15 Things to Know about Dachshunds

As promised, a post about Dachshunds. In addition to watching Dogs 101: Dachshund and Meet the Breed-Dachshund in Youtube, I spent some time researching Nola's color.

Nola has already told us she has a sable colored fur. Let me just inform you guys that "sable" means having a reddish colored fur with some black hair. Dachshunds come in a variety of fur color and pattern which is why they say "there is a Dachshund for everyone".

I'd like to thank Nola's mommy for lending me a picture of her. I was fishing for some pictures in her blog when I came across this post. It's a summary of how she grew up into the pretty young doggy that she is. Check her out at Dachshund Nola

1. The name "Dachshund" literally means "badger dog". Yes, they also originated from Germany. In Germany, they are commonly known by the name Dackel.

2. The Dachshund was created by breeding a Pincher with a Basset hound which was then bred to a Spaniel and a wire-haired Terrier. ( Lol, Yuki, Rocket and Nola are practically ancestral relatives). 3. They belong to the hound family. 4. They were bred to scent, chase and flush out burrow-dwelling animals especially badgers, rabbits and prairie dogs. 5. Their lifespan ranges from 12-15 years. 6. They come in three sizes: standard, miniature and kaninchen (little rabbit). Kaninchen is not recognized by clubs in the US and UK. 7. Dachshunds come in three coat types: smooth coat or short haired, long haired and wire-haired. Wire haired is the most common in Germany but it is also the least commonly seen coat in the US. 8. Their weight vary from 11-32 lbs while their height very from 5-9 inches. 9. Dachshunds are very clownish. They are mischievous, playful and stubborn.

10. They love burrowing, which means even the blankets will turn into a burrow when they get bored.

11. House training is an ordeal for a novice owner of this breed. He or she should have patience, firmness and determination.

12. Most books and information I've read about Dachshunds suggest that they are a very friendly breed. However, there are also statistical claims of them being aggressive to both strangers and other dogs than rottweilers.

13. They have loud barks and are great guard dogs as long as the culprit does not see how stubby and cute they are.

The Dachshund Diversity by Tony Alter, CC-BY-2.0

14. Dachshunds are prone to intervertebral disk disease due to their long spinal column and short rib cage. Be aware that jumping, running and intense exercises should be done at a minimum.

15. They are great apartment dwellers.

I can't wait to talk about a new breed. But first and foremost, Nola's mommy mailed me a couple of supplementary information to learn about Dachshunds. I won't be able to include it here so I'll be doing a second post like a Q&A.

I love watching and reading about dogs. And it's great discussion when owners augment on the ones I've already listed. Thank you, guys!