Dachshund - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Badger Hound

In German the word Dachs means badger and the word hund means dog. These short little dogs were bred to be fierce badger hunters more than 300 years ago in Germany. Their short legs allows them to easily enter badger dens.

2) Propaganda

During the World War I, Dachshunds were very often used to portay Germany in propaganda billboards and other ads. This caused popularity decline in the breed. That is why the AKC tried to change their name to badger dogs or liberty pups, but these names are not used anymore.

3) Comeback

After the second world war, the Dachshunds made a big comeback and people around the world fall in love with this amazing breed. In the USA they are among the TOP 15 most popular dog breeds and the same goes for many european countries.

4) Hot Dogs

It is believed that this favourite meal is closely related to the Dachshunds. The first known hot dogs were first known as Dachshund saussages, because of the similar shape. We are not sure, when the name change happened, but it is believed, that the Dachshund saussage was too hard to spell, so the name was shortened to Hot Dog.

5) Big Personality

They might have short legs, but they also have big hearts. It seems that this dog is not aware of how small it is. You just can not ignore their loud bark and they are capable of trying to protect themselves or you from much bigger dogs.

6) Olympic Mascot

The Dachshund named Waldi was the first official olympic mascot. He was a mascot for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. Dachshund was a great choice, because this breed is well known for its athleticism and courage.

7) Colors

The most common are red and black and tan dachshunds. But did you know, that Dachshunds come in 15 different colors and 6 marking combinations? They can be in black & cream, black & tan, blue & cream, blue & tan, chocolate & cream, chocolate & tan, cream, fawn (also called Isabella) & cream, fawn & tan, red, wheaten, wild board, black, chocolate and fawn color.

8) Diggers

As we already said, they were bred to hunt badgers. They had to underground badger homes. So it is only natural for them to dig. They just like it and it makes them happy. But it can be unwanted for some dog owners, so you should be prepared for it before getting a Dachshund.

9) Queen Victoria

Dachshunds were royalty. The Queen Vicotria said about this amazing breed, that Nothing will turn a man’s home into a castle more quickly and effectively than a Dachshund.” Thanks to her, they gained a lot of popularity in Britain.

10) Sizes

Dachshunds come in three different sizes – the standard, miniature and kaninchen – which can be translated as rabbit. The Rabbit size is recognized by the FCI, but the AKC and UKC does not recognize it. An average standard Dachshund weighs between 16 and 32 pounds, while a miniature will usually weigh less than 12 pounds. The rabbit size is generally between eight and 11 pounds.