The dachshund is the perfect dog for a family to whom he will give all the love he can every day. This small dog can live comfortably in any medium-sized apartment, this breed does not require as much exercise as other larger dog breeds, such as a Rotweiller. In the following article you will discover everything about these beautiful dogs.
Hot dog
This furry little guy has characteristics that make him a unique dog and, above all, very funny. His smooth coat and sausage shape make him stand out a lot, not to mention how adorable they can be. Despite his characteristic shape, his real name is not really dachshund, as this is just a nickname, which is used by most people to refer to him; his real name would be Dachsund, Teckel or also Dackel.
Despite the fact that popular belief is that there are several breeds of dachshunds, the truth is that there is only one, the so-called Dachsund, or even also called the Tejero dog in Spanish. Its main characteristic is its shape, with a very long back and very small legs compared to the size of its chest. Its origin comes from Germany, hence its original name, these dogs were used mainly for hunting, their main function was to enter dens of rabbits, foxes and even badgers.
This small and beautiful canine is one of the most requested in the world, this popularity is attributed to the fact that since ancient times it has been one of the favorite breeds of people from the nobility, including Queen Victoria; their affinity with royalty was due to their unusual and different form, which could please the eccentricities of the nobles. In the year 1888, the breed club would be founded in Germany, and every year there are vast specimens that meet with their owners in the club, to celebrate different events or festivities dedicated to sausage dogs or Dachsund.
Features
Dachshunds have an elongated shape in the shape of a sausage, forgive the redundancy, and they are also very short dogs. Their ears are quite long and droopy. They also have very short legs compared to their body and black nails. This breed can be classified according to its size and also according to the length of its coat.
Classification according to their size
Depending on the size of your chest, we can find three varieties:
- Standard: These can weigh up to 9 kg and have a measurement of 35 cm in their rib cage.
- Miniature or dwarf: The circumference of its entire chest can also reach 35 cm, but these weigh only 4 kg.
- Kaninchen: These are the most common for hunting rabbits, their rib cage only measures up to 30 cm in circumference, and they weigh a maximum of 3,5 kg. These make them the smallest variety of all.
Classification according to the length of the fur
All these three size varieties can each present three different lengths or types of fur, these are:
- Short hair: In this case it has a thick, very shiny and quite smooth coat, also being short it is very close to the body.
- Long hair: Here the coat firstly has an outer layer of smooth and rather shiny hair. Near the neck and also on the lower part of the body the hair becomes longer, it protrudes from the ears. It is worth mentioning that the tail is also very hairy.
- Hard hair: These dogs have the inner layer of hair, mixed with the entire outer layer which has very thick and very rough hair. All this with the exception of the snout, the eyebrows and the ears, because on the snout it has a marked beard, its eyebrows are quite bushy, and on the ears the hair is shorter than on the rest of the body, it becomes almost smooth. .
Colours
Regardless of the variety of the Dachsund, they have the following three coat colors:
- Unicolors: This variety of dachshund can only have a single color, red, yellowish red or yellow, despite the fact that they may have small spots around their body.
- Bicolors: These dogs have brown or black fur with rusty red or yellow spots around their adorable eyes. These same spots are not of a very exaggerated size.
- Spotted: These are also called harlequins or even brindle, they have a fairly dark base color, it can be black, gray or even red, but this should not predominate at all, but rather it is mixed with many irregular beige or beige spots. of gray color.
Character
This breed of dog has a certain reputation for having a very strong personality. Well, these are usually quite grumpy at times and need owners with a lot of patience who can deal with them, who do not easily give in to their wishes, because they can get used to it and be more grumpy over time. Avoid interpreting this to treat them rudely, yelling at them or hitting them, because, as with all dogs, this is mistreatment and can result in negative attitudes from the dog, you just have to constantly stand firm with them.
Despite the fact that at the beginning it was mentioned that these furry ones do not need a lot of exercise, you should dedicate your time to play with him and that he can run and socialize with other dogs and thus have good physical health.
Health
This furry little guy will always be able to enjoy great health, as long as you spend your time taking him to his vet appointments. However, the most common diseases in this breed of canine are the following:
- Intervertebral disc disease: Canines that are affected by this disease have deep pain in their back, especially in the lower half and throughout their neck.
- Acanthosis nigricans: The main characteristic of this disease is very thick and quite dark skin.
- Hypothyroidism: The main characteristic of this disease is the insufficient production of thyroid hormone, causing obesity.
- Epilepsy: This is a problem that causes different lesions in the structures of the brain, causing convulsions and seizures.
- Eye problems: These can be several severe problems such as cataracts, glaucoma or even progressive retinal atrophy, these are quite common in dachshunds
Despite all this, Dachshunds do not require any special care, although slight care should be taken with their spine due to its significant length, for this reason it is important to take care of their diet, as obesity could do great damage to their back. .
Curiosities
There are different curiosities that surround this breed of dog, and also certain "rules" that have to be followed to ensure that this furry can enjoy his 15 or 17 years of happy life, and together with his owner, these are the following:
- Overweight: One of these main things is to avoid being overweight at all costs, since obesity for this breed of dog is extremely harmful, due to its small limbs it can make it difficult for it to walk, for this reason enough time should be dedicated to play with it and give 200 g of food daily.
- Posture: When carrying this canine, special care must be taken, so that its back does not receive any damage, the arm must be placed under its body, holding it. In this way, the health of your spine will not be put at risk.
- Stairs: This can become a harmful action for this breed of dog, as an injury to its spine could occur, and the older these injuries are, they can worsen dramatically. For this reason, it is highly recommended to put a barrier at the beginning of the stairs so that it cannot climb alone.
Dachshund Price
The regular price of Dachsunds or dachshunds in Europe can range between approximately 400 – 500 euros, of course, as long as it is purchased from a professional and serious breeder. It is important to take the time to find a specialized breeder and not just anyone who is just looking for the money. The relevant recommendations for this are as follows:
- Must be in a completely clean facility
- The handler should answer any and all of your questions about the dog's care over time, no matter what.
- All the dogs that this one has must be very well cared for, with water and portions of adequate and fresh food.
- You must be able to be with the parents of your future new canine friend
- A professional breeder will never give you any dog less than two months old
- On the day of the delivery of your new dog, this breeder must deliver it to you with a passport and its proper pedigree papers.
To inform yourself and learn more about animals, do not hesitate for a moment to read these articles: