Dachshunds are tiny , but they were breed to do some somewhat big occupation . Here ’s the lowdown on everyone ’s favourite vertically challenge dog .
1. Dachshunds are fierce.
The little blackguard were breed 300 years ago in Germanyto hunting badgers — their name literally means “ badger hound ” ( dachsmeans badger;hundmeans dog ) . Their little legs permit them to enterbadgerdens , and their fierce gusto gives them the bravery to take on the 15 - pound sign mammalian .
2. They come in a wide variety of sizes and colors.
agree to theAmerican Kennel Club , dachshunds come in several standard color and exhibit different kinds of markings ; some interesting colors let in blue and tan , ointment , and fantastic boar , a miscellanea of brown and gold . Their coating can be liquid , long , or wire - hirsute . They occur in two sizing : standard and miniature .
3. Anti-Germany hysteria led to a temporary name change.
Before there werefreedom fries , there was the freedom pup . Thanks to their German heritage , duringWorld War Idachshunds were often used to portray Germanyin propaganda . Although often humourous , these ads led to a far-flung disrespect for the breed . The American Kennel Club tried to rebrand the stock by rename them “ badger dogs , ” while others refer to them as “ shore leave pups . ”
alas , this did n’t do much to help the stock ’s wartime image . Kaiser Wilhelm II was known for his love of doxies and actually hadhis five petsburied at the Huis Doorn park . Two of his ill behaved badger dog , Wadl and Hexl , had previously made headlinesafter attackingArchduke Franz Ferdinand ’s prized golden pheasants during a visit .
4. The Nazis claimed they taught a dachshund to speak.
If World War I was tough on dachshunds , what fare next was just weird . Nazi scientist boast that they successfully learn the dogs to speak , read , spell , and even communicate telepathically . Germans believe that dog were nigh as intelligent as humans , so they put upa special programcalledHundesprechschule Asrato bug into that asset . Some of the outlandish exploit claimed by the curriculum included a dog that could say “ mein Fuhrer ” and another that could drop a line poesy .
Kurwenal was a dachshund that could “ talk ” with different numbers of bark for dissimilar letters — sort of like a eye tooth telegraph . According to Jan Bondeson ’s book , Amazing Dogs : A Cabinet of Canine Curiosities , the dog even had his own biographer detail the pup ’s daily life . He reportedly liked pinkish blush wine , illustrated zoology books , and attractive women . When asked if he ever want to be a father , the bachelor declare , “ No ! ” Many were impressed with the fat piddling dog ’s routine , but others suspected that he was receiving cues from his owner .
Right before he passed away , Kurwenal poetically barked , “ I am not afraid of croak ; dogs have soulfulness and they are like the souls of men . " The dachshund was buried in the garden of his proprietor ’s abode .
5. They’ve made a comeback.
Despite this stony geological period , the resilient breed weathered two World Wars and has been welcomed back into the heart of Americans thanks to some serious Porto Rico work . Today , dachshund are the10th most popularbreed in America .
6. The first Olympic mascot was a dachshund.
The idea forWaldi the dachshundwas hatched during the 1972 Munich games ’ organize committee ’s Christmas company in 1969 . attender used crayons and modeling Lucius DuBignon Clay to make a mascot . dachsie are known for their athleticism and braveness , so the colored dog seemed like the double-dyed face for theOlympics .
7. Artists love dachshunds.
Famous artists haveseemed to be drawnto the piddling dog . Andy Warholwould often bring his doxie to interviews and lease the dog “ solution ” the questions he did n’t care . WhenPicassomet David Douglas Duncan ’s badger dog , Lump , in 1957 , it was love at first mint . Their relationship was chronicle in Duncan’sPicasso and puffiness : A Dachshund ’s Odyssey .
David Hockney was another dachshund aficionado . His two dog , Stanley and Boodgie , were boast in 45 oil color painting and a whole rule book . The Far Sidecreator Gary Larson even used the detent for a parody book calledWiener Dog Art : A Far Side Collection — a whole collection of Greco-Roman prowess small-arm with dachshunds tot up in for comedic upshot .
8. The hot dog was named after the breed.
Thehistory of blistering dogsis murky at best , but some historiographer consider that they were first known as " dachshund sausages , " after the similarly determine dogs , which werefavorite companions of German butcher . Some paint a picture that the name was changed after one cartoonist hadtrouble spelling“dachshund ” and shorten it . Unfortunately , no one can find the comic , so the theory has been dismissed as apocryphal . The earliestwritten recordof the musical phrase " hot detent " can be traced to an 1895 outlet of theYale Recordabout a lunch handcart serving hot dogs to athirst students .
9. A dachshund is Britain’s first cloned dog.
After winning a contest , dog owner Rebecca Smith from Battersea had her 12 - year - old dachshund , Winnie , cloned . Experts in South Korea worry for the pup for five calendar month before sending her home to Smith . Despite the difference in age , theresemblance is striking ; they both have a crooked rear and the same markings . The clone — knight Mini - Winnie — had her own puppiesin 2018 .
A version of this history primitively run in 2015 ; it has been updated for 2022 .
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