The dachshund is a German dog breed which was originally bred for underground hunting of foxes and badgers. Other common names for the dachshund are dachshund (especially among hunters) and Dachshund. The FCI classifies this small dog breed in group 4.
The life expectancy of the Dachshund is quite high. With a little luck, dog owners can enjoy their faithful companion for up to 15 years.
The most conspicuous feature of the dachshund is without doubt the combination of a long body and short legs. The breed standard provides for a ratio of body length to withers height between 1:1,7 and 1:1,8 for Dachshunds.
The compact dogs show a pronounced musculature and are very fast despite its appearance. The head-position of the Dachshund is always upright. Its muzzle becomes narrower towards the front.
The coat can show many different colour combinations, whereby there are dachshunds in a long-haired, a short-haired and a rough-haired variant.
Dachshunds are characterized by an extremely friendly nature. They are neither aggressive nor overly anxious. They have a self-confident character, which is especially important for them in view of their actual task, hunting badgers and foxes.
Dachshunds are not only suitable as hunting dogs but are also popular companion dogs nowadays. However, the clever animals need a lot of attention and consistent training, which ideally should be started from an early age.
Dachshunds are agile animals that need sufficient employment. The dachshund is not suitable as a pure lapdog, which is content with smaller walks.
In dachshund clubs, therefore, special courses for dachshunds such as tracking or mantrailing are often offered. But also apart from these offers it is quite possible to employ a Dachshund sufficiently and to keep it for example with various movement plays or the teaching of new tricks with mood.
Like most pedigree dogs, the dachshund unfortunately also tends to certain breed-specific diseases. Especially herniated discs often cause problems for the animals. Responsible for this is on the one hand their elongated body in combination with their short legs. On the other hand, dachshunds have relatively weak intervertebral disc cartilage, which further increases the risk of problems with the intervertebral discs.
In addition, dachshunds can suffer from hypothyroidism and feed allergies (as with practically all dog breeds) are becoming more common.
In general, the nutrition of the Dachshund should be based on a high quality dog food. This not only promotes the animal's vitality but also reduces the risk of food allergies.
If there is an underactive thyroid gland, treatment with hormones is usually unavoidable. In addition, to protect the remaining thyroid tissue, it makes sense to adjust the intake of iodine via the feed.
In view of the increased probability of herniated discs, care should also be taken to ensure that dachshunds receive a diet that meets their needs. Otherwise, obesity can quickly occur, making disc problems more likely.
The feeding requirement depends on various factors, such as age, weight and activities of the dachshund.
In order to strengthen the disc cartilage of the dachshund, we also recommend a dietary supplement with Bellfor Gelenke & Knochen (Joints & Bones).
Bellfor's special breed feed promotes the well-being and health of your Dachshund from an early age.