| Dachshunds originated in Germany and are | | | | |
| known to have existed as far back as the 16th | | | | There are three varieties to the coat that a |
| century. Dachshunds were bred to hunt | | | | Dachshund is bred with: |
| badgers, wild boar and other types of small | | | | |
| animals. In German, Dachs means badger and | | | | - Smooth |
| Hund means dog, showing the emphasis the | | | | |
| breeding pattern had on the hunting of the | | | | - Wire-haired |
| badger. | | | | |
| | | | - Long-haired |
| Dachshunds have a fearless kind of attitude | | | | |
| about them handed down from their ancestry of | | | | The Dachshund is known for its huge variance |
| hunting. The original breed was quite large | | | | in patterns and colours of coat - an |
| compared to the CKC/AKC standards of today, | | | | explanation of which could be a lengthy |
| averaging 30 to 40 pounds. Eventually this | | | | discussion on its own. The two most common |
| size was branched off into smaller categories | | | | colours - popularized by modern day TV and |
| for individual hunting of smaller prey such | | | | books are the red(most popular) and the black |
| as a fox or rabbit. | | | | and tan. |
| | | | |
| Dachshunds are unique in that they were used | | | | Dachshunds have enjoyed immense popularity |
| to actually hunt their prey under ground, | | | | over the years resulting in both the good and |
| following it into its hole - killing and | | | | bad that comes with this. The only time that |
| retrieving it for their reward. | | | | Dachshunds have fell into a lack of |
| | | | popularity was during World War I, when the |
| Today you will find two sizes of Dachshunds, | | | | Dachshund was used as a symbol of the Germans |
| the miniature and the standard. According to | | | | in Allied propaganda material. |
| the Canadian Kennel Club and American Kennel | | | | |
| Club "miniatures are not a separate | | | | Overall the Dachshund is a clever courageous |
| classification but compete in a class | | | | dog that has added to humanities existence in |
| division for "11 pounds and under at 12 | | | | uncountable ways. They have a unique |
| months of age and older." Weight of the | | | | personality that leans towards fierce loyalty |
| standard size is usually between 16 and 32 | | | | and fearless friendliness, often leaving dogs |
| pounds." | | | | of larger stature taken aback. |