Fondly called a sausage dog, or even a hot dog on legs, the Miniature Dachsie is a diminutive dog with a long back and cute little legs that really does resemble a hot dog on legs. Though squat, the Dachsie is muscular and powerful with a broad chest. They have an elongated appearing skull with dark, haunting eyes and an air of intelligence.
Other Names
Dachsie
Country of Origin
Germany
Colour
Mostly black with some tan or tend to have a solid dark brown/red coat. They do have some cool variations, with reds, tiger markings, dappled colour or brindle. They may even have a small white area on their chest! Wire Haired Dachshund are most commonly a mix of black and brown haired coats.
Size
Small
Height / Weight
The Dachshund is measured by chest girth, a miniature Dachshund being between 31 to 35cms. Both dogs and bitches should ideally weigh between 4 to 5kgs.
Health
Because of their sausage like shape the spinal health of the Dachsie is incredibly important! They can be prone to disc injury, including rupture and even paralysis. Stairs and jumping on the furniture are frequent culprits and should be avoided. The condition can be improved through surgery but many Dachsies will still need to use carts to move their hind limbs. You'll also need to be aware of skin conditions such as bald patches and lack of pigmentation.
Life Span
12-15 years
Intelligence
Very intelligent but also headstrong and so can be hard to train! They have a strong hunting instinct and sometimes won't come when called. Start training early.
Exercise
Medium
Suitability (Children)
Low
Feeding
You can feed your pup dry or wet food or a mixture of both. Let Dachsies overeat and they will quickly become obese! That's not good for your pup, obesity can be a serious problems including disability for the Dachshund.
Feeding Cost
$5–$10 p/w
Other Cost
Excercise
The Dachsie were actually bred for hunting and so need a good work out once a day and twice if you are able. Those same hunting instincts mean they tend to wander off so make sure that unless your Dachsie is incredibly well trained they remain on the lead.
Hair Shed
Moderate
Ailments
Because of their sausage like shape the spinal health of the Dachsie is incredibly important! They can be prone to disc injury, including rupture and even paralysis. Stairs and jumping on the furniture are frequent culprits and should be avoided. The condition can be improved through surgery but many Dachsies will still need to use carts to move their hind limbs. You'll also need to be aware of skin conditions such as bald patches and lack of pigmentation.
Grooming
Wire haired dachsies will need to have their coats plucked two or three times a year, their lovely faces will need to trimmed occasionally and be combed at least every week. You will need an experienced groomer to pluck the coat or ask your breeder to teach you how to do it, unfortunately clipping will ruin the beautiful texture of the Dachsies coat!
Grooming Frequency
Once a week
Trimming
Occasional
Dachshund-like dogs have been seen in ancient Egyptian and Mexican art and can be traced back to 15th century Germany. The remains of a dog that appeared to be a Dachshund was even found with a shipwreck in Italy dating from 1st Century AD. The breed standard was established in 1879 and the breed club formed in 1888. Miniature Dachsies were mostly used for hunting rabbits. Dachsies became popular in the UK and then America after being exported to Great Britain with Prince Albert through the 19th century. However during World War 1 the breed fell out of favour due to its German origins but people have now fallen in love with the Dachsie again as a favourite family pet and hunting companion!
