Dachshund

History

Created as a breed in Germany prior to the 1800's, the Dachshund was developed to hunt small game such as rabbit and badger, as well as foxes on occasion. This breed is very popular in the United States today, and can still demonstrate such characteristics of a terrier, due to their origin of being hunters from the beginning.

Appearance

The Dachshund is a small breed dog, appearing like a "hot dog", with males and females measuring 8-11 inches in height and weighing 15-30 pounds in weight. This breed has a very unique appearance as they are built extremely long and low to the ground. This breed has as very small round forehead that quickly transitions into a thin muzzle that directly forms into a scissor bite. Their two, large round eyes are typically hazel to black in color. Thei body is generally solid and stocky, with 4 thin, short legs and a long, thin tail that tapers off into a point and should be carried low and upwards when relaxed. This breed is available in a short hair and long haired coat. Available in black, black and tan, sable, merle, brindle, chocolate and tan, red and all variations of red.

Temperament

It is important to note, that while this breed is very appealing to many people, this breed is not suited for everyone for various reasons. What many people may not consider when adding this breed to their family, is that they were bred originally for hunting. Due to this, this breed does need to be monitored closely while outdoors to ensure their own safety and from chasing or wondering off. This breed is known to howl or bark as well, either when excited or when noticing certain small animals outdoors. They do make wonderful watch dogs, as this breed will notify you when someone is approaching your property, whether you would like them to or not! Not all Dachshunds are barkers however, there are always exceptions to the breed. Early socialization and training classes can set a very solid foundation for your and your Dachshund which in return will make training much easier as the process goes on as they age. This breed is very affectionate and loving. They do want to be apart of everything going on within your lives. It is important to include your pup within all activities you are able to do so. This breed doesn't tend to do well when left alone for long hours of the day and would do best with someone who can be home more often than not. This breed responds well to positive reinforcement training methods. This breed can be accepting of other dogs and children that he or she grows up around. Potty pads within the home are recommended as a second potty training option as these dogs can be difficult to potty train. This breed does enjoy traveling and requires an owner that is able to set rules within the home to ensure small dog syndrome from forming.

Grooming

Whether you have added a short hair or long hair Dachshund to your family, this breed requires daily brushing and bathing when needed, in addition to proper, regular ear cleanings.

Special Notes

Please fully educate yourself about the Dachshund breed prior to adding one to your family to ensure that you are able to make a life long commitment financially and physically to your new dog. This breed can be prone to back issues, cancer and diabetes well as other health issues and this should be taken into consideration prior to adding one to your family. A properly installed fence or proper fitting harness and leash is required outdoors at all times. All dogs originate from wolves (Canis Lupus). Each breed of dog was originally created by mixing different breeds together in an effort to bring forth certain characteristics. Once a breeder has created acceptable “breed characteristics” within their bloodline and these “breed characteristics” have shown to be reliably reproduced in the offspring for three (3) generations, the bloodline may be upgraded from the category of “foundation stock” to “pure-bred”. The same “pure-bred” breed standards vary from different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders. Dog DNA testing companies can have accurate results for a specific bloodline of a small colony of dogs. However, there are tens of thousands of different bloodlines in the world which have not yet been tested for marker baseline results by Dog DNA testing companies as of 2017. For this reason Dog DNA testing companies do not guarantee the 100% accuracy of their breed lineage results and will also show different marker results for the same pure-bred breed in different continents, countries, territories, regions, breed clubs, and canine pure-breed registries depending on the goals of their breeders.