective duration of the fund's portfolio typically will range between negative three (-3) and seven (7) years.

The fund may, but is not required to, use derivatives, such as futures, options and forward contracts, as a substitute for investing directly in an underlying asset, to increase returns, to manage market, foreign currency and/or duration or interest rate risks, or as part of a hedging strategy.

Risk [Heading]

rr_RiskHeading

Principal Risks

Risk Narrative [Text Block]

rr_RiskNarrativeTextBlock

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency. It is not a complete investment program. The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

· Interest rate risk. Prices of bonds tend to move inversely with changes in interest rates. Typically, a rise in rates will adversely affect bond prices and, accordingly, the fund's share price. The longer the effective maturity and duration of the fund's fixed-income portfolio, the more the fund's share price is likely to react to interest rates. For example, the market price of a fixed-income security with a duration of three years would be expected to decline 3% if interest rates rose 1%. Conversely, the market price of the same security would be expected to increase 3% if interest rates fell 1%. In the event that the fund has a negative average portfolio duration, the value of the fund may decline in a declining interest rate environment. Unlike investment grade bonds, however, the prices of high yield bonds may fluctuate unpredictably and not necessarily inversely with changes in interest rates.

· Credit risk. The instruments in which the fund invests may have ratings that are below investment grade ("high yield" or "junk" bonds). High yield bonds involve greater credit risk, including the risk of default, than investment grade bonds, and are considered predominantly speculative with respect to the issuer's ability to make principal and interest payments. The prices of high yield bonds can fall dramatically in response to bad news about the issuer or its industry, or the economy in general. Failure of an issuer or guarantor of a fixed income security, or the counterparty to a derivatives transaction, to make timely interest or principal payments or otherwise honor its obligations could cause the fund to lose money.

· Mortgage-related securities risk. Mortgage-related securities are complex derivative instruments, subject to credit, prepayment and extension risk, and may be more volatile and less liquid, and more difficult to price accurately, than more traditional debt securities. The fund is subject to the credit risk associated with these securities, including the market's perception of the creditworthiness of the issuing federal agency, as well as the credit quality of the underlying assets. Although certain mortgage-related securities are guaranteed as to the timely payment of interest and principal by a third party (such as a U.S. government agency or instrumentality with respect to government-related mortgage-backed securities) the market prices for such securities are not guaranteed and will fluctuate. Declining interest rates may result in the prepayment of higher yielding underlying mortgages and the reinvestment of proceeds at lower interest rates can reduce the fund's potential price gain in response to falling interest rates, reduce the fund's yield or cause the fund's share price to fall (prepayment risk). Rising interest rates may result in a drop in prepayments of the underlying mortgages, which would increase the fund's sensitivity to rising interest rates and its potential for price declines (extension risk).

· Asset-backed securities risk. General downturns in the economy could cause the value of asset-backed securities to fall. In addition, asset-backed securities present certain risks that are not presented by mortgage-backed securities. Primarily, these securities may provide the fund with a less effective security interest in the related collateral than do mortgage-backed securities. Therefore, there is the possibility that recoveries on the underlying collateral may not, in some cases, be available to support payments on these securities.

· Market sector risk. The fund may significantly overweight or underweight certain companies, industries or market sectors, which may cause the fund's performance to be more or less sensitive to developments affecting those companies, industries or sectors.

· Liquidity risk. When there is little or no active trading market for specific types of securities, it can become more difficult to sell the securities in a timely manner at or near their perceived value. In such a market, the value of such securities and the fund's share price may fall dramatically. Investments in foreign securities, particularly those of issuers located in emerging markets, tend to have greater exposure to liquidity risk than domestic securities.

· Foreign investment risk. To the extent the fund invests in foreign securities, the fund's performance will be influenced by political, social and economic factors affecting investments in foreign issuers. Special risks associated with investments in foreign issuers include exposure to currency fluctuations, less liquidity, less developed or less efficient trading markets, lack of comprehensive company information, political and economic instability and differing auditing and legal standards. Investments denominated in foreign currencies are subject to the risk that such currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar and affect the value of these investments held by the fund.

· Foreign currency risk. Investments in foreign currencies are subject to the risk that those currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar or, in the case of hedged positions, that the U.S. dollar will decline relative to the currency being hedged. Currency exchange rates may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time. Foreign currencies are also subject to risks caused by inflation, interest rates, budget deficits and low savings rates, political factors and government intervention and controls.

· Emerging market risk. The securities of issuers located in emerging market countries tend to be more volatile and less liquid than the securities of issuers located in countries with more mature economies, and emerging markets generally have less diverse and less mature economic structures and less stable political systems than those of developed countries. The securities of issuers located or doing substantial business in emerging markets are often subject to rapid and large changes in price.

· Derivatives risk. A small investment in derivatives could have a potentially large impact on the fund's performance. The use of derivatives involves risks different from, or possibly greater than, the risks associated with investing directly in the underlying assets. Derivatives can be highly volatile, illiquid and difficult to value. Certain types of derivatives, including swap agreements, forward contracts and other over-the-counter transactions, involve greater risks than the underlying obligations because, in addition to general market risks, they are subject to illiquidity risk, counterparty risk, credit risk and pricing risk.

· Portfolio turnover risk. The fund may engage in short-term trading, which could produce higher transaction costs and taxable distributions, and lower the fund's after-tax performance.

· Non-diversification risk. The fund is non-diversified, which means that the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a diversified fund.

Risk Lose Money [Text]

rr_RiskLoseMoney

The fund's share price fluctuates, sometimes dramatically, which means you could lose money.

Risk Nondiversified Status [Text]

rr_RiskNondiversifiedStatus

The fund is non-diversified, which means that the fund may invest a relatively high percentage of its assets in a limited number of issuers. Therefore, the fund's performance may be more vulnerable to changes in the market value of a single issuer or group of issuers and more susceptible to risks associated with a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence than a diversified fund.

Risk Not Insured Depository Institution [Text]

rr_RiskNotInsuredDepositoryInstitution

An investment in the fund is not a bank deposit. It is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) or any other government agency.

Bar Chart and Performance Table [Heading]

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Performance

Performance Narrative [Text Block]

rr_PerformanceNarrativeTextBlock

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund. The bar chart shows changes in the performance of the fund's Class A shares from year to year. The table compares the average annual total returns of the fund's shares to those of a broad measure of market performance. The fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future. Sales charges, if any, are not reflected in the bar chart, and if those charges were included, returns would have been less than those shown. More recent performance information may be available at www.dreyfus.com.

The fund was managed pursuant to a different investment strategy before October 2010. Therefore, the performance shown below for periods prior to October 2010 is not necessarily indicative of how the fund would have performed pursuant to its current strategy.

Performance Information Illustrates Variability of Returns [Text]

rr_PerformanceInformationIllustratesVariabilityOfReturns

The following bar chart and table provide some indication of the risks of investing in the fund.

Performance Availability Website Address [Text]

rr_PerformanceAvailabilityWebSiteAddress

www.dreyfus.com

Performance Past Does Not Indicate Future [Text]

rr_PerformancePastDoesNotIndicateFuture

The fund's past performance (before and after taxes) is not necessarily an indication of how the fund will perform in the future.

Bar Chart [Heading]

rr_BarChartHeading

Year-by-Year Total Returns as of 12/31 each year (%) Class A

Bar Chart Does Not Reflect Sales Loads [Text]

rr_BarChartDoesNotReflectSalesLoads

Sales charges, if any, are not reflected in the bar chart, and if those charges were included, returns would have been less than those shown.

Bar Chart Closing [Text Block]

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Best Quarter
Q2, 2009: 11.93%
Worst Quarter
Q3, 2008: -6.15%

Highest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_HighestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Best Quarter

Highest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturnDate

Jun. 30, 2009

Highest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartHighestQuarterlyReturn

11.93%

Lowest Quarterly Return, Label

rr_LowestQuarterlyReturnLabel

Worst Quarter

Lowest Quarterly Return, Date

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturnDate

Sep. 30, 2008

Lowest Quarterly Return

rr_BarChartLowestQuarterlyReturn

(6.15%)

Index No Deduction for Fees, Expenses, Taxes [Text]

rr_IndexNoDeductionForFeesExpensesTaxes

reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes

Performance Table Uses Highest Federal Rate

rr_PerformanceTableUsesHighestFederalRate

After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest 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

Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

Performance Table One Class of after Tax Shown [Text]

rr_PerformanceTableOneClassOfAfterTaxShown

After-tax performance is shown only for Class A shares. After-tax performance of the fund's other share classes will vary.

Performance Table Narrative

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After-tax performance is shown only for Class A shares. After-tax performance of the fund's other share classes will vary. After-tax returns are calculated using the historical highest individual federal marginal income tax rates, and do not reflect the impact of state and local taxes. Actual after-tax returns depend on the investor's tax situation and may differ from those shown, and the after-tax returns shown are not relevant to investors who hold their shares through tax-deferred arrangements such as 401(k) plans or individual retirement accounts.

For the fund's Class Y shares, periods prior to the inception date reflect the performance of the fund's Class A shares adjusted to reflect any applicable sales charges. Such performance figures have not been adjusted to reflect applicable class fees and expenses.

Caption

rr_AverageAnnualReturnCaption

Average Annual Total Returns (as of 12/31/13)

Citibank 30-Day Treasury Bill Index reflects no deduction for fees, expenses or taxes

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.03%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

0.07%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

1.15%

^[1]

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jun. 30, 2006

Class A

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

4.50%

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of lower of purchase or sale price)

rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther

none

^[2]

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.50%

^[3]

Other expenses (including shareholder services fees)

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.63%

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.13%

Total annual fund operating expenses (after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement)

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.23%)

^[4]

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.90%

Expenses Deferred Charges [Text Block]

rr_ExpensesDeferredChargesTextBlock

Class A shares bought without an initial sales charge as part of an investment of $1 million or more may be charged a deferred sales charge of 1.00% if redeemed within one year.

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

538

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

771

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

1,023

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,743

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01

538

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03

771

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05

1,023

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10

1,743

Annual Return 2004

rr_AnnualReturn2004

0.00%

Annual Return 2005

rr_AnnualReturn2005

0.00%

Annual Return 2006

rr_AnnualReturn2006

0.00%

Annual Return 2007

rr_AnnualReturn2007

3.79%

Annual Return 2008

rr_AnnualReturn2008

(9.24%)

Annual Return 2009

rr_AnnualReturn2009

25.35%

Annual Return 2010

rr_AnnualReturn2010

11.13%

Annual Return 2011

rr_AnnualReturn2011

0.13%

Annual Return 2012

rr_AnnualReturn2012

11.09%

Annual Return 2013

rr_AnnualReturn2013

1.99%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(2.58%)

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

8.58%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.61%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jul. 11, 2006

Class A | After Taxes on Distributions

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(3.47%)

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

6.91%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.68%

Class A | After Taxes on Distributions and Sale of Fund Shares

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

(1.47%)

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

6.41%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

3.64%

Class C

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of lower of purchase or sale price)

rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther

1.00%

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.50%

^[3]

Other expenses (including shareholder services fees)

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

0.75%

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.66%

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

1.91%

Total annual fund operating expenses (after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement)

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.26%)

^[4]

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

1.65%

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

268

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

575

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

1,007

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

2,212

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01

168

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03

575

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05

1,007

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10

2,212

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

0.25%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

8.75%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

5.47%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jul. 11, 2006

Class I

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of lower of purchase or sale price)

rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther

none

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.50%

^[3]

Other expenses (including shareholder services fees)

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.36%

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.86%

Total annual fund operating expenses (after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement)

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.21%)

^[4]

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.65%

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

253

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

456

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

1,041

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03

253

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05

456

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10

1,041

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.32%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

9.86%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.54%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnInceptionDate

Jul. 11, 2006

Class Y

Maximum sales charge (load) imposed on purchases (as a percentage of offering price)

rr_RiskReturnAbstract

rr_MaximumSalesChargeImposedOnPurchasesOverOfferingPrice

none

Maximum deferred sales charge (load) (as a percentage of lower of purchase or sale price)

rr_MaximumDeferredSalesChargeOverOther

none

rr_ManagementFeesOverAssets

0.50%

^[3]

Other expenses (including shareholder services fees)

rr_DistributionAndService12b1FeesOverAssets

none

rr_OtherExpensesOverAssets

0.25%

rr_ExpensesOverAssets

0.75%

Total annual fund operating expenses (after fee waiver and/or expense reimbursement)

rr_FeeWaiverOrReimbursementOverAssets

(0.15%)

^[4]

rr_NetExpensesOverAssets

0.60%

rr_ExpenseExampleYear01

rr_ExpenseExampleYear03

225

rr_ExpenseExampleYear05

402

rr_ExpenseExampleYear10

916

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear01

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear03

225

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear05

402

rr_ExpenseExampleNoRedemptionYear10

$ 916

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear01

2.07%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnYear05

9.60%

rr_AverageAnnualReturnSinceInception

6.28%