Variety of Dachshund

Dachshund (Miniature)

Bold and lively, with a strong urge to dig and chase.
A Dachshund
Photo: Romerito Pontes from São Carlos
Adult weight
4.5–5 kg
9.9–11 lb
Lifespan
14 yrs
Class · Lap dog
also Companion

What it's like

Miniatures are lively, curious and bold, with the confidence of a much larger dog and a strong urge to dig and chase. They are usually affectionate with their own people but can be independent-minded, and many have a surprisingly deep bark. Waldi, a striped dachshund, was the first official Olympic mascot, created for the Munich Games.

Owners in a large survey found Dachshunds tend to be less friendly with people, calmer, less friendly with other dogs and more independent-minded than dogs in general. The figures are for Dachshunds in general, not Miniature Dachshunds alone. Breed is only a small part of any one dog's personality, so meet the dog before you decide.
Day to day
Activity
Happy with modest walks
Intelligence
Learns readily, likes games
Handler demand
Needs steady training
With people
Affection
A lap or leaning dog
Loyalty
Sticks close to its people
Independence
Decides for itself
Around the home
Sensitivity
Average
Voice
Very vocal
Prey drive
Likely to chase small pets
Breed explains only about 9% of how individual dogs differ in behaviour1. Meet the dog. A good breeder breeds for temperament as well as health, and matches each puppy's personality to the right home2,3.
Is a Dachshund (Miniature) right for you?
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Living with one

How it sheds and the grooming it needs depend on the coat. It needs a modest amount of exercise compared with other breeds.

Size and growth

A Miniature Dachshund is a toy dog, about the weight of a grown Yorkshire Terrier. It is one of the heaviest toy breeds.

The body is long and low, with a deep chest, short sturdy legs, a long tapering head and ears that hang close to the cheeks. Three coats are recognised: smooth, which is short and glossy; long-haired, which is soft and silky with feathering on the ears, legs and tail; and wire-haired, which is harsh, with a beard and bushy eyebrows. Colours include red, black and tan, chocolate, and a mottled pattern known as dapple.

Puppy growth

Reference curve · community data appears as owners log
Miniature Dachshunds reach half their adult weight at about 4 months. They grow fastest between 3 and 4 months old.
Fully grown
10 mo
Both sexes, at 99% of adult weight8
Male
Female
Shaded: expected range
02462m4m6m9m12m18m
02462m3m4m6m9m12m18m
Age
Male
Female
2 months
1.5–1.6 kg 3.3–3.5 lb
1.6–1.8 kg 3.5–4.0 lb
3 months
1.8–2.0 kg 4.0–4.4 lb
1.9–2.2 kg 4.2–4.9 lb
4 months
2.4–2.7 kg 5.3–6.0 lb
2.5–2.8 kg 5.5–6.2 lb
5 months
2.8–3.1 kg 6.2–6.8 lb
2.9–3.2 kg 6.4–7.1 lb
6 months
3.2–3.5 kg 7.1–7.7 lb
3.2–3.5 kg 7.1–7.7 lb
7 months
3.5–3.8 kg 7.7–8.4 lb
3.4–3.8 kg 7.5–8.4 lb
8 months
3.7–4.1 kg 8.2–9.0 lb
3.6–4.0 kg 7.9–8.8 lb
9 months
3.8–4.2 kg 8.4–9.3 lb
3.7–4.1 kg 8.2–9.0 lb
10 months
3.9–4.4 kg 8.6–9.7 lb
3.8–4.3 kg 8.4–9.5 lb
11 months
4.0–4.5 kg 8.8–9.9 lb
3.9–4.4 kg 8.6–9.7 lb
12 months
4.1–4.5 kg 9.0–9.9 lb
4.0–4.5 kg 8.8–9.9 lb
15 months
4.3–4.8 kg 9.5–10.6 lb
4.2–4.7 kg 9.3–10.4 lb
18 months
4.4–4.9 kg 9.7–10.8 lb
4.4–4.9 kg 9.7–10.8 lb

Lifespan

In UK vet records, the typical Miniature Dachshund lived to about 14 years, longer than the typical toy breed.

Where it comes from

The Miniature Dachshund is a smaller working size of Germany's badger dog, known since the Middle Ages and developed from Bracken hounds selected for hunting underground. The National Dachshund Council of Australia describes the standard size as the hunter of badger and fox and the miniature as better suited to rabbits and rats. Germany divides the breed by chest measurement into three sizes; British registers use two4,10,11.

The Miniature Dachshund is the smaller of the two Dachshund sizes recognised in Britain. It has the same shape, coats and character as the larger dog in a more compact form. The Dachshund, whose German name means 'badger dog', was standardised by German breeders in the late nineteenth century. Smaller dogs were also bred, partly for following rabbits into narrow burrows, and the miniature later became a separate show variety in Britain.

Breed standard

Kennel clubs do not all register this breed the same way.

Questions people ask

General guidance for dogs rather than a measured Miniature Dachshund figure: most females have a first season somewhere between six and fifteen months, and cycles then settle to roughly every 180 days. Smaller breeds tend to start earlier and larger ones later, so a toy breed is most likely at the early end.

Compare with related

Dachshund
Dachshunds · Small
Or compare the Miniature Dachshund with any breed you choose
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Sources

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Parts of this page were written by AI ·