Dachshund

Dachshunds are scent hound dogs bred to hunt badgers and other tunneling animals, rabbits, and foxes. Hunters even used packs of Dachshunds to trail wild boar. Today their versatility makes them excellent family companions, show dogs, and small-game hunters.

But don’t let this pup fool you. Dogs of this breed might be, as legendary literary critic and humorous journalist H. L. Mencken said, “half a dog high and a dog and a half long,” but this small, drop-eared dog is tough enough to take on a badger. In fact, that’s how they got their name (Dachs meaning badger; hund meaning dog).

Temperament: Clever, Stubborn, Devoted, Lively, Playful, Courageous.

“Dachshund” is a German word meaning “badger dog,” and the breed’s German history goes back some 600 years. And, as the breed name suggests, the Dachshund was developed to enthusiastically dig his way into a badger den and dispatch its occupant. The Dachshund’s long, low body was custom-made for this dirty subterranean work.

For a dog of any size, a badger is a formidable adversary, weighing anywhere from 25 to 40 pounds, with razor-sharp teeth and claws. The cleverness, courage, perseverance, and strength that are hallmarks of today’s Dachshund were first bred into his long-ago ancestors to best equip them for battling a deadly foe. The little dog’s surprisingly loud, houndy bark is also a throwback to his working roots: It allowed the Dachshund’s above-ground human hunting partner to mark his hound’s underground location.