" Origins of the Dachshaund !! "

Dachshund is from the German origin of " Deutche hund " meaning german hound -- as small as they may be, the standard variety was bred for the purpose of badger hunting - - This breed is well adapted to that purpose.

The Influence of the Dachshund throughout history impacts on a suprisingly broad scope.The Dachshund has been a favorite of nobels,statesmen,national heros,generals,royals,politicians and heads of state for centuries. Once Cleopatra introduce Rome to the her but able diminutative hunting dogs, owning a Dachshund almost became symbolic of higher status then through European nobility over the ages. It is well known that durring the 14th,15th,and 16th centuries the Catholics Popes in Rome kept hundreds of kenneled Dachshunds to serve as "alter dogs" in Catholic ceremonies.

Perhaps the most famous Dachshund lover of all however was "the little corporal" Napoleon Bonaparte.In this painting Napoleon is portrayed with his dapple long hair Dachshund "Genouille. Latter in life Napoleon acquired a taste for the smooth haired Dachshund.

In this second portrait of Napoleon he is painted with a female red Dachshund "Faussete".Napoleon loved these dogs passionately and kept them with him his entire life. Napoleon, a fierce tenacious general, refused to take his hounds into battle with himbecause he could not bear the thought of them being harmed. Napoleon was known to openly weep and mourn extensive periods of time at the passing of a beloved Dachshund.The modern conception of the "napoleon complex" (a short man with too much to prove) actually derived not from Napoleon the man, but from one of the last dachshunds he owned. This dog, which, in a stroke of narcissistic vanity, he named "Napoleon," like many dachshunds was oblivious to its tiny stature. The dog was known throughout the Mediteranean island of Corsica, where Napoleon spent his waning years in exile, for its fierce unprovoked attacks on large dogs, and its unwillingness to stand down in any battle. When Napoleon the man died as an old man on the island Corsica in the Mediteranean Sea, Napoleon left clear instructions that his surviving dachshunds, when they too passed on, should be entombed with him, and they were ~ within the pedestal feet of the sarcophagus.

U.S General George Patton owned a wire hair Dachshund named"Ryan". General Patton is pictured here with Dwight Eisenhower who also owned Dachshunds prior to his presidency.

Britian's Queen Victoria was well known for her love of Dachshunds. In this early daguerotype photography, the Queen is shown in the company of her royal Dachshund "Boy". Hunting Dachshunds were bred in royal kennels throughout Victoria's reign. As a result of the Queens's love of the breed, the Dachshund became a favorite companion to many ladies of the fashion parade around London's Hyde Park durring the late 19th century and at court.

Short-legged, long-bodied, low-to-ground; sturdy, well muscled, neither clumsy nor slim, with audacious carriage and intelligent expression, conformation pre-eminently fitted for following game into burrows. (From the Standard) The Dachshund is popularly known as a dog of Germany although its origins can be traced throughout Western Europe. Some theories hold that the sculptured reliefs of the Tekel Dog on Egyptian tombs are either ancestors of this breed. The very name of this loyal breed signifies its purpose ("dachs" meaning badger and "hund" meaning dog.) The Dachshund was bred to hunt and draw the badger, a formidable twenty to forty-pound vicious adversary. This dog possesses confidence and courage bordering on recklessness. He is well-suited physically and temperamentally to pursue his prey above the ground and also under the ground. It wasn’t until 1888 that the German Dachshund Club or Deutscher Teckelklub was founded to standardize the conformation of the breed. The aim was to produce a dog whose beauty is commensurate with his intelligence. The medium-sized, smooth-haired Dachshund, which has been the best known in this country, offers the city dweller the optimum of companions. The breed offers a range of three coat varieties; smooth, wirehaired, and longhaired. The breed also appears in two sizes — the medium or standard, and the miniature.

"Qui me amat, amet et canem meum." ("Love me, love my dog.") -- St. Bernard, A.D. 1150, "Sermo Primus"