The Dachshund is a short-legged, long-bodied, hound-like breed.
The standard-sized Dachshund was developed to sniff out, chase and drive away badgers and other burrowing animals, while the miniature dachshund was bred to hunt smaller prey such as rabbits. In the United States, they are also used to track wounded deer and hunt prairie dogs.
Dachshunds also participate in conformation shows, field trials and many other activities organized by purebred dog organizations such as the American Kennel Club (AKC). According to the AKC, the Dachshund ranks as the 13th most popular dog breed in the United States.
Although classified as a hunting dog group or a scent hound group in the United States and the United Kingdom, in the United States and the United Kingdom, it belongs to the F? d? World Canine Federation. Many Dachshunds, especially the wire-haired varieties, may exhibit behaviors and appearances similar to those of terriers. An argument can be made for the scent (or hound) group classification because the breed was developed to use scent to track and hunt animals, and may be descended from the St. Hubert Hound, like many modern scent hound breeds such as police dogs and basset hounds ; However, they can also be considered to belong to the terrier or " native dog " group due to their persistent personality and love of digging, which may have been developed from terriers.
The typical Dachshund has a long, muscular body with short, thick legs. Its front paws are disproportionately large and paddle-shaped, especially suited for digging. Its skin is spongy enough not to tear as it burrows in narrow burrows in pursuit of prey. The Dachshund has a deep chest, which provides suitable lung capacity for endurance while hunting. Its nose is very long. According to the AKC standards for this breed, "Scarring from a glorious wound shall not be considered a fault" because the Dachshund is a hunting dog.
There are three dachshund coat varieties: smooth-coated (short-haired), long-haired, and wire-coated. Long-haired Dachshunds have silky fur with short feathers on their legs and ears. The Wirehaired Dachshund is the least common coated breed in the United States (although it is the most common in Germany) and the most recent coat to appear in breeding standards.
Dachshunds come in a variety of colors and patterns, the most common being red. Their base color can be solid (red or cream), tan (black and tan, chocolate and tan, blue and tan, or isabella and tan), and in wire-haired dogs In , this color is called peccary. Brindle (merle), sable, colors, brindle and piebald can also appear on any base color. Depending on the genetic makeup of their parents, Dachshunds from the same litter may be born with different coat colors. The main color of this breed is red, followed by black and brown. Tan Pointed Dogs have tan (or cream) markings on their eyes, ears, paws, and tail. The red color ranges from copper to deep rust, with or without some common black hairs scattered along the back, face and ear edges, giving it more character and an almost glossy appearance; as it is known among breeders and hobbyists for "overlapping" or "sabling".
Sable should not be confused with the more unusual coat color known as sable. From a distance, a sable dachshund looks a bit like a black and tan dog. However, upon closer inspection, one can observe that along the top of the dog's body, each hair actually has a reddish base near the skin, transitioning to mostly black along the length of the hair. Another noticeable coat marking is the brindle pattern. "Brindle" refers to dark stripes - usually red - on a solid background. If a Dachshund has brindle on dark coat and has tan spots, it will only have the markings on the tan spots. Even a single stripe is a marking. If a Dachshund had only one spot, it would be a brindle.
