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Your Pet, Our Passion.

Dachshund (Wire-Haired)

The Wire-Haired Dachshund is a medium breed dog on short legs. The coat is hard and wiry, forming an attractive moustache, beard and characterful eyebrows. The ears are kept smooth and neat and the whole coat maintained with regular hand stripping or plucking.

Lifespan
12 – 16 years
Weight
9 - 12 kg
Height
33 - 37 cm
Colours
Red, cream, black and tan, black and cream, chocolate and tan, chocolate and cream, blue, Isabella.
Size
Medium
Kennel Club Group
Hound
The need-to-know
  • Dog suitable for owners with some experience
  • Basic training required
  • Need to be aware of potential health issues
  • Enjoys gentle walks
  • Enjoys one to two hours of walking a day
  • Small dog
  • Minimum drool
  • Requires grooming once a week
  • Chatty and vocal dog
  • Barks and alerts to visitors/anything unusual
  • Could have issues with unknown dogs but gets along with known dogs
  • May need additional training to live with other pets
  • Great family dog
  • Needs a small garden
  • Can happily live in the city
  • Can be left occasionally with training
This breed may encounter health problems

The most common health problem seen in the Dachshund is related to their body shape - with their long backs and short legs they are more prone to spinal disorders and joint problems;  
Intervertebral disc disease: a condition where there is abnormality in the discs which act to cushion the bones in the spine. The discs can dislodge or burst, which puts pressure on the nerves in the spinal cord leading to back pain and weakness or paralysis of the limbs.
Angular limb deformities: caused by asynchronous growth of a pair of bones, which appear bowed or rotated and may result in pain and lameness.

Wire Haired Dachshunds are also prone to:
- Mitral Valve Disease¹ which is where the heart valves become diseased and don't work properly.
- Cushing's syndrome², which is where too much natural steroid hormone (called cortisol) is produced, leading to symptoms such as excessive drinking and tiredness. 
- Keratoconjunctivitis sicca (dry eye) which is a painful condition where the tear gland stops working properly.
 
Priority Kennel Club health schemes and testing: Priority Kennel Club health schemes and testing: 
- IVDD Scheme for Dachshunds 

¹L. H. Olsen et al, 'Epidemiology and Inheritance of Mitral ValveProlapse in Dachshunds', 1999, Journal of Internal Veterinary Medicine 
²G. Carotenuto et al, 'Cushing’s syndrome—an epidemiological study based on a canine population of 21,281 dogs', 2019, Open Veterinary Journal

 

Personality

The Dachshund (Wire Haired) is a bold, courageous dog with a lively personality and nature. The rugged workman of the Dachshund varieties, the Wire Haired Dachshund still retains the independent and sometimes seemingly obstinate nature of the breed, but is also known for being loyal and good-tempered. They are excellent at tracking a scent outdoors, but equally make an affectionate, people-friendly housedog. It should not come as a surprise that the Dachshund is fond of the sound of his own voice, bearing in mind his ancestral purpose!

Did You Know?

  • The Dachshund ended up a member of the hound group due to a mistranslation of their name, ‘hund’ which means ‘dog’ and not specifically ‘hound’. The Dachshund is really a terrier type, bred to go to ground and either flush out quarry or hold it at bay until hunters could dig down to them.
  • Out of the 23 dogs to ever hold the Guinness World Record for Oldest Living Dog, two have been Dachshunds and one a Dachshund cross. 

  • The official mascot of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games was a colourful Dachshund called Waldi. 

  • Dachshunds are known to have a very powerful bark and many owners say it resembles a much larger dog! 

  • In Germany, Dachshunds are still measured by the size of the rabbit hole they can fit into.