The name Dachshund was drawn from two German words, which are “Dach” meaning Badges and “Hund” meaning Hound. These little dogs were originally developed by German breeders in the 15th century as hunting dogs, specifically, to chase down badgers which are small animals that live in narrow burrows.
As time went by, the dachshunds were also considered dog companions during hunting season for foxes, otters or even rabbits. Further development of the breed resulted in two types of canine sizes: the standard one, which was designed for hunting wild boar and badgers, and the miniature one, which was developed for hunting rabbits and vermin.
In the 18th century, the miniature dachshund first appeared in the United Kingdom and became popular as pet companions among the wealthy and even the Royal family.
A known fan of the breed was Queen Victoria who established a royal dog show that exhibited miniature dachshunds as one of the various dogs bred and kept by the Royal family. Later on, its popularity spread out throughout the United States wherein it was recognized by the American Kennel Club as a separate type of breed.
Traits and Behavior
The Dachshunds are recognized for their deep loyalty to their owner. They possess average intelligence which could be a factor why they exhibit difficulty in obeying during their training period. In documented reports, the Dachshunds are effective hunting dogs for foxes, hares and badgers.
They are alert, active and playful. They also tend to be aggressive to strangers so socialization is necessary as part of training while they are still in their puppy years.
These dogs are good travel companions because they can easily adapt to a new environment, people or other animals.
However, if they are left alone for a long period, they can be vicious, wild and may show behavioral problems, like chewing things.
They are fond of digging when they’re in an open yard or field; so, caution must be done not to let the dog get messy.
Pet Care and Diseases
This dog is an average shedder. For the long-haired type, they need regular combing and brushing; short-haired dogs can be groomed using dry shampooing while the wire-haired ones need to be trimmed at least twice a year.
The dachshunds can be adopted in an apartment living but the owner must make sure that their dogs can be given regular exercises like running or walking since they have a tendency to be lazy and, eventually, can become obese.
Also, due to their short structure, jumping activities are encouraged to help them from incurring spinal damage. The most common causes of health problems on them are spinal injuries, urinary tract infections, heart diseases and diabetes.
Appearance
A standard dachshund has the appearance of a long body with muscular short legs. There are three varieties of dachshund: the long-haired with coats that are shiny and silky extending to the dog’s legs and ears as short featherings, the wire-haired, and the short-haired.
Dachshunds also come in different coat colors bearing shades of black, tan, fawn, beige, blue, chocolate, and red.
Some of them may have markings like the dapple (presented as patches of light color to darker color – known also as tri-colored), piebald (can be bi-colored or tri-colored which usually have a white marking), brindle (a striped color that can be seen over the entire body), and sable (a red base coat with black overlay).
A matured, standard-size dachshund stands around 20-27cm and weighs more than 5 kg at the age of 12 months.
As for the miniature type, they stand around 13-18cm in height of withers and weigh 5kg or less at the age of 12 months.
Their usual eye color may range from amber, light brown, green eyes or even blue. Some dachshunds can even have eyes of two different types of color.
The muzzle is elongated, as well as their face, and has long ears that hang loosely on both sides. They have a deep chest that provides more lung capacity, especially when chasing down animals during the hunting season.
General Information
Its life expectancy is about 12-15 years. The average litter is approximately 4-8 puppies. The Dachshund is also known as Teckels, Dachels, or Dachsels.
Breed Club
Visit this dog club website dedicated to Dachshunds. Click this link: