Dachshund Dog Breed

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Dachshund dog breed. As the name itself suggests the dachshund s original purpose was hunting badgers. The dachshund also known as the wiener dog badger dog or sausage dog is a short legged long bodied hound type dog breed. Mencken as a half dog high and a dog and a half long the dachshund ranks among the most popular dog breeds in america. These short legged long backed dogs are brave bold and sometimes reckless willing and ready to take on the badgers they were bred to hunt.

The dachshund originated in germany in the early 1600s. Come the 18th century german foresters began work to develop a fearless hunting dog. They may be smooth haired wire haired or long haired. Dachshund is a german word meaning badger dog and the breed s german history goes back some 600 years.

Dachs is the word for badger. The word dachshund is german literally meaning badger hound this name was given to them because they were used for the extermination of badgers although they were also very useful for hunting other prey such as foxes and rabbits because of their ability to enter burrows to catch them. In the united states dachshunds are either miniature 11 pounds and. First mentioned in 18th century dog books the dachshund breed was referred to as the badger dog little burrow dog dacksel or low crooked legged breed.

And as the breed name suggests the dachshund was developed to enthusiastically dig his. Bred as pets from around the 1800s arrived in the u s. Among the dachshund s ancestors are the braque the pinscher and the french basset hounds. Dachshunds are called various names like dachsies doxies wiener dog teckel and dackel.

Dachshunds pronounced daks hund never dash hound come in three varieties. Bred to hunt small game such as badger and rabbit the dachshund has shortened legs to hunt and follow these animals to ground inside the burrows where they could fight the prey to the death. Throughout time in their native germany the breed has been divided into three groups which was based on a dog s size with the first being the standard dachshund or normalgrosssteckel the second and the third being the miniature dachshund which again in germany were divided into two types namely the zwergteckel or dwarf dachshund and they kaninchenteckel or rabbit dachshund. Smooth shorthaired wirehaired and longhaired.

In the western united states they have also been used to track wounded deer and hunt prairie dogs. The name dachshund is derived from the german words dach that means badger and hund that means dog. The standard sized dachshund was developed to scent chase and flush out badgers and other burrow dwelling animals while the miniature dachshund was bred to hunt small animals such as rabbits and mice. In 1885 this is a breed that s been around for over 600 years with 15th century illustrations featuring dogs with the unmistakable shape of the dachshund.