Dachshund
The dachshund was bred in Germany to go to ground after badgers — the name is literally badger dog — and the shape is entirely functional.
Short legs to work in a tunnel, a long body to follow one, a loud voice so the handler could locate the dog underground, and loose skin that would not tear as it pushed through soil.
It comes in two sizes and three coats: smooth, longhaired and wirehaired, each with a slightly different character, the wires generally the most terrier-like. The temperament is unmistakably that of a hunting dog in a small package: brave, stubborn and considerably louder than the size suggests.
- Origin
- Germany
- Size
- Standard 9–12 kg; miniature under 5 kg
- Lifespan
- 12–16 years
- Coat
- Smooth, longhaired or wirehaired
- Temperament
- Bold, stubborn, alert, strongly bonded to one household
- Exercise
- Around an hour daily, on the flat
3 dachshund photos, newest first
Living with a dachshund
Grooming depends on the coat: smooths need almost nothing, longhairs a few brushes a week, wires an occasional hand-strip.
The back is the whole story. Around one dachshund in four is affected by intervertebral disc disease at some point, and the risk is dramatically raised by extra weight. Keep them lean, discourage jumping on and off furniture, use ramps, and support the whole body when lifting rather than picking them up under the front legs.
They are determined barkers and diggers — both are the breed working as designed, and both respond better to management and training than to hoping they grow out of it.
Dapple is merle, under a different name, and that matters more here than the naming suggests. Two dapple parents can produce a double dapple puppy — largely white, and commonly deaf, blind or with malformed or missing eyes. It is entirely avoidable and the question that avoids it is simply what colour both parents are. A breeder pairing dapple to dapple is one to leave.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual dogs vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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