Dachshund (Standard)

Coat and looks how to spot one

Three coat varieties: smooth, wire-haired and long-haired

A low-slung, long-bodied but compact dog on short, sturdy legs, with a deep chest and a confident head carriage. Its body is roughly 1.7 to 1.8 times as long as it is tall at the shoulder. The smooth coat is short, dense and glossy; the wire coat has a harsh outer layer with a beard and bushy brows; the long coat is soft, sleek and slightly wavy with feathering.452

Personality what they are like

A spirited, curious little hound with a big personality. It is affectionate and loyal with its own people, happy to be both a lap dog and a playmate, and often somewhat reserved with strangers. Bred to work independently underground, it is clever and persistent, which can show as a stubborn streak, so short, food-rewarded training sessions work well. The FCI describes the ideal as friendly and even-tempered, neither fearful nor aggressive.456

Daily activity how busy a day looks

Moderate. One or two daily walks plus indoor games keep a Dachshund content; the Royal Kennel Club suggests up to about an hour a day. Regular exercise helps keep the back muscles strong. Scent games and digging-style play suit its hunting instincts.573

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Smooth coats need only a weekly brush. Long coats need more frequent brushing to keep the feathering tangle-free, and wire coats benefit from regular brushing plus occasional hand-stripping. Keeping the dog lean and using ramps or lifting it on and off furniture supports its long back.573

Home where they are happiest

Fits well in a small house or flat; the Royal Kennel Club suggests a small house with a small to medium garden. Smooth-coated dogs lose heat quickly, so a coat is useful in cold weather.75

Company who they like around

Thrives on close contact with its family and tends to attach to one person or household. Usually gets on fairly well with other pets it is raised with; play is best with dogs of similar size.5

The story where it all began

Short-legged dogs for going to ground were used across Europe from the Middle Ages, and the Dachshund took recognisable shape in Germany between the late 1600s and the 1700s, when foresters and hunters bred it to find and hold badgers in their burrows. Its short, strong legs, digging feet, long ribcage and fearless character all came from that job. The smooth coat is believed to be the original; the long coat was developed by selecting within smooths, and the wire coat by crossing with rough-coated terriers in the 1800s. Standard-sized dogs were also used on larger game such as boar, and smaller sizes were developed for rabbits. The Deutscher Teckelklub, the oldest breed club, was founded in 1888. The breed reached England in 1839, where Queen Victoria became a fan, and the USA around 1870; the AKC registered it from 1885. Anti-German feeling during the First World War dented its popularity for a time, but it bounced back strongly, climbing from 28th to 6th place in the US between 1930 and 1940. In 1972 a Dachshund named Waldi became the first official Olympic mascot, for the Munich Games.645823

Recognised by the official bits

FCI

Standard no. 148, Group 4 Dachshunds (working trial); definitive recognition 01.01.1955; current valid standard dated 25.05.2021. Three sizes (Standard, Miniature, Rabbit) each in smooth, long and wire coats; sizes defined by chest circumference, Standard = males 37-47 cm, females 35-45 cm.4

AKC

Dachshund registrable since 1885, Hound Group; shown in two sizes, standard and miniature, with three coat types.8

The Royal Kennel Club

Hound group; standard and miniature sizes listed separately in smooth-haired, long-haired and wire-haired varieties.7

Popularity Dachshund (all sizes and coats combined) ranked No. 5 among AKC-registered breeds in the US, up from No. 6 in 20249