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Dachshund
The dachshund is a short-legged, elongated dog breed of the hound family. The breed's name is German and literally means "badger dog". Dachshunds are are also called wiener dogs or sausage dogs for obvious reasons.
Dachshunds come in three sizes: standard, miniature and kaninchen. full-grown standard dachshund averages 15 lb (6.8 kg) to 28 lb (13 kg), while the miniature variety normally weighs less than 11 lb (5.0 kg).[8] The kaninchen weighs 8 lb (3.6 kg) to 10 lb (4.5 kg).
There are three types of dachshund classified by their coats: short-haired, called "smooth"; long-haired; and wire-haired. Long-haired dachshunds have a calmer, intelligent character inherited from the spaniel. Wire-haired dachshunds have much of the terrier's spunky personality. The standard size was developed to scent, chase, and flush badgers and other burrow-dwelling animals, while the miniature was developed to hunt smaller prey, like rabbits.
Dachshunds have a wide variety of colors and patterns. They can be single-colored, single colored with spots ("dappled"-called "merle" in other dog breeds), and single-colored with tan points plus any pattern. Dachshunds also come in Piebald. The piebald has a white background with various shades of brown. The dominant color is red, the most common along with black and tan. Two-colored dogs can be black, wild boar, chocolate, or fawn ("Isabella") with tan "points", or markings over the eyes, ears, paws, and tail, of tan or cream.
Dachshunds are playful, known for their propensity for chasing small animals, birds, and tennis balls with great determination and ferocity. Many dachshunds are stubborn, making them a challenge to train. They have a loud bark, making dachshunds good watchdogs, though without proper training they can become nuisance barkers. Dachshunds are known for their devotion and loyalty to their owners, though they can be standoffish towards strangers. If left alone, many dachshunds will whine until they have companionship. Like many dogs if left alone too frequently, some dachshunds are prone to separation anxiety and may chew objects in the house to relieve stress.
Although some might say Dachshunds may not be the best pets for small children, like any dog they need the proper introduction at a young age. Well trained Dachshunds and well behaved children usually get along fine. Otherwise, they may be aggressive and bite an unfamiliar child, especially one that moves quickly around them or teases them.
Some of the content on this page was originally published on Wikipedia
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Short-haired standard Dachshund image courtesy of Wikipedia.
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