The Dachshund, also called the Dackel or Teckel, is a German hunting dog with a long body and short legs, known since the Middle Ages and bred to hunt below ground.[1]
The breed standard
The FCI standard covers nine varieties: three sizes (Standard, Miniature and Rabbit) in three coat types (smooth-haired, wire-haired and long-haired). It describes a low, short-legged, elongated but compact and very muscular dog with an alert expression. Colours include one-coloured red, black or brown with tan, dapple and brindle, and wire-haired dogs may also be wild boar or brown wild boar.[1] The temperament is described as friendly by nature, neither fearful nor aggressive, and the dog as a passionate, persistent hunter with an excellent nose.[1]
Name and origin
The FCI says the Dachshund has been known since the Middle Ages, and that dogs especially suited to hunting below ground were consistently bred from the Bracken. The oldest club devoted to the breed is the Deutsche Teckelklub, founded in 1888.[1] The Royal Kennel Club gives the German name Teckel, meaning badger dog.[2] The American Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1885.[3]
Health and lifespan
Dachshunds are prone to intervertebral disc disease, a spinal condition. A paper on the breed reports a relative risk 10–12 times that of other breeds.[4] In an owner survey of 2,031 Dachshunds, 15.7% had had the disease. It was most common in Standard Smooth-Haired dogs (24.4%) and least common in Standard Wire-Haired dogs (7.1%). Owners who chose to respond are not a random sample, so these figures describe respondents only.[4] The Royal Kennel Club runs a spine-screening scheme and says the evidence indicates these conditions are a significant concern in the breed.[2]
In a Dogs Trust study, the median age at death of Miniature Dachshunds was 14.0 years, against 12.5 years for all breeds together. No figure was given for the Standard Dachshund.[5]
Behavior
In an owner-reported survey of 68 Dachshunds, 20.6% were reported to have snapped, bitten or tried to bite an unfamiliar person in the recent past, 5.9% a member of the household and 17.6% an unfamiliar dog. The averages across the 33 breeds in the survey were 4.7%, 2.0% and 10.7%.[6] The authors name Dachshunds among the breeds that scored higher than average for aggression towards both people and dogs. In a separate random sample of breed-club members (120 Dachshunds) the shares were lower, 6.7% for unfamiliar people, 0.8% for household members and 4.2% for unfamiliar dogs, so the figures depend on who answers.[6] Breed explains only about 9% of behavioural differences between individual dogs, so an individual’s behaviour can differ a lot from the breed’s average.[7]
Popularity
The Dachshund ranked 5th on the American Kennel Club’s list of most popular breeds in 2025.[8]
Sources
- FCI breed standard 148, Dachshund
- Royal Kennel Club, Dachshund (Smooth Haired) breed page
- American Kennel Club, breeds by year recognized
- Packer et al. 2016, Canine Genetics and Epidemiology 3: 8 (DachsLife 2015 survey)
- McMillan et al. 2024, Scientific Reports 14: 531 (longevity of breeds, Dogs Trust data)
- Duffy, Hsu & Serpell 2008, Applied Animal Behaviour Science 114: 441–460
- Morrill et al. 2022, Science 376 (breed and behaviour)
- American Kennel Club, most popular dog breeds of 2025