Breeds 101: The scrappy Dachshund

As part of our Breeds 101 series of breed introductions, we look at the Dachshunds.

Dachshunds are very cute, but also full of spirit, a good combination that explains why they’re 12th in the American Kennel Club’s 2018 rankings (the most recent year statistics are available).

Dachshunds have a long life expectancy, around 12 to 16 years, and they come in two sizes and three varieties.

Miniature Doxies are five or six inches tall at the withers (shoulders) and weigh around 11 pounds or less, while standard Doxies are eight or nine inches at the withers and weigh from 16 to 32 pounds.

They are part of the Hound Group in AKC dog shows, and their coats can be smooth, longhaired,or wiry, coming in an array of colors.

As the AKC Breed Standard states, “the Dachshund is well-balanced with bold and confident head carriage and intelligent, alert facial expression.”

Their ears are floppy and triangular, and they have long snouts and wide set eyes, giving them a curious expression.

Dachshunds’ legs are tiny and their back is very long, making them instantly recognizable by even people who don’t like dogs. Their tails are also naturally curved and carried upright.

Very confusingly, their name is not pronounced “dash hound,” but instead rhymes with “oxen.” Dachshunds are much cuter than oxen, though. It means “badger hound” in German, since they were originally bred to chase badgers.

When the breed developed isn’t really known, with estimates ranging from the 15th century to the 18th century, and no one really knows how they came to be called “weiner dogs” or “sausage dogs,” either, though it’s likely a New York newspaper employee gave them that nickname sometime during the 1890s or early 20th century.

Dachshunds are very protective of their people, though they are friendly and curious in general. They might not be the best dog to pair with small children, though, being very stubborn and sometimes snappish.

Because of their extremely long spinal columns, back injuries can happen with some regularity, but they’re fairly healthy dogs otherwise.

Children’s author Marguerite Henry had a Dachshund named Alex, who helped her write by chewing the rejected drafts as she set them aside. He also chased away moles from her farm, known as Mole Meadow. For more about Alex, see her wonderful behind-the-scenes book Dear Readers and Riders. 

EB White found his Dachshund Fred extraordinarily disobedient, stating in The Fireside Book of Dog Stories that even when he told Fred to do something Fred enjoyed, he usually didn’t.

On Twitter, many members of the Zombie Squad HQ are Dachshunds, including Lena Pup Dachshund and Paula the Sausage.

Wesley’s Beagle mix Sunny might have had some Dachshund in her, given her body shape (long and short) and temperament (somewhat grouchy though incredibly loyal).