Dachshund History, Form and Function, Livability and Lovability

The Dachshund is quite a character; they come in 2 sizes: Standard and Miniature, and both are part of the Hound Group, with dogs like the Basset Hound - a similar dog breed, Greyhound - I didn't realize that and it's even in the name(!),  and the Black and Tan Coonhound. Being in the Hound Group means the Dachshund can hunt by sight or scent. These little guys have a low profile so they can pick up a scent without bending down - but that's not the complete reason for their short legs.  The standard-size Dachshunds were designed and bred to hunt badgers and badgers burrow in the ground, called a den. The Dachshund has short legs to enter the den and flush out the Badger.  That sounds like a dangerous job!  But that's probably why they are known for their cleverness and stubbornness. The Miniature Dachshund has the same personality as the standard Dachshund, but they were designed for a different purpose, can you guess?  If you said to hunt rabbits in Germany during the 1800s you would be correct!  Congratulations! And if you want to find out exactly how well your Dachshund will perform under those conditions, without the danger of encountering a real badger, the Dachshund can participate in AKC EarthDog events which are tests specifically for breeds originally designed to pursue prey in the ground. In all reasonableness, the Dachshund and Basset Hound come from similar lineage because of their similar feet - which are turned outward, not to mention the elephant in the room - the similarities of having short legs and a long body.  And they are both Earth Dogs, meaning they go into the ground to flush out prey. It's also highly likely the Dachshund originated from both France and Germany from around the 16th Century, so it is an older breed...not ancient like the Boxer and not recent like the Doberman Pinscher. It's also guessed that the Dachshund was bred with a spritz of Terrier bloodlines, which makes sense. Early recordings come from Germany in the 1840s and the breed was standardized in 1879.  The AKC recognized the Dachshund in 1885. The Dachshund is a popular dog probably for many reasons, like; they make great apartment dogs - they adapt well to the city for a hound breed, and because of their innate hound abilities they also fit in well in the country too. Plus, because they are small-sized, having multiple Dachshunds is not an inconvenience. Feeding and veterinarian bills of the Dachshund should be minimal, so you'll want to feed a quality food to keep them healthy - they can live a long time - between 12 and 16 years, which is very impressive these days! The Daschund is a fun breed, very curious, stubborn, goofy, and alert - that's quite a lot of personality packed into a dog that only weighs below 11 pounds for the miniature and between 16 and 32 pounds for the standard. If you want to show a Dachshund in Conformation the coats are smooth, wirehaired, and longhaired.  But any Dachshund can participate in obedience, Dachshund field trials, agility, rally, tracking, and again, Earthdog events. Now would you let a stubborn Dachshund bamboozle you?  I would.  Leave comments below and thank you for letting me make this video for you.