The History and Origin of the Dachshund
It is possible that the history of the Dachshund can be traced back even further than its roots in Europe around three hundred years ago. Figures of short-legged hunting dogs resembling Dachshunds have been discovered on early Egyptian engravings. When you consider the modern-day Dachshund, you can trace the origin of this dog back a few hundred years to its birth in Germany. “Dachs” is the German word for badger, and “Hund” means dog.
Dachshunds earned the name “badger dogs” because of their talents in effectively hunting badgers, and routing them out of their holes for the hunters to shoot. With bodies that are low to the ground and deceptively powerful and muscular for their size, Dachshunds are mighty and fierce hunters. Their keen senses help them to detect the prey, and their speed and agility allow them to remain in close pursuit. When you consider the image of one of these pups meeting a badger head-on in a hole in the ground with no room to turn around and run, you can see where these dogs get their bravery and feistiness from!
So that’s why he does that!
If you own a Dachshund, you may have noticed some behaviors in your dog that will make more sense if you understand the activities that this dog was bred for. For example, Dachshunds love to bury toys just so that they can dig them back up! If there are no opportunities for this game in the backyard, you might find your pup trying to “bury” an item underneath a piece of furniture or in a blanket. Most dachshunds also love to play fetch, and few will tire of the game before their owners do! This type of play comes from the breeding of the dog which has created sharp hunting instincts in most doxies.
The Dachshund Breed becomes Official
It was early in the 17th century when the name Dachshund became an official breed type. There are reports of this breed coming to America in 1885, and the Dachshund Club of America began to promote the Dachshund breed ten years later. Since 1935, Dachshunds have competed in AKC field trials for conformation, temperament and hunting skills. Over the years Dachshunds have become a popular dog of choice in this country, generally ranking in the top five among most common dog breeds. Since they are well adapted to apartment living, Dachshunds and Poodles share the top spot for breed choice in New York City.
Categories of Dachshunds
The AKC (American Kennel Club) has broken the Dachshund breed into three sub-categories: long-haired, wire-haired and short-haired. As these names suggest, the categories are based on the type and length of coat that a particular doxie has. Within these three sub-categories, Dachshunds are also divided into Miniature Dachshunds that weigh 11 pounds or less at the age of one year, and Dachshunds, which will weigh anywhere from 16-32 pounds according to the AKC standard. Some breeders have also bred Dachshunds that weigh a mere eight pounds, and they are calling these Toy Dachshunds. The AKC does not recognize this size as a sub-category of Dachshund at this point.
Now that you are informed about the history and origin of the Dachshund breed, you will be able to gain a better understanding of the Dachshund temperament.
