Dachshund: It's History And Origin
Richard Cussons
Dachshund is a popular breed in Germany, France, United States and many other countries. Around the 17th century, a group of hunters in Germany had difficulty in dealing with badgers, the nasty creatures of around twenty to forty pounds having its den underground. What these foresters want was a courageous and intelligent dog capable of fighting badgers to death. They came up with the idea of breeding a dog with short legs and long body strong enough to work even underground. That's the start of Dachshund history.
Actually, Dachshund came from the German word Dach meaning badger and Hund meaning dog. So literally, Dachshund means "badger dog". Dachshunds are also called wiener dog, hot dog or sausage dog because of their long, narrow build. In Germany, they are also known as the Dackel or Teckel.
Modern Dachshund popular today is a mixture of German, French and English hounds and terriers. Formal breeding program was started way back in 17th century. It is said that smooth-haired Teckel was created out of a small pointer type called French Braque and Pinscher. Then during the French Revolution in the late 18th century, France' upper class went to Germany for escape. Taking with them their pets gave way to the crossing of German Teckel and French Bassets. The offspring of this mix called Dachsbracke if they have long legs and Dachshunds if they have short legs, short ears and pointed muzzle.
Dachshund was first introduced in the United States between the year 1879 and 1885. Originally, Dachshund has two varieties; the smooth-haired and longhaired Dachshund. It was only recently when another variety, the wirehaired Dachshund was added to the list. Dachshund also comes into two sizes; the Miniature which weighs less than eleven pounds and the Standard with about eighteen to twenty pounds. In Germany, another size was added, Kaninchenteckel. Kaninchenteckel is based on the chest measurement taken during fifteen months of age.
World War I was terrible for Dachshunds. It was during those years when their number decrease rapidly because of the on going strife. Anything related to German was disliked and Dachshunds were oftentimes the victims of hatred. But because of their ability and charm, the breed gained back their popularity.
Dachshund makes popular pets as well despite the fact that they were originally developed to hunt badgers. The breed was ranked 6th as most popular pet in the United States based in the most recent AKC registration. The standard smooth=haired is the most popular type.
These dogs with exceptional skills in hunting badgers was later found out as excellent hunter of fox, rabbit and in tracking wounded deer. Dachshund in packs can also hunt wild boar.
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