Dogs

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN Germany.

MOST SUITED AS Family pet but also a hunting dog for above and below ground (they are fanatical hunters of badgers, rabbits, roe deer, wild boar, and foxes).

SIZE
Dachshunds are divided into three size groups. The largest are the Standard, with a chest girth upwards from 35cm (13 1/2in). The Standard should have a maximum weight of 9kg (20lb). The Miniature Dachshund has a chest girth of 30 - 35cm (11 1/2 - 131/2in), and the smallest sort, the Kaninchen or "little rabbit" is recognized by a chest girth smaller than 30cm (11 1'2in).

COAT
The coat consists of short smooth-hairs and is most frequently reddish-brown or black and tan but occasionally chocolate brown and dogs with almost tiger-like markings.

CARE REQUIRED
The coat of the Smooth-haired Dachshund needs little attention. It is sufficient to remove dead and loose hairs with a rubber brush from time to time. Keep the ear passages clean and the claws short. Most Dachshunds are dainty feeders but take care not to give them too much to eat because a fat Dachshund is an unhealthy one.

CHARACTER
The Dachshund is brave, dominant, has a mind of its own, is cunning, vigilant, resourceful, lively, is tenacious, and curious, and has a sense of humour. The Smooth-haired almost literally attaches itself to its own people, except when the hunting instinct rears its head. A Dachshund needs to be introduced to all types of situation when young for its positive development.

TRAINING
The Smooth-haired is dominant and has a mind of its own as already noted above. Hence it has to be consistently trained. With the right approach and much patience it is possible to teach him quite a bit, though it will never slavishly follow your commands. Dachshunds can sulk terribly if they feel they have been unfairly punished and they are very determined when they want something which you do not agree with. It is a very sensible move to take a Dachshund to a good puppy training course.

SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
The family comes first with a Dachshund and they have little time for strangers. This is shown by a rather reserved manner to people the dog does not know. If they are introduced early to children so that they have positive experiences with them, the Smooth-haired will not cause any problems with children. They usually get on reasonably well with other dogs, although some of them can be somewhat over-courageous in their approach to larger dogs. Because of its passion for hunting, this breed is not a suitable playmate for other small household animals. Let it have happy meetings with cats when young to prevent later problems.

EXERCISE
Give this breed plenty of exercise to keep it fit. If it is allowed to run free, off the lead, there is a high chance that its hunting instincts will cause it to run off. If you wish to hunt with your Dachshund, con­tact the breed association. Dachshunds are strong healthy dogs which can live quite long but avoid their back becoming injured through excessive strain from constantly running up and down stairs and similar activities.

GENERAL
The Smooth-haired Dachshund is the original strain of this family of dogs. The Wire-haired and Long-haired Dachshunds were attained by crossing the Smooth-haired with other breeds.