Dachshund breed guide

Dachshunds are curious, friendly and spunky. AKC says they are smart and vigilant with a big-dog bark. They are very intelligent but also independent and often stubborn, so training may be a challenge.

They love to give and receive affection, do best with positive, reward-based training and react badly to harsh commands or punishment.

A Dachshund may be expected to live 12 to 16 years with proper care, AKC says, so long as it eats a good diet and gets enough exercise to keep muscle tone. To protect the long back from disc damage, keep the dog from becoming overweight and monitor its activities to avoid back injury.

Like most dogs with drop ears, Dachshunds get ear infections if the ears are not kept clean.

Dachshunds are moderate shedders, relatively clean and have little or no body odor. Grooming varies with the three coats: smooth-coated dogs are somewhat wash and wear, needing little beyond a wipe with a towel or hound glove and longhaired dogs may need more frequent brushing.

Many owners think a Dachshund needs no more exercise than running around the house, but it needs regular exercise to build strong muscles that support and protect the back. AKC says two walks of moderate length daily should be sufficient.

Dachshund is a German word meaning badger dog and the breed's German history goes back some 600 years. It was developed to dig into a badger den and dispatch the occupant and the long, low body was custom-made for that subterranean work.

A badger weighs 25 to 40 pounds with razor-sharp teeth and claws, a formidable adversary and the cleverness, courage, perseverance and strength of today's Dachshund were bred into its ancestors to meet it.