10 Interesting Facts About Dachshund

The Dachshund stands out for a fun-loving, bold and gregarious nature which is one of the main reasons of its wide popularity. If you belong to the great army of it fans, then learn several interesting things about this breed.

1. It’s a skillful badger hunter. The German word «Dachshund» consists of two words: «Dachs» is translated as «badger» and «Hund» means dog. After the Second World War the American Kennel Club (AKC) decided to rename the breed in order to distance it from its German roots. So presently it’s also known as the Badger Dog in the English-speaking countries.

2. The dachshund exists in three sizes. People prefers to buy small breed members for the role of a companion animal so many dog lovers are surprised to know that the large dachshund actually weights around 14,5 kilograms. In its native land dogs of all three sizes are widespread. Different Types of Dachshunds photos.

3. It comes in three coat types. Today the vast majority of dachshunds have short hair and long-coated and wire-haired dogs can be rarely seen on the street. Nonetheless all three varieties of coat are allowed to participate in shows.

4. The breed became the first Olympic Mascot. The dachshund called Waldie was chosen as the Olympic talisman for the very first time over the period of the Olympic Game’s existence. The path of the Olympic marathon was planned to be in the form of the dog’s body.

5. It’s a long-living dog. Chanel, a dachshund from New York, was recognized as the oldest living dog by the Guinness World Record in 2009. It passed away at age 21 and the title was transmitted to another breed member named Otto. Later on a terrier called Max turned out to be older. In general this breed is notable for a really long life span.

6. Small size, great appetite. This miniature dog shows an incredible insatiability when it comes to food. It’s prone to gain excessive weight which often leads to stern health problems and reduces life expectancy.

7. It’s the smallest hound. The AKC included this little breed to the group of hunting dogs and it fully justifies this status. It’s very tough and was developed to both track down and kill game.

8. It’s keen on jumping. The Dachshund doesn’t like being held and in this case tries to get loose. By jumping from a great height, the dog risks damaging the back so it’s advisable to use both arms while holding this little devil.

9. The reliable watcher. The Dachshund is known for its intense natural aggressiveness towards both people and other animals. Actually in 2008 Applied Animal Behavior Science journal published the material in which it qualified this dog to be one of the most belligerent canine varieties.

10. It takes part in dog races. The competitive spirit of this breed is so high that in the 70s of the XX it began to participate in races with other dogs. Initially they were held in Australia and subsequently they were relocated to San Diego, California. Of course its short legs don’t let it become a winner in majority of such races but dog fanciers immensely enjoy these events.

The last World War made significant damage to the reputation of the dachshund at the international level. Fortunately by now it has fully returned the love of canine fanciers so the AKC ranked it to be one of the most popular canine varieties.