History of the Dachshund

Historical dipictions of the Dachshund have been found dating as far back as the 15th century. Illustrations show bager like animals being hunted by dogs with elongated bodies, short legs and hound-type ears. To hunt badgers in medieval Europe, dogs with the temperament and size of terriers, and the traking ability of hounds were used with great success. These dogs would eventually be known as Dachshunds

Early in the 17th century, the name Dachshund (badger-dog) became the designation of a breed type with smooth and longhaired coat varieties. A third variety, wirehairs, were added in 1890. Early on, German breeders tried crossing longhairs with both smooths and wirehairs, but found that doing that did more harm than good and decided to bar such crosses from registration.

During early development of the breed, two distinct sizes were developed depending on what type of game the dog was being bred to hunt. The larger, 30 - 35 pound dogs, were developed to hunt badgers as well as wild boars. The smaller dogs, in the 16 - 22 pound range, were used to hunt foxes and rabbits.

The AKC Stud Book lists 1885 as the first importations into America. The Dachshund Club of America has promoted the breed since 1895.