Country of Origin: Germany

Coat: Can be smooth, long, or wire-haired. Colors can be reddish-brown, black or tan, or chocolate brown, or deep chestnut in reddish-brown and black and tan. The hairs on the Wire-haired Dachshund should lie flat and be as hard as possible.

Character: The Dachshund is brave, intelligent and independent.

Temperament: This breed is somewhat reserved around strangers, but forms a strong bond with its family. It can be over-courageous around other dogs.

Care: The Smooth- and Long-haired Dachshund should be brushed occasionally to remove dead hairs. Long-haired Dachshunds are prone to tangles, so they should be groomed more often. The coat of the Wire-haired Dachshund should be plucked twice a year.

Training: Long-haired Dachshunds are slightly easier to train than Smooth- or Wire-haired Dachshunds, however all varieties need firm and consistent training because they have minds of their own.

Activity: The Dachshund needs a fair amount of exercise so long walks are required

Description : Dachshunds make excellent family dogs. Though small in size, they make good watch dogs with their surprisingly loud bark. They may be slightly aggressive toward strangers. Nicknamed the "sausage dog" they are low to the ground, long in body with short legs and robust muscular development. Dachshunds have intelligent, alert, facial expressions. There are six varieties of this breed; smooth-haired, wire-haired and long-haired in Standard and Miniature sizes. The smooth-haired Dachshund is the original strain, the wire-haired and the long-haired were attained by crossing the smooth-haired with other breeds.