Dachshund Dog Facts and Dachshund Dog Breed Information

Dachshunds, or Weiner Dogs have a long history as hunting dogs that could possibly go back as far as the Ancient Egyptians times, but the more modern Dachshund first originated in Germany around the 16'th century to flush out badgers and other animals from setts. Although it is thought that the German's perhaps considered these canines to be a type of Terrier, because of the English inability to translate correctly to other languages at the time, Weiner dogs where actually classified as Scent Hounds opposed to Terriers.

The Dachshund was brought over to England back in 1839 to serve as a pet for Queen Victoria. Just a year later in 1840, when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert of Germany she brought over more Dachshunds to her home country of England. From there on out, Dachshunds grown popularity in all of Great Britain, but it wasn't until 1873 that the Weiner dog was officially classified as a dog breed.

Dachshund dogs first began with only one variety of coat as the classic smooth haired hound. Then the other coat variations where brought about by mixing breeds such as German Stobers, short legged Spaniels like the Sussex Spaniels, and the Dandie Dinmonts. Now these Badger Hounds.

Appearance: Dachshund dogs have very long small bodies with signature short stubby legs, making these canines look like hotdogs. Unlike popular belief the food hotdog is actually named after the hound and not the Dachshund named after the food. These pure bred dogs have large floppy ears connected to their small slim heads. Dachshunds have long thin snouts which leads up to large expressive eyes that often appear as though they're outlined with women's eyeliner in a way. Generally Weiner Dogs have brown or black eyes, but they also come in eyes of hazel, green, blue, and light brown. These so called Scent Hounds have curved tails, large flat paws, and semi-muscular frames.

Dachshunds come in practically every coat color from deep auburn reds to mixed tricolors, blacks, browns, and light tan coat colors. They have fur that is usually short and smooth, medium length and wiry, or long with a slight wave. Sometimes Weiner Dogs may have mixed coats as well when two different types of Dachshunds are mixed together. Their coats come in practically every natural canine color pattern from solid, merle, and mixed. Dachshunds are considerably easy dogs to groom, even when they have long hair since they're such a small dog breed.

Temperament and Training: Dachshunds often times make great family pets if raised with children. This dog breed has a loyal and loving temperament generally. Dachshunds are intelligent dogs, but they require firm dog training techniques and positive dog training techniques from a young age. They're not difficult dogs to train, but they're surprisingly no walk in the park with training either, since these Terriers by heart have very independent temperaments. Dachshunds on average behave well with other dogs, but they do not tend to interact so great with other species of pets or wild animals since they were trained to hunt.

Exercise: Dachshund dogs need moderate amounts of exercise for their sizes. A nice 20 to 30 minute walk a day will do just fine. Weiner Dogs have a love and seemingly a passion for food, so make sure that you don't over feed your Dachshund because they're prone to unhealthy amounts of weight gain when not taken care of properly.

Health and Life Span: Dachshunds are more times than not healthy dogs when fed and cared for adequately. Weiner dogs are at a genetic disposition to interverterbral disk disease, also known as IVDD, due to the fact that Dachshunds have such long bodies and short ribcages. Certain activities such as intense exercise, jumping, and obesity increase the risks for developing interverterbral disk disease or may worsen the canines IVDD. Other hereditary disorders and diseases include epilepsy, patellar luxation, dental problems, thyroid issues, and Cushing's syndrome. Compared to many other pure bred dogs Dachshunds are on somewhat of the higher end for developing hereditary health issues. If you’re wanting to purchase a Dachshund puppy of your own, ask your dachshund breeders or breeder if there is a family history within their line of Dachshunds for hereditary health issues. If the parents have a good history, then their Dachshunds puppies should too.

On average, Dachshund dogs live a life span of 11 years, but they may live for either more or less depending on their physical and mental health.