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History of Dachshunds
We present you with an informed anthology of writers and research both past and present to help sort out the various facts and theories surrounding this breed.
While is not known precisely where or when the Dachshund as we know it appeared on the scene, the general consensus is that it emerged out of either Austria or Germany sometime between the 17th and 18th centuries. Some, however, believe that the Dachshund's origins can be traced back to centuries before the birth of Christ.
The Dachshund was developed to hunt badgers. From 1930 to 1940, Dachshunds advanced from 28th to sixth rank among American registrations, and maintained this average rank through World War II by contructive public relations.
Certainly the breeds, as we have come to recognize them today, owe a great deal to breeding in Germany during the 17th and 18th centuries. In the 19th century, August and Wilhelm von Daake were known for their careful breeding to produce a dog that worked above and below ground. In general, wired and longhair dachshunds appeared to be better suited for hunting tasks involving overland work, trailing game, etc. The smooth Dachshund was an earthdog-digging, disappearing into the dens of their prey, and either ferreting the hunted animals or holding them at bay until their masters arrived on the scene.
This kind of breeding would be in direct contrast with the Egyptian representations of the Dachshund as an elegent pet that acted as a companion to the ruling class. In a way, the German breeding and the ample documentation of the hunting development of the Dachshund would work against most Dachshund fanciers' desire to see the Dachshund in any other light. If one assumes that hunting dogs have a higher status, then it would follow that one might see a Dachshund in the tomb paintings in a position of importance as she, in fact, is represented. Therefore, the first Dachshund did not have to be hunter. Their proximity to the throne and their master is actually a greater compliment, and suggests that a very special, spiritual bond must have existed and been so important as to earn them, not only visual representation, but also immortality on tomb walls.
Books published about the History of Dachshunds
The complete German Hunter written by Flemming, 1719.
St Hubert, the Basset Hound and the Dachshund - La Venerie (The Hunt) the writings of Charles IX, written in 1585.
Hounds of the World by Sir John Buchanan-Jardine
British Dogs written by Hugh Dalziel in 1897.
The Popular Dachshund published in 1960.
Subsequently, and theoretically, Dachshunds could very well have been around a very long time. Whether the Dachsund is native or imported to Egypt is an open question.
More definite evidence of Dachshunds comes from the early 1400s, with the tombs of Anna von Bickenbach and Knebel von Katzenbogen in Katherine's Church, Oppenheim, Germany. As dogs often kept their owner's feet warm in bed, so they often ended up at those same feet in tomb art. Evidence appears outside of Europe as well. A Korean brush painting by Yi Am dated 1499, owned by the San Francisco Museum of Art, is clearly of a Dachshund mother and her puppies.
Whatever the date of origin of the Dachshund maybe, we as responsible Dachshund owners, should make every effort to eradicate past diseases, and to help prevent new ones, especially if we are breeders.
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