The Dachshund is popularly called “The Wiener Dog” because of its long and low appearance. The Dachshund in Germany is known as the “Tekal” . The Word “Tekal” can be found inscribed on the base of an ancient Egyptian sculpture which pictures a King seated with three rather strange yet familiar dogs. Apparently a breed of dog that was long backed and short legged did exist in Egypt at a very early date. These dogs are said to be the forebears of the Dachshund as we know it today. The German word “dachshund” translates as badger dog, historically this was the work which the little dog performed. Badgers are nasty and vicious animals, living in burrows in the ground, and the Dachshund is a breed that was bred to dig into the burrows and roust out the fearful creature. Needless to say, the Dachshund is a plucky and courageous dog who considers himself to be much larger than he actually is! In actuality, the little dog is of the Hound family, using scent capabilities when hunting, but because of the ability to dig, and the ferocious persistence the dog exhibits when “going to ground” it is often mistakenly assumed that this breed belongs in the Terrier family.
The modern Dachshund is represented by two different sizes and three different types of coat. The Standard Dachshund is 12-15 pounds and the Miniature is less than 9 pounds. The coat can be long haired, smooth, or wire haired. The Germans used the Standard Dachshund for hunting and going to ground.. The Standard is considered the dog for tracking badger, stag, and boar. The Miniature was used exclusively for rabbit and small game. Regardless of the size all dachshunds are long, low to the ground, and about three times longer than they are tall. . Tails are long, ears are lop and nearly as long as the head. The muzzle is long and the head should taper cleanly to the tip of the nose. The breastbone should be prominent and the forelegs, because of the depth and broadness of the chest may have a slightly bowed appearance. The legs are built for digging and the paws should be large and the shoulders should be muscular and wide.
In the United States the Dachshund is not often considered as a “hunting dog” and its function is generally that of a pet dog. The popular “Wiener Dog” makes a friendly, if not somewhat feisty, companion dog. This is a little dog who thinks he is tough. He needs to be trained from the beginning to be gracious to strangers who knock on the door , but is not normally a vicious or aggressive dog, just noisy and territorial in his nature. He is prone to problems which can develop because of the long length of his back and as a puppy or an adult, care needs to be taken that he is not lifted or carried incorrectly nor allowed to jump off of furniture. This little dog also loves to eat and has a propensity to become obese if not kept well exercised and given the proper diet.
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How to teach your new dachshund puppy to sit:
It is very easy to teach a dog no matter what age to "sit" and "down". This can be done without tugging or pulling, usually, if you have a dog that likes treats. I prefer to think of the use of a treat as a "lure" rather than a "bribe". the trick is, firstly, to get the dog to watch your hand. The easiest way to do this is to find the treat he enjoys the most and teach him to watch that treat which is in your hand as you move your hand around....this is real similar to the "hide and seek" game a lot of people play when they are playing fetch with the dog....they will show the dog the stick...and pretend to throw it.
Take the treats which you are using and give the dog a couple of treats so as to determine that he is focusing on your hand. As soon as you see that he is focusing on the hand...here is what you do: If the dog is standing, position your hand with the treat in it directly over the top of his nose. Lift your hand above his nose and back over the top of his skull. Watch...his head will tilt back as you do this, and he will then SIT DOWN in order to see the treat immediately give him the treat! Do this several times and add the word "sit" as he is sitting. It won't be any time at all until he is sitting automatically as you raise the treat up above his nose. If the dog is already sitting, you will need to move away from him, move around, and so on, until he is again standing and then repeat the training so that he indeed learns the voice command "SIT" . (He wont learn this if you don't make him stand up and then "sit" again!)
PLEASE NOTE: IT IS HIGHLY IMPORTNT WITH A DACHSHUND THAT YOU DO NOT PUSH DOWN ON HIS BACK!! That is why this method of teaching the sit is a real "boon" when training a dachshund! Gradually you will want to move the hand position so that as he begins to sit when you raise your hand, it will then become a hand signal that he will recognize...the typical hand signal for a sit command is a straight up palm outward hand signal.
Teaching the down with a treat as a lure begins the same way, with the treat in front of the dog's nose. However, this time you will drop the treat down directly from the front of his nose to between his front legs...and then drag the treat outwards away from the dog's body so that your hand has made the shape of the letter "L" . If he begins to raise his butt up rather than drop it down, you are making the L too "loosely". tighten it up..straight down, to between the dogs front legs, and SLOWLY straight out along the floor.
PRESTO...he will be down. Do not allow him to have the treat until he is actually DOWN on the floor. Keep the treat closed into your hand so he can only nuzzle your hand but can not have the treat until he is performing the desired behavior.
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