Dachshund Dog Info

Dachshund dogs are small dogs with a lot of heart and loyalty that come in many different sizes. They are also often known as wiener or hot dog dogs because of their bodies (Fun Fact: Hot dogs were called Dachshund sausages when they first came out)

Their name, Dachshnd is pronounced “daks-hund“, meaning badger dog. And looking at their history, physical characteristics and temperament you can see how it is a fitting name.

Temperament and Dachshund Personality Traits

Despite their small size, Dachshund dogs are courage’s and loyal. If they feel that their owner is being threatened, they won’t hesitate to jump in and defend them. Same goes for their territory. These dogs won’t be able to just sit idly by as strangers enter their home without permission.

Since Dachshunds are well known to be “hunting” dogs for years, you can expect to our dog to show some instinctive hunting behavior. It’s in their nature to lock on to a scent to see where it leads, chase after small animals and explore new territory.

Despite the hunting instincts, the Dachshund breed is perfect for families who are looking for a well-tempered and loyal pet. In general, they get along with children quite well and sometimes can very protective of them – specially the younger kids.

Dachshund Behavior and Training

Dachshund are not known to be the best choice of breed for people who love training their dogs new tricks, and that can be expected due to their stubborn personalities. They are still intelligent dogs – they just don’t like repeating same mundane commands over and over again.

The good this is that once you learn how deal with their stubborn personalities; you will be able to teach them new tricks without many problems. I’ve personally seen these dogs do some very difficult tricks without breaking a sweat!


Dachshund life expectancy is on average 12-15 years. The Dachshund life expectancy is greatly improved if you feed them with quality food – which contains all the necessary vitamins and nutrients – and give them plenty of activities to exercise their bodies.

A common health problem in this breed is back injury. Their long bodies and small legs can put a strain on their spine – overfeeding can contribute to back injury and overall Dachshund health. Serious spinal injury can lead to paralysis.

Physical Characteristics

Dachshund dogs have small legs which support long bodies. They come in three different sizes which are Standard Dachshund, Miniature Dachshund and Toy Dachshund.

They also come in three different types of coat and multiple colors and patterns.

Smooth or Short Haired: Smooth haired Dachshund dogs are easiest to groom and care for. The hair that they shed is relatively small and barely noticeable.

Long Haired: Longhair Dachshunds need some regular brushing to prevent matting. The longhaired dogs are not big “shedders” but the hair is easier to notice than it is with smooth haired Dachshund dogs.

Wired Haired: Wirehaired Dachshunds are similar to the longhaired ones when it comes to grooming. Just make sure you brush your Dachshund wirehaired coats one every week.

Dachshund Colors: Dachshund dogs come in a variety of colors. The more popular colors for this breed are black, white, red, chocolate, blue, blond and brown.

Color Patterns: Again, the color patterns can be different, but the most popular ones are solid color, dapple, double dapple, silver dapple, piebald dapple and just piebald.

Dachshund Interesting Facts

Dachshund Fact: While the standard Dachshund was bred to hunt badgers, and then later prairie dogs, the mini Dachshund were bred to hunt even small prey like rabbits and squirrels.

Dachshund Fact: Dachshunds were often used as symbols of German, mainly during WWI.