Dachshund is a German name that means “badger dog” and indeed, the Dachshund that we know of today is originally the chaser and capturer of the ferocious badgers. The Dachshund is irregularly long and narrow in body and oddly short in legs but these differences are what make it a superb under and above the ground hunter. In Germany where it began, this dog expertly and easily crawled in to the burrows of pesky badgers and other small animals; and the result, a good game of below the ground hunting.
As a superb hunter of both under and above the ground, this breed is nothing but eager, formidable, and excellent. As a family companion, it is a playful, mischievous, devoted, loyal, and protective little dog. It is distrustful and haughty of strangers and would bark incessantly and loudly at that, so as to scare or ward off these suspicious people; these qualities in a Dachshund makes it perfect as a watchdog and guard dog for the family.
Because they are intentionally bred for badger and small animal burrows excavating, the Dachshund developed a sharp and accurate sense of smell, a daring and indomitable spirit, nimbleness, and endurance. Its body is round, long, and narrow and is perfect for squishing itself unto badger ground holes. Although originally established for hunting jobs, the Dachshund that we know today is also a magnificent and adorable family pet.
In the argument of intelligence, the Dachshund is of average in terms of working and obedience measures. In Stanley Coren’s list titled, Intelligence of Dogs, the Dachshund ranked 49th. This breed has a notable fierce and vehement inclination for running after small animals, birds, and even small balls; and they are playful, energetic, and strong-willed that training them comes as a great confrontation at times.
The Dachshund breed displays three varieties of fur namely, smooth fur, long fur, and wired fur; the smooth and long fur are the most common and are the accepted standards whilst the wired fur only having appeared recently and is not at all popular among other people yet. The colors of these furs come in different shades namely red, black, blue, tan, chocolate, fawn, and more. There are categories of color patterns as well and they are: single-colored, single-colored with spots or dappled, and single-colored with different points, markings, or shapes.
Because of its peculiarly long and narrow body, the Dachshund is also fondly called wiener dog or sausage dog. However, size does not matter for this breed for it openly accepts and fights the aggression of relatively larger or smaller dogs. Being truly ferocious, valorous, and daring, this dog challenges even the obviously larger- than-thyself breed of dogs.
This breed is obviously of German roots and history proves of it but there is opposing evidence from ancient Egypt through ancient engravings showing that there had been elongated and stout breed of dog too during those times. Furthermore, recently discovered artifacts show mummified forms of dachshund-like dogs in the compounds of Egypt. The Dachshund’s origins may be varied and unclear for now, however, what’s clear is the fact that this dog is favored by many high society people including the royals and one example is the famous Queen Victoria who was very open to her fascination of the small and sausage-like dogs.
As per requirement of every dog, the valiant Dachshund, too, requires a regular dose of walks and physical and mental activities; this will diverge their way from the negative behaviors result of improper training. A Dachshund that lacks proper attention and nurturing will manifest these unpleasant behaviors: small dog syndrome, separation anxiety, destructive consternation such as chewing on things; intense barking, and more. According to studies, improperly trained Dachshunds rank first as the most aggressive among the small breeds category; 20% is the report for Dachshund human and other dog attacks.
