Appearance:

Dachshunds can have 3 different types of coats; long-haired, short-haired and wired-hair. Wired-hair dachshunds have scrappy looking fur. Its not very long but isn’t short. Dachshunds have short legs and long bodies. They are often called “weenie dogs” because of their shape.  They have a large head with a long snout. Their eyes are small and beady , but they have large droopy, hanging ears. They can come in many colors. They are severely out of proportion and have large noses. There are  three different sizes, also. Standard, miniature and kaninchen (also know as “rabbit”). But the AKC does not recognize the kaninchen dachshund. The standard dachshund is 8 to 11 inches high. They weigh over 11 pounds. The miniature dachshund is 5 to 7 inches tall and weighs 11 pounds or less. The kaninchen dachshund weigh about 14 to 15 pounds and is about 10 to 1 inches tall. There is no such thing as a toy dachshund, although many people believe so.

Personality:

They were originally bred to assist in hunting, but now in modern times they are used as lapdogs. They are good for cuddling and chilling on the couch. But they can also be hyper and active. They enjoy be the center of attention and often will entertain guests with their wild behavior. They are brave, crazy animals, but are not very good around younger kids. They can be destructive and evil if not trained correctly. They do suffer from separation anxiety and that might lead a to problems. They will become very naughty if not given lots of attention. They need lots of exercise because gaining weight is dangerous for their back. They can be good apartment pets, but as long as they do get exercise daily. Simply taking a walk or short run will do. Or taking them to a dog park where they can socialize with other dogs will help them to be more controllable.

Origin:

Dachshunds come from Germany. They were used to hunt badgers. Dachshund translates to be “badger dog”. They trace back to as far as the mid 1500′s. They were used because of their ability to go underground into the dens of badgers and chase them out. They needed to be fearless. They were up against a 25 to 40  pound badger, that’smore than twice their weight. Dachshunds came to the United States of America around 1880. But soon World War 1 broke out. People were looked down on for  owning the German dog and they became extremely unpopular. But then, after the war was over things went back to normal. Until World War 2. But after the war ended, the Dachshund Club of America released an educational campaign to increase Dachshund popularity. Since then they are a common household pet.

photos from:

http://www.bestbullysticks.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/dachshund.jpg

http://thelovemagazineblog.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/wirehaired-dachshund-2-picture.jpg

http://www.justusdogs.com.au/upload/flex_img/31052008091341_01.jpg