The American
Kennel Club's breed standard for the Dachshund states "The Dachshund is clever,
lively and courageous to the point of rashness, persevering in above- and
below-ground work, with all the senses well developed. Any display of shyness
is a serious fault."
So, here we have a dog that is affectionate and devoted to its human family, but
that has the "history of its genes" co-existing with the sweet, adoring
tendencies. What does this mean for the Dachshund owner? It means that your
dog has been bred to think for himself since no instructions from his master are
likely to be of much help when the dog is underground fighting a badger or
groundhog, and being independent can be a matter of life or death. So is the
Dachshund as trainable as some other breeds? No, generally speaking he is not
going to be competitive with a Border Collie in Agility work, or with a Golden
Retriever in Obedience. But is he actually less intelligent? No. As a matter
of fact, capital N O; what he has a different kind of canine intelligence.
Many a Dachshund owner knows that his dog is, in fact, way too smart, at least
for the human that tries to train him. Thank heavens for the "sweet,
affectionate" aspect, because it ultimately brings with it at least a
willingness to please if not an actual eagerness, and this will save the day.
The well bred, properly trained Dachshund will not bite unless truly provoked.
The well bred Dachshund may be reticent or reserved with people unknown to him,
but should not shrink from contact with strangers. There will, of course, be
individual differences in degrees of outgoingness and joie de vivre, in degrees
of acceptance of new people and situations.
Wirehaired Dachshunds are known to have a tendency to be clowns; Longhairs are
considered to be a bit more "laid back" than the other two coats. But all
generalizations about the breed are unreliable when it comes to the individual
animals since, while they are dogs of the same breed, they are not, after all,
produced on an assembly line.
So, if you want a dog that is blindly obedient (and there are days when that
sounds truly wonderful to me!) then the Dachshund is not really the dog for
you. But if you want a versatile, handsome animal that will engage your heart
and adore you in return, that will entertain you, enchant you and possibly
challenge your training skills just a little, yes, get a Dachshund!
Lisa Warren
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