Dachshund Information

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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.

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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.

Some are a rare color of solid black known as sable.

Sable is a black overlay usually found on a red or cream coat.

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Character

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.


Dachshunds need to be socialized with other dogs from birth. Unsocialized Dachshunds may show signs of aggression when older.

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Size

12 - 18 inches

5-9 inches tall at the withers including the Toy, Miniature and Standard versions.
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Weight

8 - 20 pounds

Some dogs can weigh less than 8 pounds.
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General Health

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 not uncommon for double dapple Dachshunds to have hearing and vision problems, deformities, an increased occurrence of urinary problems. This is caused by the mutation of the white gene.

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

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

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

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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Dog Training!

If you're having problems training your dog or getting control, you should read our review of DogProblems.com. Adam will do whatever it takes to help you whip your dog into shape. I've used them to help with my Great Dane as well as help friends train their dogs. It's the first place I go to help answer users Questions. Many training issues are too extensive to answer in this forum, which is why I refer a lot of the load to his site. Update: I've been using and recommending DogProblems for three years now. I, as well as my users, value the techniques we've learned. I get weekly emails from users who have become better owners from the information they received.

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Dachshund Q&A

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how long will my dachshund stay pregant ?

9 WEEKS

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what health problems are associated with this breed?

Diabetes is a concern.

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I have been looking into purchasing a Doxie for about 1 year, I have heard that the mini doxie's have more spinal problems than the larger doxie's is this true?

Yes they usally do but if you make sure that it does not do any high jumping then it should be fine.

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I have 2 x 4mnth old Daxies. The one pup has a patch of dry skin on her back about half way between her head and her tail. I dont know how to treat it? They do not have fleas or ticks or mites (its not mange) and wonder if its excema? How do I treat this? Is it neccessary to take her in to the vet or can I treat at home myself? I am also giving her a fatty acid supplement which also aids in clearing up skin problems (Efazol).

Mabye It's Ringworm.Ringworm can cuse dry grey patches on the skin. Take it to a vet and get it treated.

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My boyfriends mini doxie is about 10 years old and is 14 lbs i only feed him 1 cup of food a day but he just lays around even if i try to play with him, any sugestions on how to get his weight down?

a daily walk will get his metabolism up, and once he loses a few pounds, he'll get more energy and become more active.

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My doxy, can't bark. He sounds horse. IS there anyway to get him back to normal. OR could it be that he is getting old and he does bark alot.

I just rescued a 3 year old pregnant female from a puppy mill. She also has a strange quiet bark. Her voice box was removed.

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We just purchased a 3 month old red female dachshund, she has runny eyes and shivers like she is cold alot. We took her to the vet and he said just keep and eye on her and wash her face , We try to keep her warm and comfortable any suggestions? , I also have a 7 year old minni male and never had this problem as a puppy

I have 3 mini's and they tend to shiver when they are nervous. I also had a runny eye and nose problem with one of my girls and it was due to dry air from my wood burning stove. Now I keep a humidifier and it has helped.

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what colors do doxies see

they can see blues but not greens

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my dachsund has dry skin i just got her today she is 6 years old she has fleas she came from a bad home and needs lots of loving i was wondering if there is anything besides the frontline i can give to her or do for her to make her feel better and get healthier faster. trust me she needs it. and im dying to makeher healthy and her coa shiny liek it should be

I use olive oil on my Doxys food. He has beauitful coat and no dry skin. Hes a smooth black/brown

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How can you tell if a dachshund puppie has a bad back? We just got a 4 month old and she is shaped like an otter. Her back is humped not straight.

sorry but your dog ,i think has soeme defect...dachshund does have a straight back...i had a dachshund whose back was straght and mah frnd's dachshund's back was also straight...plz refer to the doctor...Hope this helps -sreemoyee

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