Where the dachshund comes from - a short breed history

The German word “Dachshund” literally means “badger dog” (Dachs = badger, Hund = dog). It is not a metaphor - the dachshund was bred to hunt badgers in their burrows.

18th century - origins

The first documented descriptions of dachshund-type dogs come from early 18th century southern Germany, where they were called “Dachs Krieger” (badger warrior) or “Dachs Kriecher” (badger crawler). German nobility crossed local hounds with terriers, aiming for a small, brave and persistent dog able to work underground.

Short legs had a specific purpose - the dog had to enter a badger sett, typically 20-30 cm in diameter. A European badger weighs around 7-13 kg in summer and 12-17 kg in autumn, has a powerful jaw grip and defends itself fiercely. The dachshund had to be small, brave and exceptionally stubborn.

19th-20th century - standardization

In June 1888 the Deutscher Teckelklub is founded in Berlin - the first breed club. Full formalization of coat and size standards came gradually over the following decades of the 20th century. Today three coat varieties are recognized:

• Smooth (Kurzhaar) - the original
• Long-haired (Langhaar) - with spaniel influence
• Wire-haired (Rauhhaar) - with schnauzer and terrier influence

And three sizes, measured by chest circumference of the adult dog (FCI standard 148):

• Standard (chest above 35 cm, weight typically 7-9 kg)
• Miniature (Zwerg, chest 30-35 cm, weight about 4-5 kg)
• Rabbit (Kaninchen, chest up to 30 cm, weight typically up to 3.5 kg)

In pop culture

Andy Warhol owned a dachshund named Archie. David Hockney has been painting his dachshunds Stanley and Boodgie since the 1990s. Picasso owned Lump. The dachshund is the breed of intellectuals and artists - not by accident.

FCI standard no. 148, 2014. The dachshund is the only breed forming the entire FCI Group 4 (Dachshunds) - this group exists specifically because of the breed’s specialization in underground work.

Today

In Poland the badger remains a game species with a short hunting season (under the 1995 Hunting Law), so dachshunds still occasionally work on badger and fox hunts and as blood-trail trackers. The vast majority, however, are family dogs - “lap dachshund” is an oxymoron only to the uninitiated.