General info about dachshunds

The Dachshund comes in 9 different varieties.

Divided in: standard:

long-haired, wirehaired and smooth haired;

miniature:

long-haired, wirehaired and smooth haired; and

kaninchen:

long-haired, wirehaired and smooth haired.

The Dachshund originates from Germany and is a low, short legged hound. He is very muscled and strongly built with a bold and confident head carriage and an alert face expression. It is also a cheerful, somewhat self-willed and smart pet. The long-haired variety originated from inbreeding of the Setter and the Cocker Spaniel.

A low to the ground and long in body but compact appearance with short, straight front legs with strong bones, the chest is wide and deep and distinctive is the protruding breastbone. The head is long, sharp and dry cut with an alert facial expression.

The long-haired Dachshund comes in 3 heights which is determined by the size of the chest width, measured at the age of at least 15 months. Chest width of the miniature: 30 up to and incl. 35 cm and the Kaninchen: op to 30 cm.

Should not be more than 5 till 7 kg for the miniature and 3 till 5 kg for the kaninchen.

The sleek, glistening, often slightly wavy hair is longer under the neck and on the fore chest, the underside of the body, the ears, and behind the legs. The coat gives the dog an elegant appearance. The tail is carried gracefully in prolongation of the spine; the hair attains its greatest length here and forms a veritable flag.

red, reddish yellow, yellow with or without black hairs;

pitch black or brown with rusty or yellow delineation;

black and tan pattern with white hair points in the black; spotted/dappled: black, red or grey with irregular white spots. Neither the light nor the dark colour should predominate.

The long-haired Dachshund was originally bred to hut badgers and foxes below the ground. Later it developed into a an general hunter. It is especially talented in searching and retrieving hit game. These days it is a fine pet that is very fond of its family.

Please refer to the WKHS health inventory. Dachshunds can be sensitive to problems with their spinal cord (disc rupture). Occasionally genetic eye disease occurs. Breeding dogs are checked for this disease.

A clever and courageous hunter that hunts with passion and perseverance; as a pet it is a cheerful and watchful dog. It is also loyal and affectionate but also smart en self-willed.

The long-haired miniature Dachshund is always very present and is hard to overlook. They are resourceful, clever, courageous and nosy. The long-haired miniature Dachshund is more quite and gentle than the smooth haired and wirehaired Dachshund. All types of Dachshund are very persistent in getting what they want and are very good actors. They also consciously look for eye contact which causes a special bond. It is very important that you master over the Dachshund because spoiled Dachshund can become grumpy and tyrannical.

The coat requires no special grooming, besides regular combing.

Regularly brushing and combing and check for fleas and ticks. The long-haired miniature Dachshund only needs to be brushed thoroughly two times a week with a wire bristle brush and a wide-teeth comb for the tangles behind the ears and in areas where the hair is longer. Long pieces of hair in between the toes can be cut. Use the brush or comb always from head to tail, in the direction that the hair grows. When the puppy gets used to brushing at a young age, it will consider grooming as a pleasurable experience.

Eating hard kibbles can contribute to clean, healthy teeth. Also, special chew bones are for sale that will help to prevent tartar and provide a fresh breath. The best thing is to brush the teeth regularly. You can buy special toothbrushes for dogs but you can also use a gauze that is wrapped around a finger. If you start brushing your dog's teeth at a young age, it won't cause any problems at a later age.

If a dog walks regularly on a solid floor, its nails will wear off by itself. If this is not the case, you will have to cut the nails yourself. You can check the length of the nails with a piece of paper. If you can slide a piece of paper between the nails of your dog and the floor, the nails have the right length.

The corners of the eyes have to be cleaned every day.

The ears have to be checked every week. Excess ear grease has to be removed with a clean cotton moist cloth. You might put a little baby oil on the cloth.
NEVER use an object to enter the auditory canal.