Things You Didn't Know About the Dachshund

Susanna Varghese

They Were Bred to Hunt Badgers.

The name “Dachshund” is actually German for badger dog. Dachshunds' short legs keep them low to the ground to track scents, and their narrow bodies allow them to crawl into burrows, looking for badgers.

They Come in Two Sizes.

Breeders created two different sizes of Dachshunds—standard and miniature. The standard Dachshunds weigh up to 35 pounds and were used to hunt badgers and wild boars. The miniatures weigh up 11 pounds and under.

A Dachshund Was the First Olympic Mascot

The official mascot of the 1972 Munich Olympic Games was a colorful Dachshund named Waldi. This was the first time the Olympics had a mascot.

Photo by John Marinos‎

Two Have Been the “World's Oldest Dog”

Dachshunds typically live 12-to-15 years—longer than most dog breeds. Of the 23 dogs to hold the Guinness World Record for oldest living dog, two have been Dachshunds and one a Dachshund mix.

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