9 Facts About Dachshunds You Can't Read Without Instantly Wanting One For Yourself

by N/A, 10 years ago | 1 min read

There's much more to your favorite low riding pups than you might think.Â

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1. They come in a variety of colors.

Today they come in a variety of colors, but when they were first bred, dachshunds were only black and brown. Now they come in 12 standard colors and can have smooth, wired or long-haired coats.Â

2. Artists love them.

Andy Warhol, David Hockney & Picasso all had a serious love for dachshunds.Â

3. They've become increasingly popular.

They're the 11th most popular breed in America today.Â

4. They were the first Olympic mascot.

Waldi the dachshund was born during the 1972 Munich Games and his likeness was used as the mascot for the games, because dachshunds are known for being athletic.

5. The first dog cloned in the U.K. was a dachshund.

A woman named Rebecca had her 12-year-old dachshund Winnie cloned. The new puppy is named Mini-WInnie andÂ they have very similar markings.

6. The hot dog was named after the dachshund.

Historians believe that hot dogs were first known as dachshund sausages because they were shaped so similarly and because they were popular companions for butchers.

7. Nazi's claimed they taught one to speak.

Nazi scientists claimed that they taught dachshunds to speak, read and communicate telepathically. A dog named Kurwenal would put on a show where he would bark a certain number of times and it would correspond with a particular letter. Some people were impressed, but others believed he just just getting cues from his owners.Â

8. Although they're little, they are fierce.

300 years ago dachshunds were bred to hunt badgers. They're names mean "badger bound." They're low to the ground so its easy for them to burrow around and chase badgers.Â

9. Their names were changed for a while.

Because of their German heritage, dachshund were often used to portray Nazi's in war propoganda. A lot of people were left with a bad taste in their mouths about the dogs, so the American Kennel Club tried to rename them "freedom pups" and "badger dogs."