Dachshund

What is a Dachshund?

A scent hound bred in Germany to go to ground after badger - Dachs (badger) hund (dog). The long back and short legs are a deliberate adaptation for working in tunnels, and they are also the source of the breed's defining health problem.

Six varieties exist: standard and miniature, each in smooth, long-haired and wire-haired coats. In the UK the miniature smooth is by far the most advertised.

History and origins

Recognisable dachshunds appear in German records from the seventeenth century. The miniature was developed in the late 1800s to work rabbit. The breed reached Britain through Prince Albert and became a fixture; it was briefly and unfairly unpopular during both world wars.

Appearance and size

Standards weigh 9-12kg; miniatures should be under 5kg at twelve months. Height 13-27cm. Long body, deep chest, short strong legs, and a confident head carriage. Colours include red, cream, black and tan, chocolate and tan, and the patterns dapple, brindle and piebald. Double dapple - two dapple parents - causes deafness and eye defects and should never be bred; an advert offering double dapple puppies is a reason to walk away.

Temperament and personality

Bold, funny, opinionated and completely convinced of their own size. They were bred to face a badger alone underground, which tells you most of what you need to know about their persistence. Devoted to their own people and often reserved with strangers.

Intelligence and trainability

Clever and independent, which reads as stubborn. They will do what you ask if they can see the point. Food works; repetition does not. House training is genuinely slower than average - six months is normal, and dislike of wet grass is a real factor.

Children and other pets

Fine with sensible older children. Less suited to toddlers, because being picked up badly or dropped is a spinal risk rather than a bruise. They live well with other dogs and can be trusted with cats, but they will hunt anything smaller.

Health problems

Intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) dominates. Around a quarter of dachshunds will have an episode, ranging from pain to hind-limb paralysis. It is substantially heritable, and there is a screening programme: ask whether the parents have been X-ray screened for calcification under the Dachshund Breed Council scheme, and what the grades were.

Also: cord1/crd4 PRA (DNA test), Lafora disease in wire-haired miniatures (DNA test), patellar luxation, and obesity, which multiplies the spinal risk.

Practical prevention: keep the dog lean, use ramps to sofas and beds, discourage stairs, and use a harness rather than a collar.

Daily care routine

Two short-to-medium walks. A ramp at the sofa and the car. Weekly weight check by feel - the difference between a lean and a heavy dachshund is about a kilogram and it matters.

Grooming and coat care

Smooths: a weekly rub-down. Long-haired: brush three times a week, feathering combed out. Wire-haired: hand-strip twice a year plus weekly brushing. Nails and ears for all three.

Exercise needs

Around an hour for a standard, 30-45 minutes for a miniature, on the flat. Avoid repeated jumping, stairs and rough play with much larger dogs. They have real stamina and enjoy a long sniffy walk.

Feeding and diet

Two measured meals. £20-£35 a month. Weight control is not cosmetic in this breed - it is the main lever you have over IVDD risk.

Price

£1,000-£2,000 for miniatures from screened, DNA-tested parents. Rare colours - blue, isabella, cream dapple - are advertised far higher and several carry coat and skin problems. Setup £300-£500; ongoing £70-£130 a month. Insure early and check the policy does not exclude spinal conditions.

Buying advice

Ask specifically about IVDD screening grades. Ask about the dapple status of both parents and refuse any double-dapple litter. Get the PRA DNA certificate. See the mother, and look at how she moves.