Other names/Nicknames:
- Teckel
- Doxie
Country/Date of origin:
- Germany
- 18th century
Height:
- Miniatures: 5 to 6 inches
- Standards: 6 to 10 inches
Weight:
- Miniatures: under 11 pounds
- Standards: 10 to 20 pounds (larger animals are not disqualified)
Personality:
- A happy, fun-loving personality has made this breed immensely popular all over the world.
- Gets along well with other pets.
- Likes to play.
- Each of the three coat varieties has a slightly different personality. The wirehaired is more playful than the other two. It is almost impish.
History:
Made in Germany, the Dachshund was most likely bred from the same ancestors as the Basset. The six different types of Dachshunds reflect the various animals that it was used to hunt. The larger smooth haired dogs went to ground after badger and fox. The smaller smooths went to ground in the smaller den tunnels of weasels and rabbits. The long and wire haired varieties were better able to tear through brambles and thickets than their smooth coated relatives. The breed has been popular in the United States for over a hundred years. It is one of the foundation breeds of the American Kennel Club (AKC).
Body Type:
- A long, low dog with short, bent forelegs.
- Designed to go to ground after badger and fox.
- The wirehaired variety is allowed to have slightly longer legs than the other two Dachshunds.
- Long tail is carried straight out behind and is not altered.
- Hanging ears are long and are not altered.
Coat:
- Coat on the wirehaired variety is a uniform, short, thick, rough, hard outercoat with a fine shorter undercoat.
- Wirehaired Dachshunds must have a beard and bushy eyebrows.
- The hair on the ears is not long. It is shorter than that on the body.
- Allowed colors are: single color—red or black (although not desirable), and a grizzle called wild boar; two colored—black, chocolate, gray, and white each with tan markings; and dappled—a clear brownish or grayish color with dark irregular patches of dark gray , brown or black (neither color should predominate).
- The most popular colors of this variety are red and wild boar.
- Hand stripping is required to keep a Wirehaired Dachshund in a show coat. Otherwise, grooming is moderate.
Health and Wellness:
- Gastric dilatation and volvulus syndrome (GDV).
- von Willebrand’s disease.
- Portosystemic shunts.
- Pattern baldness.
- Acanthosis nigricans.
- Microphthalmia.
- Cryptorchidism.
- Acquired hypogammaglobulinemia.
- Congenital deafness.
- Juvenile cellulitis.
- Hypothyroidism.
- Mast cell tumor.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Intervertebral disc disease.
- Urolithiasis (cystine).
- Keratoconjunctivitis sicca.
- Ear margin dermatosis.
- Pemphigus foliaceus.
- Sudden acquired retinal degeneration.
- Cushing’s syndrome (PDH & AT).
- Mitral insufficiency.
- Squamous cell carcinoma (digit).
- Lipoma.
What you should know:
- Dachshunds do not have a strong doggy odor and adapt well to city life.
- Dachs means badger in German, and the dog got its name from the animal it was bred to hunt.
- A cheerful companion.
