02 Development of the Dachshund
Description
This article is from the Dachshund Breed FAQ, by njchillie@REMOVE_TO-REPLY.yahoo.com (Steven Michelson) with numerous contributions by others.
02 Development of the Dachshund
The current Dachshunds (also known as Teckels, Dachels, or Dachsels)
originated in Germany. In fact, the name Dachshund is German for
"badger dog," indicating why these dogs were originally bred - to hunt
badgers. German foresters, in the 18th and 19th centuries, mixed a
variety of breeds together, aiming for a fearless, elongated dog that
could dig the earth from a badger burrow, and fight to the death with
the vicious badgers who were unlucky enough to inhabit that burrow.
Dachshunds have also been used to hunt foxes, and believe it or not,
wild boar. Even though Chillie is heavily domesticated and abundantly
pampered, she still maintains and nurtures this innate hunting
instinct. She's been known to suddenly leap off the living room sofa
from a sound sleep in the donut position (a favorite position of
Dachshunds), and, without any hesitation, fiercely attack and capture
her unwitting prey - a common household bug. So, it's no wild boar.
Thank God.
The first Dachshunds were brought into the United States in 1887,
where they grew in popularity over the next few decades. By 1914, they
were among the 10 most popular entries in the Westminster Kennel Club
Show. During World War I, there was much disdain over anything
considered German and unfortunately the Dachshund was a victim of much
hostility. In fact, they were sometimes the victims of stonings, and
Dachshund owners were often called traitors. As a result, the number
of Dachshunds in the United States and Britain dwindled. After the
war, a few U.S. breeders slowly rebuilt the gene pool by importing
German stock, and the breed began to increase in popularity again. The
advent of World War II did not yield the same effects as World War I,
because by then American breeders were well established and Dachshunds
were very popular.
In the United States, there are, in total, six types of Dachshund.
They come in two sizes: miniature (less than 10-11 pounds) and
standard (all the rest, but usually above 18-20 pounds). In other
countries, there's wider variance in the sizes. In fact, in Germany,
the dogs are identified as either Standard, Miniature, or
Kaninchenteckel, based on a chest measurement taken at the age of
fifteen months. For each size, there are three coats: smoothcoated,
longhaired, and wirehaired. The standard smoothcoated Dachshund is the
most popular in the United States. The coat is short, smooth, and
shining. There are two theories regarding how the standard longhaired
Dachshund came about. One theory is that smoothcoated Dachshunds would
occasionally produce puppies which had slightly longer hair than their
parents. By selectively breeding these animals, breeders eventually
produced a dog which consistently produced longhaired offspring, and
the longhaired Dachshund was born. Another theory is that the standard
longhaired Dachshund was developed by breeding smooth Dachshunds with
various land and water spaniels. In either case, the result was a
beautiful animal (admittedly I'm a little biased), with a coat
comparable to that of an Irish Setter and a temperament like a
spaniel. In general, longhaired Dachshunds tend to be more docile than
the other two coats, though I'm sure there are exceptions to this
rule. I consider myself very lucky, because Chillie is a standard
longhaired Dachshund with just such a temperament, especially indoors
when there are people around. Wirehaired Dachshunds were developed by
breeding smooth Dachshunds with various hard-coated terriers and
wire-haired pinschers. They look very wise, most notably due to their
beards and bushy eyebrows. The coat is wiry, short, thick, and rough.
Like their smoothcoated cousins, the wirehaired tend to be
mischievous. They come in red, black, or even dappled. Chillie has
both red and black hair. Interestingly, the red hair is softer and
finer than the black, at least in longhaired Dachshunds.
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