Dachshunds are scent hound dog breeds who were bred to hunt badgers and other tunneling animals, rabbits, and foxes.
There are TOP 10 interesting facts about Dachshund.
The little dogs were bred 300 years ago in Germany to hunt badgers—their name literally means “badger hound” (dachs means badger; hund means dog). Their short legs allow them to enter badger dens, and their fierce gusto gives them the courage to take on the 15-pound mammals.
2) Smallest Hunters
Dachshunds are not as tiny as Chihuahuas or Yorkshire terriers, but those other breeds were never meant for more than companionship. Dachshunds, who excel at hunting small game, are the smallest hounds. Don't let the Doxie's cuteness allow you to underestimate how scrappy it is. The American Kennel Club's breed standard even includes this tough-as-nails note: "Inasmuch as the dachshund is a hunting dog, scars from honorable wounds shall not be considered a fault."
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.
This breed is notorious for being hyper alert. A dachshund will unleash a gale of barking to let you know when a stranger is at the door or walking by on the sidewalk. In fact, a 2008 study in the journal Applied Animal Behaviour Science ranked the diminutive dachshund as the most aggressive of all breeds.
5) Olympic Mascot
Waldi the dachshund was born during the 1972 Munich games’ Organizing Committee’s Christmas party in 1969. Partygoers were given crayons and modeling clay to come up with a suitable mascot. Dachshunds are known for their athleticism and courage, so the colorful dog seemed like the perfect face for the Olympics.
6) Artists Love Them
Famous artists have seemed to be drawn to the little dogs. Andy Warhol would often bring his doxie to interviews and let the dog “answer” the questions he didn’t like. When Picasso met David Douglas Duncan’s dachshund, Lump, in 1957, it was love at first sight. Their relationship was chronicled in Duncan’s Picasso and Lump: A Dachshund's Odyssey.
Originally all dachshunds were black and tan, but today, they sport a variety of looks. According to the American Kennel Club, dachshunds come in 12 standard colors and exhibit three different kinds of markings; some interesting colors include blue and tan, cream, and wild boar, a mixture of brown and gold. Their coats can be smooth, long, or wire-haired. They come in two sizes: standard and miniature. With so many options, dachshunds are the canine version of snowflakes.
8) Hot Dog
The history of hot dogs is murky at best, but some historians believe that they were first known as dachshund sausages, after the similarly shaped dogs, which were favorite companions of German butchers. Some suggest that the name was changed after one cartoonist had trouble spelling “dachshund” and shortened it. Unfortunately, no one can find the comic, so the theory has been dismissed as apocryphal. The earliest written record of the phrase "hot dog" can be traced to an 1895 issue of the Yale Record about a lunch cart serving hot dogs to hungry students.
9) Food Lover
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.
10) Long Life Span
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.