Dachshund
Also called sausage dog, doxie.
The proportions are the breed and also the problem: the short legs come from chondrodystrophy, and the same mutation causes the disc disease that affects a quarter of all dachshunds.
- Group
- Hound
- Weight
- 4–15 kg
- Coat
- short
- Ears
- drop
- Muzzle
- long
- Build
- Longer than tall
- Origin
- Germany
What it looks like
Very long-bodied and short-legged, with a long tapering muzzle, long drop ears and a tail carried level with the back. Smooth, longhaired or wirehaired.
The characters that confirm it
- Body length far greater than height — the defining proportion.
- A long tapering muzzle on a long narrow head.
- Long drop ears set high.
- Three coat varieties and two sizes, standard and miniature.
Temperament
Bold, vocal, and considerably more determined than the size suggests. Bred to go down a badger sett alone.
Health
Intervertebral disc disease affects around a quarter of dachshunds and can cause paralysis. It follows from the chondrodystrophic build. Keeping weight down, discouraging jumping on and off furniture, and using ramps genuinely reduces risk. Progressive retinal atrophy has a test.
Confused with
Far heavier, with enormous ears, loose skin and a domed head.
Erect ears, a fox-like head and a much stockier body.
Questions about this breed
How do you recognise a Dachshund?
Body length far greater than height — the defining proportion. A long tapering muzzle on a long narrow head.
What is a Dachshund like to live with?
Bold, vocal, and considerably more determined than the size suggests. Bred to go down a badger sett alone.
What health problems do Dachshunds have?
Intervertebral disc disease affects around a quarter of dachshunds and can cause paralysis. It follows from the chondrodystrophic build. Keeping weight down, discouraging jumping on and off furniture, and using ramps genuinely reduces risk. Progressive retinal atrophy has a test.