The Dachshund alone occupies the fourth group in the ranking with three varieties: standard, dwarf and the rabbit-hunting Dachshund. There are three types of hair for each of these varieties: short-haired, long-haired or wire-haired. The Dachshund is above all a hunting dog, an excellent terrier hunter and for tracking blood trails. Over time, he became a charming little companion dog.

The origin of the Dachshund remains mysterious. The oldest variety, namely that with short hair, would come from the crossing between a low form of the Bruno du Jura (a hound that looks like a Saint-Hubert or Blood Hound) with a Pinscher. It is he who will give birth to the other two varieties. The long-haired Dachshund was established in the 17th century while the wire-haired one was only created at the end of the 19th century. The latter would come from the cross between a short-haired Dachshund and a Schnauzer, the Dandie Dinmont Terrier (a very old Scottish breed of Terrier) and perhaps also the Scottish Terrier. The first standard for this breed was drawn up in 1879; it will be fixed in 1925. A club is created in 1888: the Deutscher Dachshund Club. The Dachshund has long been used for hunting because of its good sense of smell, in particular for following traces of blood (wounded animal for example) but also, thanks to its small size, for rabbit hunting (a variety was specially designed for this type of game) or hare as well as for digging up foxes and badgers. At the beginning of the 20th century, the short-haired Dachshund was favored by fans of this breed, before giving way to the long-haired variety. About ten years ago, it seems that the wire-haired variety was the most popular.

The Dachshund is one of the small breeds (less than 10 kg). Depending on the variety, it can measure between 26 and 37 cm. It is the chest size that determines the variety of a Dachshund. The chest circumference of a standard Dachshund exceeds 35 cm, that of a Miniature Dachshund measures more than 30 cm up to 35 cm and of a rabbit hunting Dachshund up to 30 cm (measurement taken from the minimum age of 15 months). In reality, this is a breed suffering from dwarfism; its legs are very small for a body that could relate it to medium-sized dogs. This is what we call disproportionate dwarfism: the trunk and head are those of an adult but the limbs are particularly short. This characteristic appeared spontaneously and man has maintained it over time through the selection of this breed. Apart from this, the general appearance of the Dachshund is reminiscent of that of the Basset, slender but compact. Its body and limbs are muscular. Its feet are very round, slightly outwards for the front ones. Its tail is not too curved or carried too cheerfully. The Dachshund's head, which it carries proudly, is thin, elongated and tapers down to the nose. The latter is finely chiseled, black or brown depending on the coat. The Dachshund's jaws are very developed. The eyes are medium size, rather oval, ranging from red-brown to black-brown. Minnow eye is also tolerated in gray and harlequin Dachshunds. Its ears are set high, flat and rounded at the tip, with the front edge pressing against the cheek. For short-haired and long-haired Dachshunds, the permitted coats are as follows: single-colored red, yellow-red, yellow (pure or mixed with black hairs) or two-colored dark black, brown with rust-brown or tan markings. gray yellow or even a so-called harlequin dress: black, red or dark gray background with gray spots, but also beige ones of irregular shape. When it comes to wire-haired Dachshunds, a light to dark boar color and dead leaf color are the most common. The same coat colors of short-haired and long-haired Dachshunds are also allowed. Short hair is coarse and flat, hard hair is tight with an undercoat and long hair is soft, flat or slightly wavy, fringed in certain areas.

The Dachshund's disproportionate dwarfism is the cause of its sensitivity in the vertebrae. He is prone to herniated discs. It can happen that the spinal cord is damaged by crushing two vertebrae and we then see paralysis of the front limbs (impossibility of moving) or the hind limbs (difficulty moving and pain) appear in the dog. In addition to these pathologies degenerative diseases of the spine, the Dachshund is also likely to present obesity (a factor aggravating the risk of disc herniation) and is prone to diabetes, conditions to therefore monitor. Certain eye defects may still appear in this breed with generally solid health.

Robust, courageous, enduring, the Dachshund does not always have an easy character. Independent, a bit of a barker and fighter, he is a real watchdog and a good warner. But he’s no less friendly for all that! Indeed, he knows how to be very affectionate and cheerful. He is also curious and mischievous. Be careful, however, not to exacerbate his possessive side or even sometimes jealous! The short-haired Dachshund would be the liveliest, the wire-haired one the most rustic and with a hunting spirit and finally, the long-haired one would be the most calm. It is necessary to provide him with a firm and gentle education from an early age. The Dachshund adapts perfectly to city life (especially the long-haired Dachshund). However, regular physical exercise is essential for balance. The dachshund is a terrier dog, and like any terrier dog he must be stubborn, otherwise he had no chance of getting the fox out of the bottom of his burrow. He has a very strong personality, and can be a little lazy. He is intelligent and despite his small size, he has the character of a pack leader. From an excellent hunting dog, the Dachshund has increasingly become a pleasant life companion. Its great qualities and its size greatly promote interest in the breed. Children and other animals are his friends.