Over the past 18 months, many of us have welcomed a new four-legged friend into our homes, as the Kennel Club saw the number of dog owners increase by almost eight percent from 2020.
But with 221 different purebred dog breeds to choose from, there is a lot of thought to be done before selecting your perfect puppy.
There’s even academic advice to seek out, with psychologist Stanley Coren’s book “The Intelligence of Dogs†categorizing breeds by instinct, obedience, and adaptability.
One dog that often appears at the top of people’s canine wishlists is the Dachshund – they were the UK’s fifth most popular pet in 2020 (only beaten by the Labrador Retriever, French Bulldog, English Bulldog and cocker spaniel) and have a range of positive attributes that make them excellent pets.
Here are 10 fun and interesting facts about the breed.
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Queen Victoria was a big fan of Dachshunds, greatly increasing their popularity in Britain. She has been quoted as saying, “Nothing will turn a man’s house into a castle faster and more efficiently than a Dachshund.”
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There is a very good reason for the unusual shape of the dachshund. They were bred to find badgers and other burrow-living animals – and are perfectly suited for scurrying into burrows to flush them out for hunters.
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There are countless varieties of dachshund – with 15 different colors, six types of markings, three types of coat and three sizes. The most common type in the UK is the standard smooth-coated red dachshund.
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Dachshunds are notoriously stubborn and difficult to train. Author Stuart Little, EB White, summed up the breed’s temperament well: “I’d rather train a striped zebra to balance an Indian club than make a dachshund heed my every command. When I speak to Fred, I never have to raise my voice or my hopes. He disobeys me even when I instruct him in something he wants to do.
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