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