Dachshund
The dachshund is a short-legged, elongated dog breed,
of the hound
family. 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. In the American West, they have also been used to
hunt
prairie dogs.
The name "dachshund" is of German origin and literally means "badger dog", from Dachs ("badger")
and Hund ("dog"). The pronunciation varies widely in English: variations of the first syllable include, and of the second syllable. In German it is pronounced [ˈdaxshʊnt].
Because of their long, narrow build, they are sometimes nicknamed hot dog dog, wiener dog or sausage dog. Although "dachshund" is a German word, in modern German they are also commonly known by the name Dackel; in the case of the formally certified hunting and tracking rank, the name
Teckel is used.
While classified in the hound group or scent hound group in the United States and Great Britain, there are some who consider this classification to be arguable,
speculating that it arose from the fact that the word Hund is similar to the English word hound – and the word "Dachshund" has even been
anglicized as "Dash Hound".
Many dachshunds, especially the wire-haired subtype, may exhibit behavior and appearance that are similar to that of the terrier group
of dogs.
An argument can be made for the scent (or hound) group classification because
the breed was developed to utilize scent to trail and hunt animals, and probably descended from scent hounds, such as bloodhounds,
pointers, Basset
Hounds, or even Bruno Jura Hounds; but with the dogged and persistent personality and love for digging that probably developed from the terrier, it can also be argued that
they could belong in the terrier, or "earth dog", group.
In the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (World Canine Federation), or FCI, the
dachshund is actually in its own group, Group 4, which is the dachshund group.
Part of the controversy is because the dachshund is the only certifiable breed of dog to hunt both above and below ground.
Nicknames : Doxie (US), Dackel or Teckel (GER, FR), wiener dog/hotdog (US), sausage dog (UK/US/AUS/NZ), Worshond, Weenie Dog (US) (S.A.), Bassotto (ITA)
Country of origin : Germany
Litter size : 4-8
Life span : 12-16