General Description

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(Standard Dachshund, Miniature Dachshund, Toy Dachshund, Doxie) The Dachshund is a small hound breed with a long, well-muscled body and stout, short limbs. They possess an intelligent expression and they carry themselves quite proudly. Their body features a protruding sternum and a retracted abdomen. Their head is elongated, their skull is slightly convex, and their long muzzle features a robust set of jaws. Their teeth close in a scissors bite and their oval-shaped eyes are dark in color. They have arched prominent eyebrows and long ears that are mobile and hang toward the cheeks. The breed’s tail is carried in the line of the back. There are three varieties of Dachshund: short-haired, long-haired, and wire-haired. Within each of these varieties, there are three different sizes. The coat of the Dachshund is glossy, sleek, and consistent. It can be solid, bi-color, piebald, speckle-streaked, or harlequin. Solid-colored Dachshunds are tan or yellow, while bi-color Dachshunds are deep black, brown, or gray with chestnut markings.

They can also have dapple (or spotted) markings that appear in a variety of colors such as blue, black and silver, chocolate, and tan. There can also be double dapples which are a mixture of three colors.

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Character

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The Dachshund is affectionate and full of energy. Their proud, bold demeanor sometimes borders on abrasive, but their clownish streak usually makes up for their willfulness. They are courageous, mischievous, and have a tendency to try and train their owner(s). The breed is loyal and devoted to their family, and gets along quite well with older, more considerate children. They are a good breed to travel with, and they generally live happily with other pets. They have been known, however, to get jealous and irritable towards other animals. All varieties of the Dachshund are comparatively difficult to train. They enjoy barking and they sometimes refuse to be handled. They have moderate protective instincts. Many owners and breeders of the Dachshund say that the wire-haired variety is more outgoing and goofy and that the long-haired variety is calmer.

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Size

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12 - 18 inches

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Weight

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8 - 20 pounds

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General Health

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The Dachshund is susceptible to spinal disc problems that may lead to paralysis. Other health concerns include the onset of heart disease, urinary tract problems, and diabetes. The Dachshund should not be overfed because of its propensity to put on weight and become lazy. Overfeeding the Dachshund will put unnecessary strain on the dog’s back, and it will also contribute to the onset of a number of serious health risks. This breed typically lives for 12 to 15 years.

It is recommended to carry Dachshunds up and down stairs in order to avoid future back problems. If allowed on the furniture, they should not be allowed to jump off themselves.

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History

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The Dachshund originated in Germany hundreds of years ago. The breed’s initial purpose was to hunt and follow badgers, and the word “Dachs” is actually the German word for “badger”. After many years of performing this task, the Dachshund gradually evolved with shorter legs that helped the breed go down into burrows and dig with more efficiency. Smaller Dachshunds were bred for the purpose of hunting stoat and hare.

They are very protective of their owners and are very smart. Many will retain a playful streak even as they grow out of puppy hood and they will remain affectionate all of their lives. Dachshunds were originally bred to hunt badgers. Standard Dachshunds are to small to fit in rabbit holes so they bred them into miniature also. They originally had short smooth hair that couldn't protect there skin when hunting. So they were bred into a long haired variation. The longer hair did protect them from cold but could not protect them from thorn bushes. So they were bred into wired haired Dachshunds. The wiry hair could protect them from bushes and animals. There are two kinds of Dachshunds and three different kinds of hair types. The Miniature and Standard Dachshund come in Wired Hair, Long Hair, and Short hair. They are commonly used throughout Scandinavia to hunt all species of deer. They are trained to locate deer, herd them to the hunter and to bark at the deer which alerts the hunter. They are ideal for this task because they are small enough that the deer are not frightened off but only keep a short distance away from the barking dog and slowly move to where the hunter is ready and waiting.

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Maintenance

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The long-haired Dachshund requires daily combing and brushing, and the wire-haired Dachshund needs professional grooming at least twice per year. The smooth-haired Dachshund’s coat should be wiped down with a clean, damp cloth. All Dachshund varieties are average shedders.

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Ideal Environment

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The Dachshund is content to live in a small household or apartment. They are an active breed, both outdoors and indoors, and they enjoy going for walks and playing in the park. They are perfectly happy without a yard, but they should be given at least a bit of exercise per day. Rigorous activities (like jumping) should be discouraged because of this breed’s proneness to spinal damage.

Dachshunds are very obedient dogs and they perform well in showmanship trials, rallies, and other competitions.

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