Dachshund

The Dachshund is a short-legged, elongated dog breed of the hound family. The breed's name is German and literally means "badger dog" (der Dachs—"badger"; der Hund—"dog"). The breed was developed to scent, chase, hunt, and kill badgers and other hole-dwelling animals. Due to their long, narrow build, they are sometimes referred to in the United States and elsewhere as "wiener dogs" or "sausage dogs". Interestingly, although Dachshund is a German word, it is rarely used in Germany, where the Dachshund is known most commonly as the Dackel or Teckel.

Appearance
A full-sized Dachshund averages 12 to 24 lb (5 to 10 kg), while the Miniature variety typically weighs less than 12 lb (5 kg). Modern Dachshunds are characterized by their crooked legs, loose skin and barrel-like chest, attributes that were deliberately added to the breed to increase their ability to burrow into tight spaces. They come in three coat varieties: Smooth, Longhaired and Wirehaired; the Wirehaired variety is generally shorter in spine length than the other two. H. L. Mencken said that "A dachshund is a half-dog high and a dog-and-a-half long," which is their main claim to fame.

Dachshunds have an enormous range of coloration. Dominant colors and patterns are red or black & red (the latter being most popularly referred to as black & tan), but also occurring are cream, blue, wild boar, chocolate brown, fawn, and a lighter "boar" red. Solid black and solid chocolate-brown Dachshunds occur and, even though quite handsome, their colors are nonstandard; that is, the dogs are disqualified from conformance competitions in the U.S. and U.K.

Older traditional patterns such as piebald and sable have recently been gaining popularity. Other color and pattern combinations have been developed; it is not uncommon to see Dachshunds with brown & red, chocolate & red, dapple, double dapple, and even white coats. Unfortunately, some of these colors require extensive inbreeding to obtain; double dapples are often born eyeless or with severely underdeveloped eyes. For this reason, the double dapple coat is extremely disfavored among responsible breeders and owners.

According to kennel club standards, the Miniature variety differs from the full-size only by size and weight.
 

[ Black and red smooth-haired Miniature Dachshund ]

Temperament

Dachshunds are loyal, playful fun dogs, known for their propensity to chase small animals and birds. According to the American Kennel Club's breed standards, "the Dachshund is clever, lively and courageous to the point of rashness, persevering in above and below ground work, with all the senses well-developed. Any display of shyness is a serious fault." Individuals which are indulged may become snappy.

Coat type is often considered to be associated with characteristic temperaments; the long-haired variety, for instance, is considered to be less excitable than the other types because it was cross-bred with the Spaniel to obtain its characteristic long coat. Some who own long-haired Dachshunds might disagree with this statement, however. Because of the breed's characteristic barrel-like chest, the dachshund's lungs are unusually large, making for a sonorous bark that belies the dog's true size.
 

Health, History and Interesting issue of Dachshund Dogs

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Dachshund".