More About The Breed

What Are The Characteristics Of Dachshunds

Dachshunds possess several characteristics that make them the best dogs to raise.

    They’re small bodied, playful, and amusing to make a perfect dog for apartment living.
    Their physical needs are moderate but require more training to get along with all that you require of it.

Take a look at how they have been rated and how they perform in some of the characteristics that you expect a good dog to possess.

1. Adaptability
These clever, lively, and curious dogs have a moderate adaptability rating of 3 stars out of 5. They happen to be among the best breeds who match any in house lifestyle.

Depending on different environments, they easily adapt and learn to live with the changes.

Here are more attributes on adaptability and how they’ve been rated:

Adapts well to apartment living: The best thing a dog parent can ever have is a dog who adapts to apartment living. According to most dog parents, they prefer to have indoor dogs to outdoor dogs. If you have the same dream then this is the time to bring a Dachshund into your life. They are small bodied and receptive to commands making them adaptable to any living space and lifestyle. For that case, they hold 5 stars out 5 for being the best apartment dogs.

Good for novice owners: If you’re nervous to get a Dachshund because you never had one before then don’t be. I understand that you don’t want a dog who will be a burden to raise. These dogs are good family friends and easier to take care of. Dachshunds are intelligent and loyal thus making great pets for novice owners. They have been rated at 4 stars out 5 for this attribute.

 
Sensitivity level: Dachshunds are emotionally delicate breeds with a high sensitivity rating of 4 stars out of 5. When touched unknowingly, they could give you a dirty look. However, this does not mean that they’re bad. Sometimes owners need a dog who is receptive to their emotions and if that’s so, look no further than Sausage dogs.
 
Tolerates being alone: It is not a good idea to leave these dog breeds all by themselves as you go for a walk or to work. If you should leave them, it should not be more than four hours. When left alone, Dachshunds tend to be anxious, bored and lonely and could become problematic and destructive so they possess 3 stars for this character.

Tolerates Cold weather: Dachshunds have short, thin fur that doesn’t protect them against cold. They have a 1-star rating for cold weather tolerance. Leaving your Dachshund in the cold can cause health issues like hypothermia and frostbite.

Tolerates hot weather: They moderately withstand temperatures above 4.4 Celsius but not extreme. They hold 3 stars out of 5 for their ability to adapt to hot weather

2. All-Around Friendliness

A friendly dog with low stranger tolerance is what pet owners want. This is because your dog should be loving to you, your family, other dogs in the household and pets as well. If you like to cuddle, then a dachshund is the perfect pet for you and has an overall rating of 3 stars out of 5 when it comes to their all-round friendliness.

Here are more rating regarding other friendliness attributes  that Dachshunds have:

 Affection with family: I am a Dachshund owner and trust me, they are a great family pet. This fellow is incredibly loving and affectionate to the entire family. They scoop a whole 4 star rating out 5 for being family loving dogs.

 Kid-friendly: These dogs are very playful and like the company of kids who on the flipside love making fun with pets. They score 5 stars out 5 regarding their friendliness with children.

 Dog friendly: Some dogs get wild when they are in the company of other dogs. For this breed, this is rarely seen and if it happens that a Dachshund is angry being around other dogs, then it is because it wasn’t introduced to them early. They hold 3 stars out of 5 when it comes to their relationship with other dog breeds.

Friendly towards strangers: When it comes to strangers, they are very protective. For that matter, they possess only 1 star out of 5 since they bark at unfamiliar people and animals.

3. Health And Grooming Needs

Dachshunds have an overall rating of 3 stars out of 5 when it comes to their general health and grooming needs. For my case, I have a smooth-haired Dachshund and I find grooming an easy task. Grooming wire-haired and longhaired Dachshunds would need much effort.

Here is their performance on various characteristics in this section:

Amount of shedding: All dog breeds shed so that new fur could grow and Dachshunds are not an exception. They are moderate shedders who hold 3 stars out 5 since they don’t moult much. To minimize the amount of shedding in them, daily brushing and a diet rich in omega fatty acids will help.

Drooling potential: Fractured tooth, tumors in the mouth, irritation and tartar buildup are the major causes of drooling. At times, this can be normal or can also be because of excessive salivation (ptyalism). Dachshunds are low droolers holding only 1 star out of 5 for their drooling potential. However, to completely minimize this, watch out for any of the causes mentioned.

 Easy to groom: These dogs are moderately easy to groom. The smooth haired are in fact the easiest of the three types of Dachshunds because they have short and smooth fur. They only need brushing once a week and no hair cuts will be required. The other two (long-haired and wire-haired Sausage dogs) need regular grooming. Combined, they possess 3 stars out 5 for being low maintenance breeds.

4. Trainability

Holding 4 stars out of 5, Dachshunds are easy going when it comes to training. They tend to grasp teachings easily but if you wait until it has grown to start training it, you won’t be able to shape it into a dog you wished for.

Here are other attributes:

Easy to train: They have 2 stars out of 5 when it comes to ease of training. This is because they’re stubborn dogs but with consistency and persistence, they can be easily trained.

Intelligence: Dachshunds were bred to follow scents and hunt down badgers. This means that they can think on their own. When it comes to their intelligence, they possess 4 stars out 5.

Potential for mouthiness: Since they were bred as hunting dogs, they have a considerable rating of 4 stars out of 5 for being mouthiness prone dogs.

Prey drive: They are natural hunters which means they can do whatever it takes to hunt down anything they consider a prey. For that reason, they hold 5 stars out 5 regarding their prey drive.

Tendency to bark or howl: They are relatively small but have a 5-star rating for their tendency to bark or howl.

Wanderlust potential: Since they follow scent, they have a high wanderlust potential of 5 stars out 5. Leashing them will be wise whenever you take them out for a walk.

5. Physical Needs

Being small bodied, they have moderate physical needs as compared to bigger breeds like Great Danes. Standard Dachshunds need at least 60 minutes of exercise a day. For the miniatures, a 30 minute exercise session is enough. They hold an average of 3 stars out of 5 for being a breed with minimum physical needs.

Let’s explore the characteristics that add up to this rating:

Energy level: Dachshunds have a moderate energy level rating of 3 stars out of 5. To use this energy well, a minimum of two walks a day is helpful.

 Intensity: Dachshunds are genetically aggressive dogs. They hold 3 stars out of 5 regarding their intensity level.

 Exercise needs: They have 3 stars out of 5 when it comes to their exercise needs. Ensure that you have a minimum of 2 exercise sessions a day else they’ll put on weight. Remember, they are rated at 5 stars for their weight gain ability

 Potential for playfulness: These are highly playful dogs with a score of 4 stars out of 5. Fetch and ball games with kids will keep them happy and engaged.