Dachshund: The Superb German Dog Hunter, Burrow Creeper, and Loving House Pet

Posted by Kathy Richardson

April 19, 2009

by Kathy Richardson

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.

This breed is an eager-beaver when it comes to hunting and would never back down at any badger challenge. At home it is a loving, playful, devoted, and loyal little pet that barks and growls at the sight of suspicious people. Having these kinds of deep sense of protectiveness, the Dachshund makes an absolute winner in terms of watching and guarding.

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.

When it comes to intellect, the Dachshund falls in to the average spot having only a median capacity for obedience intelligence and training intelligence. Its ranking in Stanley Cohen's Intelligence of Dog falls at the 49th but all the same, this dog possesses a unique quantity of intelligence that allows it to be a warrior in the hunting scene. In terms of physical capacity, the Dachshund is as active as it can be; this breed is highly energetic, playful, and adamantly strong-willed resulting to difficult training sessions at times

There are three varieties of coat for the Dachshund: smooth or short coat, long coat, and wired coat, the first two being the most common and the standard coat for the entire breed while the wired hair is a new addition; in fact, this type of coat is so unpopular to many it is mistaken for another breed often. The dominant color for the Dachshund fur is red, black, and tan but there is also some combination of colors which come in wild boar, chocolate, blue, fawn, and a lot more. The color patterns are also categorized as single-colored or solid, single colored with spots or dappled, and single-colored with any color points, mottle, or pattern.

The Dachshund, being long and narrow in appearance, is humorously called a wiener dog or sausage dog at times. Regardless of his size, however, the Dachshund never backs down to any aggression of other relatively larger or smaller breeds. Having been defined as a ferocious and brave dog, it would sometimes challenge larger dogs and ward off strangers out of its beloved territory.

Following the history of this breed, although allegedly they are developed and reared by the Germans for ground hunting and badger trailing purposes, there are inscriptions from ancient Egypt that suggest the existence of an elongated and short-legged dog thousands of years ago. Furthermore, there had been recent discoveries of mummified dachshund-like dogs from burial urns in Egypt that further backs up this theory. But regardless, the German bred Dachshund had long been a favorite of the European royalties including the late Queen Victoria herself, who had been known throughout her court to have a fascinating enchantment with this breed.

The Dachshund is susceptible to negative behaviors if proper training is disregarded for them such as the lack of daily exercise and other physical and mental activities that may enhance their capabilities. Negative behaviors for the Dachshund are likely to be, small dog syndrome, separation anxiety, obsessive suspicion of strangers, incessant barking, and even small animals and people attacks. According to statistics, the Dachshund is the most aggressive of small animals and has a record of 20% counts of biting and attacks on humans and other dogs

About the Author:

Learn more helpful information about the German breed Dachshund from master breeder Kathy Richardson. Go to her website now and learn ways to breed, raise, groom, and train a Dachshund!

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