Origin & History of the Dachshund

Richard Thomas
Over 15 years handling, testing, and restoring pocket, fixed-blade, and Damascus steel knives across hunting and everyday-carry disciplines.

Do you own a dachshund? Are you wondering about the origins of this magnificent breed? Do you want to understand the roots of its natural instincts?

Here is everything you need to know about the origin of the dachshund in this new blog post 🐶

What is the History of the Dachshund Breed?

The name “Dachshund” literally means badger dog in German, derived from the German words “Dachs” and “Hund”.

In modern Germany, the dachshund is more commonly called “Dackel” or “Teckel”, with “Teckel” being the term most frequently used by hunters.

The dachshund is also known as a “Doxie” or sausage dog, due to its long, slender body that resembles a sausage 😊

The dachshund’s front paws are paddle-shaped, which helps it dig exceptionally well and can be particularly useful for hunting and chasing badgers, rabbits, and other mammals.

The dachshund’s deep chest provides it with increased lung capacity, which is a great advantage when hunting underground.

Official origin of the dachshund

The origin of the dachshund dates back to 15th-century Germany, where two sizes of dachshunds were bred primarily for hunting.

The standard dachshund was bred mainly to sniff out and flush out badgers and similar mammals living in burrows, while the miniature dachshund was bred primarily for hunting rabbits.

In the United States, dachshunds were also used for hunting prairie dogs and tracking deer 🦌

What automatically comes to mind today when we think of dachshund lineages is how they bravely enter badger and fox dens, then bark to let their human hunting companion know where they are.

But these little hunters are also known for tracking in packs when the prey is much larger than them, such as the wolverine (a fierce, solitary, and powerful mammal) as well as wild boar.

Their usual prey, however, remains rabbits, foxes, badgers, and other smaller animals.

Quite surprisingly or perhaps not, this small dog was also used for deer hunting, searching for wounded animals, and sometimes, following accidents and tragedies, searching for injured or deceased people.

Finally, the last of the breed is the Kaninchen dachshund (meaning rabbit in German), introduced in Europe in the 19th century to hunt and flush out smaller prey due to its miniature size.

Cradle of the First Dachshund Dogs

There are many theories about the origin of the dachshund, most of which have been dismissed.

Because of images resembling dachshunds found in ancient Pharaonic Egypt, and the Egyptian word for these dogs “Tekal”, some believe that the ancestors of the dachshund lived during that era, but others think it is highly unlikely.

There have also been Assyrian reliefs of dogs resembling dachshunds, and dogs were described in ancient Greek literature just like the modern dachshund.

Some experts have hypothesized that the earliest roots of the dachshund go back to ancient Egypt, where engravings were discovered depicting short-legged hunting dogs, incredibly similar to the dachshund.

The American University in Cairo also recently discovered Egyptian burial urns containing mummified dogs resembling dachshunds.

A zoologist named Brehm believed that the dachshund might have originated in Spain, as remains of a small dog of similar size were found in Peru, as well as in ancient Mexico. Even in Denmark, thanks to archaeological excavations, remains of short-legged dogs have been found.

The only thing that can be said with certainty is that small, short-legged dogs were bred in various parts of the world 🌎

The most commonly accepted theory is that the dachshund was created in Germany, which is considered its homeland. German cynologists Richard Strebel and Ludwig Beckmann conducted extensive research and, according to their findings, the dachshund is closely related to the German Bracke, or Deutsche Bracken.

This was confirmed by another German specialist, Hilzheimer, who found the remains of two dachshunds during archaeological excavations of a Roman military camp in Kannstadt, Germany.

The most likely theory comes from the German Fritz Engelmann, who believed that the dachshund was initially a harrier dog and that it was only later that it was used to go into dens to hunt, or for tracking.

The Dachshund in the Modern Era

The dachshund breed has evolved over time. The dachshund we know and love today is strongly linked to the dogs bred in 15th-century Germany, but it was perfected in the late 19th century.

German breeders dedicated time and effort to restoring the wire-haired dachshund, which had practically disappeared by the end of the 19th century. It was also at this time that the breed standard for size, coat, and color was established, belonging to group 4 (with working trial) 😊

Dachshunds were introduced to the United States in the 1880s and became popular in the United Kingdom for the first time in 1840. They were brought back by the royal family for pheasant hunting.

Queen Victoria was apparently very fond of this breed, which contributed to its popularity. From the moment members of the royal family brought dachshunds back to the UK, they became popular dogs for individuals, transitioning into companion dogs.

Sociable and affectionate, dachshunds continued to be favored by the royal family. As a reminder, Queen Elizabeth had a “Dorgi,” after one of her corgis mated with a dachshund.

Modern dachshunds are slightly smaller than the dachshunds originally bred in Germany in the 17th century. However, many of their characteristics and behaviors remain the same, with preserved endurance and liveliness, not to mention their powerful barks 🐶

History of dachshunds during the war

The dachshund has traditionally always been considered a symbol of Germany in the minds of many people.

During the First and Second World Wars, the popularity of dachshunds declined due to their association with Germany, and political cartoonists used the image of the breed to ridicule Germany.

In America, the dachshund breed was accepted into the AKC (American Kennel Club) in 1885, along with 14 other breeds.

Unfortunately, many years later, the dachshund almost disappeared in America due to its status as a symbol of Germany. People truly hated Germany and wanted to get rid of everything German, including the little sausage dogs they had previously enjoyed so much.

The incredible result is that the number of dachshunds in America fell to just 12 surviving dogs in 1919! People walking their dachshunds were attacked in the street, and dogs were killed everywhere.

For a short period in the United States, they were called “liberty hounds” or “badger dogs,” much like the term “liberty cabbage” for sauerkraut in North America, in an attempt to reduce the association with Germany.

Nowadays, the dachshund is considered a positive symbol of Germany.

In 1972, when the Olympic Games were held in Munich, Germany, a dachshund named Waldi was the official mascot 😃

Waldi was the first official mascot in the history of the 1972 Summer Olympic Games, and it was obviously a sausage dog! 🥰

This dog is well known for its endurance, tenacity, and agility. That is why it was chosen.

Waldi displays several different colors, and its striped body bears at least three of the six Olympic colors.

Waldi was born during a Christmas party for the Munich Games Organizing Committee, where participants were given colored pencils, sheets of paper, and modeling clay to create a mascot design.

This famous mascot had a real-life alter ego, a dachshund called “Cherie von Birkenhof”.

The dachshund is a popular dog breed today

Today, the dachshund is as much a family pet as it is a hunting dog.

Due to its hunting past, it presents both advantages and disadvantages for the average pet owner. It is loyal and protective of its masters, and if it gets bored, it can easily dig up your entire garden or flip over the cushions on your sofa 😜

Although the dachshund can be one of the coolest and most adorable friends of your life, it remains a dynamic and athletic hunting dog.

Take the time to carefully consider if you are ready to provide the Dachshund with what it needs to be the extraordinary dog it can be!

The DoxieLife team – 💚 last modified on 05/03/26