Dachshund (Wire-haired)
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
Chest girth upwards from 35cm (13 1/2in) with a maximum weight of 9kg (20lb).
COAT
The coat consists of wire-hairs which lie flat and should be as hard as possible, with a dense under-layer. The hair on the head and ears should be very short and there should be a definite beard and moustache. The colour is almost always that indeterminate mix of natural colours often found in wild animals; black and tan occurs less frequently. Sporadically dogs with a red or chocolate coat may be encountered.
CARE REQUIRED
The Wire-haired Dachshund needs to have its coat plucked about twice per year, depending on the condition of the coat. The hair on the top of the head should be kept short. Trim excess hair which may grow between the pads of the feet.
CHARACTER
This is a brave, dominant dog with a sense of humour and a mind of its own, which is cunning, vigilant, resourceful, lively, tenacious, and curious. It is essential to introduce the Wirehaired Dachshund to all manner of situations early in its life to encourage its development.
TRAINING
The Wire-haired Dachshund 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.
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