Dachshund

Saying you would like to have a Dachshund is similar to going into a candy store and saying you would like to have some chocolate. There are many kinds of chocolates and many kinds of Dachshunds. You have to decide which kind you would like.

Dachshunds come in many varieties. There are different sizes and colors as well as types of coat to choose from, each with its own characteristics and group of devoted owners and admirers.

Basically, Dachshunds are long-bodied, short-legged dogs—small in stature but very large in personality—whose noses are so close to the ground that not much escapes their notice! In fact, their physical structure is the primary reason for their hunting expertise. This scenting ability was recognized by German hunters as early as the 15th century.

Derived from early German hounds known as Deutsche Bracken, these little dogs were called badger dogs or diggers. Eventually they were crossed with small terrier-type dogs to produce the Dachshunds we know today. With the nose of the hound, the long, low body that burrows into holes in the ground and the fearless terrier-like enthusiasm for the chase, the Dachshund is hard to beat.

FORM AND FUNCTION

This is the first known illustration that shows both Wirehaired and Longhaired Dachshunds. It dates from 1876 and was rendered by E. C. Ash.

Early artistic illustrations and sculptures from the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries show Dachshund-type dogs hunting badgers. A statue of an early Egyptian pharaoh also has a Dachshund-type dog named Teckel on it. In each depiction, the characteristics of strength, stamina, courage and keenness were clearly illustrated.

Dachshunds come in two sizes, Standard and Miniature. Originally, Standard Dachshunds weighed between 30 and 35 pounds and were used in packs to catch wild boar. The modern-day Dachshund, however, weighs in at considerably less, 16 to 32 pounds at most.

Miniatures originally weighed from 16 to 25 pounds and hunted fox or tracked wounded deer. Today, the average Miniature weighs from 8 to 12 pounds and hunts rabbit or hare. Occasionally, a Miniature of only 5 to 6 pounds will be used in hunting, providing that the dog possesses plenty of hunting spirit that serves to offset his diminutive size.

There are three varieties of coat in Dachshunds: Smooth, Longhaired and Wirehaired. The Smooth and Longhaired varieties were developed first. The Wirehaired variety was developed later for hunting in briars and thorn bushes.

DEER TRACKER

Coat colors offer something for every Dachshund lover. Red, cream, bi-color, black, chocolate, wild boar, gray-blue, fawn, dappled and brindle are colors/color combinations that can be found wherever Dachshunds are bred. Regardless of size, coat type or color, all Dachshunds possess exceptional scenting and digging abilities, which make them ideal hunters.

This old wood-engraved print, circa 1700, was captioned as The Badger-Dog at Work. The woodcut shows Dachshunds at various stages of badger hunting.

The Dachshund and the terrier breeds are not so far removed. They share some common ancestors and their love of all things dirty, as these two sandy pals illustrate.

DACHSHUNDS IN THE FATHERLAND

The breed began its formal organization when a standard of perfection for the breed was established in the Deutscher Hunde-Stammbuch (the German Hound Family Tree Book). It covered Smooth and Longhaireds when the first volume of this stud book was produced in 1840. Half a century later, in 1890, Wirehaireds were included in the book. The book was published until 1935, when it was discontinued.

During the latter half of the 1800s, several hunting Dachshund associations kept their own stud books. These clubs recorded only those dogs that had proved their hunting ability; they were not concerned about the coats or conformation of the dogs listed. The dogs’ accomplishments in the field were the sole criteria for inclusion in the hunting stud books.

The Countess Reventlow of Denmark, an outstanding judge circa 1930, judging Wirehaired Dachshunds. Note the dappled coloring of the dog farther from the camera.

Clubs devoted exclusively to the various Dachshund coat types also existed during this period, but no special identifying initials were given to define the coat types of the dogs listed in the stud books. That changed, too, in 1915.

Smooth Dachshunds, Festus, Waldman and Schlupferle, illustrated in The Book of the Dog, 1881.

The following designations were created: The initial K stood for Kurzhaar (Smooth); R for Rauhhaar (Wirehaired); L for Langhaar (Longhaired); and Z forZwerg (Miniature). Henceforth, the defining initial would be added to the registration number of all Dachshunds listed under the Teckelklub (German Dachshund Club).

Management of the breed initially was conducted by two groups: the Teckelklub, founded in 1888, handled bench conformation shows, and the Gebrauchsteckel Klub conducted hunting activities. In 1935, the two groups combined their stud books and activities into the FDRDG, the Fachschaft Dachshunde im Reichsverband fur das Deutsche Hundewesen. After World War II, the Deutscher once again resumed management of the breed.

TECKEL, TECKEL, TECKEL

German Scenthounds

The Bavarian Mountain Hound.

The Dachshund is the only German hound that enjoys popularity outside its homeland. There are at least four other German scenthound breeds, including the Deutsche Bracke, one of the Dachshund’s ancestors; the Westphalian Dachsbracke, another short-legged hound; the Hanoverian Hound and the Bavarian Mountain Hound.

DACHSHUNDS IN THE USA

In America, Dachshunds have not been used for hunting ground game such as badger and wild boar nor for tracking wounded deer. However, the dogs’ sterling qualities of lively character, courage and devotion have always made them very popular. As a matter of fact, Dachshunds were imported into America well before the American Kennel Club initiated its stud book in 1885.

By 1895, the Dachshund Club of America advanced the breed’s popularity by promoting the hunting aspects of the dogs through badger-dog hunting trials. In 1913, Dachshunds were listed among the ten most popular breeds in America. When World War I began, Dachshund interest declined and remained low until the early 1930s. By 1940, they were again ranked among the top ten breeds in America and maintained that standing into the 21st century.

One of the long-legged German scenthounds, the Deutsche Bracke is one of the Dachshund’s early ancestors.

While in Germany, Miniature Dachshunds are shown in a special class for dogs weighing less than nine pounds, this is not the case in the USA. In America, Standard and Miniature Dachshunds compete in the same class, with dogs weighing 11 pounds or under at 12 months of age being shown in a special division.

DACHSHUNDS IN THE UK

England established a Dachshund specialty club even before one was begun in Germany. Indeed, despite the problems created by World War I, England claimed six noted Dachshund breeders who adhered to a strict breeding code throughout the war. Though these breeders were often referred to as pro-German or German sympathizers, they held firm to the integrity of the Dachshund in order to preserve its genetic foundation. Moreover, their efforts to protect the early gene pool succeeded.

Two of the earliest English Dachshunds to leave an indelible mark on the breed in the 1890s were Jackdaw, owned by Harry Jones of Ipswich, and Pterodactyl, owned by Sidney Woodiwiss. Those early ancestors still influence the breed today.

Australia, Denmark, Holland and India are also countries where Dachshunds are popular. In the UK, the Miniature Longhaired Dachshund is the favorite hound, even outnumbering such British hounds as the Basset, the Beagle and the Whippet, the latter being the second most popular.

A DOG BY ANY OTHER NAME

The Dachshund is, quite simply, the right dog for many people. Small in size, even the largest Standard Dachshund weighs only about 30 pounds. Easy to maintain in good physical condition, the Dachshund doesn’t require long runs over many acres. Possessing a friendly, companionable personality, the Dachshund charms his way into the hearts of all who get to know him.

Though he can be rather stubborn at times, his behavior easily can be modified by a wise owner who quickly changes the subject and gets the dog to focus on some new activity. In other words, the owner refuses to recognize the dog’s obstinacy and thereby prevents a repetition of the undesirable behavior. Physical rough handling only makes an even-tempered Dachshund become aggressive.

Dachshunds are dogs that appeal to many people because they are friendly, intelligent and portable.

The beauty and personality of the Dachshund have fascinated artists for generations. This famous painting of Earl Satin was created by Lilian Cheviot in 1906.

The fact that Dachshunds love people, especially children and the elderly, endears them to the general population. Indeed, Dachshunds are among the most popular breeds of dog in the USA, Germany and Britain. Although the original purpose of hunting is no longer the main reason to breed Dachshunds, they possess so many other desirable qualities that they will retain their popular status for many years to come.

However, for the few Dachshund owners who are interested in preserving that hunting trait, there are Dachshund field trials. In America, trials were instituted in 1935. These competitions judge the dogs’ ability and style in finding and retrieving game such as rabbits. The dogs must possess good noses (to smell the prey), courage to pursue the prey, keenness for the hunt, perseverance and willingness to get the job done.

All Dachshunds, regardless of variety or size, compete together in field trials. At a trial, a Dachshund is a Dachshund. There are, however, various stakes or classes for dogs of different ages and experience. Once a dog earns a field trial champion title, he enters the Dachshund history