Dachshunds

Living with a Dachshund is like hanging out with that friend who’s always getting into trouble—and then charming their way out of it. They’re that friend who won’t back down from a dare, who won’t take no for an answer, who laughs in the face of danger—but that you alone know is really a sweetheart. They may just dig in their heels when you tell them to come, kick the dirt higher when you tell them to stop digging, or bark back defiantly when you tell them to shush. But their sweet side makes up for it, and they save it for their special few. You’ll know that when they snuggle against you on the couch, lay their head in your lap and gaze up at you as though it’s just the two of you against the world. It’s only partly their personality. It’s also their looks. Sausage dog, weiner dog—their nicknames show the humor people get from their long body and short legs. And with a choice of coat types, sizes and colors, there are Doxies to meet every preference.

Dachshunds are the low-riders of the dog world. They acquired that low-slung physique because they were used for hunting badgers and needed to be able to enter deep into a badger’s den without getting stuck, but they also needed to have a larger body and jaws to fight and overpower the badger within the den. The answer was to put short legs on a normal sized dog. Dachshunds come in two sizes, the larger Standard size was bred for badger hunting. The Miniature was bred to hunt rabbits. Doxies also come in three coat varieties. The original Smooth coat is sleek and streamlined. The Wirehaired is saucy and dapper looking. And the Longhaired variety looks soft and sweet, almost like a stuffed animal. They come in a variety of colors and patterns, including sable, red, cream, black, chocolate, gray, fawn, brindle, dapple, piebald, and wild boar.

Dachshunds tend to rush in at the hint of adventure, sometimes when a prudent dog might hang back-–or at least come back when you call. They’re unlike any other hound, being bred to perform both hound duties (hunting and trailing) and terrier duties (digging and going underground after tough prey). Like both hounds and terriers, they tend to be very independent and apt to head off hunting on their own. They’re bold, brash, active and sometimes mischievous. They are equally loving, cuddly and (occasionally) obedient. Dachshunds are generally good with all members of the family, but the bigger concern is whether young children can be good with Dachshunds. Because of their common back problems, children (and anyone) must be careful to pick them up appropriately, not drop them, not encourage them to jump, or do anything that could hurt their back. In addition, dachshunds need to be socialized so they realize visiting children (as well as adults) are their friends as well. They also need to get to know cats and other small pets while they are still puppies, so they realize that they, too, are part of the family, and not just fun toys to chase. Although there’s considerable overlap, owners report that the three coat varieties tend to act slightly differently. The Smooth is the prototypical mixture of sweet and sassy, while the Long emphasizes the “sweet” and the Wire the “sassy.”

Dachshunds are independent and can be headstrong. They weren’t bred to follow orders, and many stay true to this heritage. Historically, a Dachshund that constantly checked back for instructions would fail when it came to following a badger into its den and confronting it without human intervention. Today's Dachshund is equally independent, with an attitude that clearly says they know better than you do. The breed is also tenacious (some would say stubborn), another virtue when facing off against a formidable adversary like a badger. The key to training them is to avoid a battle of the wills. Instead, challenge them to prove they’re as smart as they think they are by making training a challenging game. Doxies are very smart and quick. Several Dachshunds have gone on to become top obedience competitors. In fact, the first AKC Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH) in the Hound group was a Dachshund.

Dachshunds are in the AKC Hound group. According to DNA studies, Dachshunds are most closely related to the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen and next, the Basset Hound, followed by other scent hounds (dogs that trail by scent). Short-legged dogs were around in ancient times, but the first description of dogs that were probably Dachshunds was from around 1700. By 1800, they were well established in Germany. These Dachshunds (so named because Dach means badger and hund means dog) had to be enough of a small breed to fit in a badger hole, but strong enough to overpower the badger. Those under 20 pounds just weren’t big enough. The solution was a short-legged dog with a normal sized body. Smaller Dachshunds were used to hunt rabbits. The first mention of a Wirehaired Dachshund was in 1812, and of Longhaired dachshunds in 1820. The different coat types were developed for hunting in colder weather or thicker underbrush. The German nobility prized the breed. When Germany’s Prince Albert married England’s Queen Victoria in 1939, Dachshunds came to England and became popular there. Dachshunds came to the United States of America in the mid to late 1800s. The AKC recognized the breed in 1885. They became very fashionable but had a popularity crisis when World War I broke out against Germany. The AKC combatted this by changing the breed’s name to Badger Dog but it didn’t work, so they changed it back in 1923. During WWI their popularity declined so much that only 23 Dachshunds were registered in 1923. But by 1940 they had rebounded to be the sixth most popular AKC breed. They have remained one of America's favorite breeds since then. Note that in Germany they are called “Teckels.” Dachshunds have been favorites in popular culture: A Dachshund (“Waldi”) was the official mascot for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Germany. Picasso often included his own Dachshund, “Lump,” in his work. Andy Warhol, also a Dachshund owner, included them in his works as well. Cartoonist Gary Larson included Dachshunds so often the works are gathered in a book called Weiner Dog Art. Dachshunds have starred in several movies, including Dicky’s Demon Dachshund (1915), Fancy Pants (1950) and The Ugliest Dachshund (1966). They are also known as the “wiener dog.” Celebrity owners include Joan Crawford, Brooke Astor, Doris Day, James Dean, Patty Duke, David Hasselhoff, Winona Judd and Priscilla Presley.