The Dachshund was developed in Germany, they were origanally bred to be hunting
dogs, BADGER HUNTERS in particular! They were bred to be long in body and short on leg, and
to have a fearless and tenacious attitude. They had to go down into the badgers burrow underground, and kill or drag out the
badger! The miniature dachshund was later developed to hunt rabbits.
Today Dachshunds are best known as loving family pets, although they still
can and do participate in earthdog and field trials.
Dacshunds make excellent alert/watchdogs as nothing escapes their attention!
They are wonderful house dogs, as they do not have a "doggy" odor, they do not shed much and only require minimal grooming.
Dachsies will adapt well to most living arrangments...although lots of stairs are not the best for a dachshund! They are good
with MOST other pets...but please remember what they were developed to do! They love gentle children.... of course
small kids and dogs should always be supervised, regardless of the breed! Dachshunds are great therapy dogs and
do well in obedience and agility, although one must remember that they are a HOUND and must sometimes see whats in it for
them before obeying! A Dachsie must be fully trained before being trusted off leash! A fenced yard is
their safest bet for off leash time, as they will follow their noses and tend to become TEMPORARILY DEAF if they are
following an interesting scent! This can led to great tragedy!
Dachshunds can be noisy, (they like to bark) they can also be prone to seperation
anxiety and are sometimes hard to housebreak. All can be corrected with proper training.
Dachshunds can develop back problems and elbow dysplasia especially if
they are allowed to become overwieght. They can also suffer from epilepsy (seizures), luxating patellas (bad knees) and PRA
or progressive retinal atrophy, (gradual blindness) Great care must be taken that dogs with these conditions are
never bred from!
Dachshunds come in two sizes. The Standard is 16 lbs and up. The Miniature is 11
lbs and under at one year of age. Occsionally there are Dachsies that weigh between 12 lbs and 15 lbs, these are refered to
by some as "Tweenies", between a Mini and a Standard. They are really just oversized Mini's or small Standards. "Tinies" are
just very small Miniatures.
Dacshunds come in many colors including: BLACK and TAN, RED, CHOCOLATE and TAN, BLUE and TAN, ISSABELLA/FAWN and TAN, CREAM, WHEATEN, WILDBOAR, BLACK and CREAM,
SOLID BLACK, SOLID CHOCOLATE.
They also have several differnt patterns including: DAPPLE, DOUBLE
DAPPLE, BRINDLE, SABLE, and PIEBALD.
Dachshunds come in three coat types: SMOOTH, WIRE and LONG. There
is endless possibilities in combining these choices!
RESULTING IN A DACHSIE SUITED FOR ALL TASTES!!
