Is my dog a Dachshund? Body, coat and head
Long back, short legs and a confident head: the Dachshund outline is distinctive, but coat type and size vary a lot. Add a photo to compare your dog, then read the details below.
Also known as: Doxie, Sausage dog, Teckel, Wiener dog
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About the Dachshund
The Dachshund was bred in Germany to follow badgers and other quarry underground, which explains the long, low body, strong front and surprisingly loud bark. Today it is a bold, loyal companion with a hunter’s independence: affectionate at home, determined outdoors and not always quick to obey. There are three coats, smooth, long-haired and wire-haired, and several sizes. FCI recognises standard, miniature and rabbit (Kaninchen) sizes, measured by chest girth, while AKC and KC recognise standard and miniature. FCI gives the breed a group of its own, group 4.
At a glance
- Type
- Pedigree breed
- Size
- Small
- Adult weight
- 7–15 kg
- Life expectancy
- 12–16 years
- Exercise
- Moderate
How to recognise a Dachshund
- Long, low body on short, strong legs, with a prominent breastbone and only a slight tuck-up. From the side the outline is unmistakable.
- Smooth coat: short, dense and shiny. Long coat: soft and sleek, longest on ears, chest and tail. Wire coat: harsh, with a beard and bushy eyebrows.
- Long, tapering head with a slight stop; broad, rounded ears set high and hanging close to the cheeks.
- Usual colours are red, cream, black and tan, and chocolate and tan; dapple (merle) and brindle also occur. Wire coats are often grizzled ‘wild boar’.
- Tail continues the line of the back and is never curled tightly over it.
Photo tip. A side-on photo with all four legs visible shows body length and leg ratio best. Capture the ears too: hanging ears rule out a Corgi straight away.
Dachshund or look-alike?
Basset Hound
A Basset is much heavier, with loose skin, droopy eyes, very long velvety ears and a domed skull. It is usually tricolour or lemon and white rather than red or black and tan.
Pembroke Welsh Corgi
A Corgi is also short-legged but has large upright ears, a fox-like face and a shorter, thicker body with a double coat. A Dachshund’s ears always hang down.
Jack Russell Terrier
Short-legged Jack Russells are sometimes taken for smooth Dachshunds. A Jack has a shorter back, a mostly white coat with tan or black markings, and small folded V-shaped ears.
Dachshund mixes
Dachshund crosses include the Chiweenie (with a Chihuahua), the Dorgi (with a Corgi), the Doxiepoo (with a Poodle) and many terrier mixes. Short legs are a strong trait and often survive even when the other parent is tall, while ear shape and coat type vary more. A long-backed mix deserves the same back care as the purebred. The identifier names the closest pure breeds, so a Chiweenie usually comes back as Dachshund with Chihuahua.
Health and care
- Disc disease (IVDD) is the main known risk in the breed. Keep them lean, use ramps instead of letting them jump off furniture, and carry them on stairs where you can.
- Ask breeders for the CDDY (chondrodystrophy) DNA result, an eye examination and the cord1-PRA test, plus patella and heart results in miniatures.
- Lafora disease, a late-onset epilepsy, is known in miniature wire-haired lines; a DNA test lets breeders avoid producing affected puppies.
- Brush teeth regularly, as dental disease is common in small mouths. Long and wire coats need weekly brushing, and wire coats need hand-stripping a few times a year.
- Moderate daily walks keep the muscles around the spine strong. Discourage rough play that twists the back.