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Each year during the Westminster Kennel Club Show, Love takes
over one of Manhattan’s trendiest spots for a bash in honor
of her breed. This year’s party took place at Central Park’s
Tavern on the Green restaurant and featured a guest list that
included Liza Minnelli and Henry Kissinger. Previous celebrity
guests have included newswomen Barbara Walters, Liz Smith
and Diane Sawyer, designer Geoffrey Beene and director Mike
Nichols.
"Dachshunds
are courageous to the point of brashness," Love said to the
New York Times in 1996, explaining her affection for the long,
low-slung dogs. "They’re also good strategists and very affectionate,
although they can be a bit of the snob, too."
Love is
not the only woman of means to fall under the dachshund’s
spell. Fellow high society matron Brooke Astor and actress
Isabella Rossellini are also dachshund lovers. England’s Queen
Victoria developed an affection for dachshunds shortly after
her new husband, Prince Albert, brought the dogs with him
from Germany. She owned dachshunds for the rest of her life,
having tiny tombstones and statues erected whenever one of
her beloved friends died.
Something
about this breed attracts the limelight. Dachshunds have slurped
champagne poolside at the Hollywood homes of movie stars John
Wayne, Carol Lombard and Clark Gable; served as muses for
artists Pablo Picasso and Andy Warhol; and provided inspiration
for playwright Noel Coward and author E.B. White.
Dachshund Lovers Unite
You don’t
have to be rich and famous to be a dachshund lover. Dachshund
aficionados are everywhere, and like Ms. Love, they often
show support for their favorite breed. Manhattanites not invited
to the Tavern on the Green might well be found at the semiannual
gatherings of the Dachshund Friendship Club, which often draws
more than 1,000 of the Big Apple’s most ardent dachshund enthusiasts.
In Soldotna, Alaska, dachshunds celebrate their status as
the town’s favorite pooch by marching in the annual "Weenies
on Parade." In Richmond, Virginia, the yearly "Bark in the
Park" draws dachshund lovers from as far away as New York
and Indiana. Members of the San Diego Dachshund Club pay homage
to their favorite canines at the Dachshund’s Picnic, held
each year at the city’s Mission Hills Park.
Something for Everybody
There’s
something about the dachshund that makes the dog popular with
everyone. The answer may be variety. A veritable smorgasbord
of canine characteristics, the dachshund comes in three distinct
types and two different sizes. The smooth dachshund – the
most familiar type – features a short, shiny coat. The wirehaired
dachshund is covered with a uniform thick, short outer coat.
Bushy eyebrows and a beard give the wirehaired an appearance
that is strikingly different from other dachshunds. In the
longhaired dachshund, a long, sleek, wavy coat provides an
elegant appearance.
Dachshunds
are bred and shown in two sizes — standard and miniature.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) does not consider miniature
dachshunds to be a separate classification; however, they
do compete in a separate class division for dogs 11 pounds
and under at 12 months of age or older. Weight of the standard
size is usually between 16 and 32 pounds.
If variety
isn’t the answer, then the key to the dachshund’s popularity
must be stature, for the dachshund is a small dog only in
size. Bold, curious and intelligent, the dachshund often acts
with the courage and determination of dogs several times larger.
New owners will soon learn of the dachshund’s oversized personality,
for it is a breed that insists on being involved in every
aspect of its owner’s life.
The Long and Short of It
The key
to understanding the dachshund’s prominent personality is
in its history. Developed by the foresters of Germany to track
and kill a variety of game, the dachshund has possessed, from
the start, the soul of a fearless hunter.
Sources
list the modern smooth dachshund as originating in the 1700s
from the mixing of the French braque, a small pointer type,
and the pinscher, a vermin killer of terrier type. It is possible
that smooth dachshunds were later crossed with spaniels and
the German stoberhund, a gundog, to produce the longhaired
variety. Most modern wirehaired dachshunds were developed
around the end of the nineteenth century by crossing smooth
dachshunds with German wirehaired pinschers and the Dandie
Dinmont terriers.
Whatever
the origin, we know the dachshund was developed and refined
by the German foresters into an excellent tracker and fearless
hunter. The dog’s long, low body enabled it to enter and move
freely inside a tunnel or den without sacrificing jaw and
body shape, while its fluid, smooth gate provided agility
and endurance. Over time the dachshund’s hunting abilities
were further refined: smooth dachshunds were used primarily
for going to ground, while the strong dense coat of the wirehaired
protected it from thick underbrush; longhairs had an advantage
when working in water, and miniatures were especially useful
against smaller game such as rabbits.
Although
we may think of the dachshund as a German dog, it already
had a strong following in England and the United States by
the time German breeders formally organized. Queen Victoria’s
interest did much to promote the breed in England, where nobles
and others rushed to follow the royal lead. The dachshund
found its way to America throughout the 1800s with European
immigrants. Eleven dachshunds were included in the AKC Stud
Book, Volume II, in 1885. The Dachshund Club of America was
formed in 1895 and is the eighth oldest breed club member
of the AKC.
Taming the Doxie’s Moxie
The dachshund’s
hunting history is now a distant memory in America, although
some are still used in field trials. It is as a family pet
that the dachshund found its American niche. That isn’t to
say the dachshund doesn’t enjoy a good romp through the woods.
Sadly, many dachshunds lead sedentary lives. This often results
in weight problems, particularly hazardous because of the
stress placed on their long backs. The dachshund’s exercise
requirements aren’t extensive, but that does not mean they
should be ignored. It is essential to the mental and physical
health of the breed that they receive moderate exercise daily.
The dachshund’s
size makes it an excellent choice for the apartment dweller
who is willing to exercise the dog daily. Miniature dachshunds
are especially suited for living in smaller spaces. Being
a hunting dog, dachshunds love the outdoors, so they are also
good dogs for homeowners with a safe yard who prefer smaller
dogs.
The important
factor to remember for all potential owners is that the dachshund
is not a quiet addition to a home. The dachshund wants to
be with you constantly — any owner should recognize the dogs
demand this sort of attention. The happy dachshund owner is
one who recognizes the breed’s forceful personality yet takes
the time to train his or her dog. Socialize early and do not
reward barking, for this breed will kick up a fuss if encouraged
to do so. Longhaired dachshunds may be quieter and less terrier-like;
the wirehairs may be more outgoing. Some miniatures are more
prone to be timid.
A major
health concern in this breed is invertebral disc disease,
because of the dog’s long back. KCS, or Keratoconjunctivitis
sicca — a condition where decreased tear production causes
a dry eye damaging the cornea — is a minor concern. Diabetes,
deafness, epilepsy and patellar luxation — an abnormally shallow
groove in the knees, so that the knee cap slips in and out
of position — are other minor health-related concerns.
The dachshund
varieties have different grooming requirements. The smooth
is odor free and sheds its coat only to a very small degree
– a hound glove or soft cloth will maintain a healthy shine.
The longhaired variety needs a regular brush and comb and
occasional trimming of stray hairs. The wirehaired requires
brushing or combing about once a week, with occasional trimming
of stray hairs and stripping to remove dead hair twice a year.
Hero of the Heartland
Fans of
this outgoing, affectionate breed truly are everywhere. As
evidenced by the numerous annual gatherings in the dog’s honor,
the dog’s popularity spreads far and wide throughout America,
from New York to Alaska. Since the late 1800s, when the dachshund
became one of the earliest breeds to gain AKC recognition,
this mighty dog’s renown has kept a steady pace through modern
times – in 1998 the breed ranked 5th in new AKC registrations,
ahead of such perennial favorites as the beagle, poodle and
cocker spaniel. So dachshund lovers everywhere, toast your
beloved breed. You may not be rubbing elbows with the rich
and famous at Tavern on the Green as you do so, but the sentiment
will be the same.
The Race Is On
A recent
controversy in the dog world has centered around the issue
of dachshund racing. The sport took off after a Miller Lite
TV ad showing nutty sports ideas, such as luge bowling, included
dachshund racing. Operators of greyhound race tracks around
the country picked up on the appeal of the ads and began staging
similar races. Today these races are regular events at many
dog tracks.
Some view
the contests as entertaining diversions — many "wiener dog
races" have been staged as benefits for charities and other
causes. One race was even half-time entertainment at a San
Francisco 49ers NFL football game. Spectators are often amazed
by the dachshunds, who flex their backs, much like an inchworm,
to generate surprising speeds.
Others
see a more ominous side to the sport, fearing that extended
racing careers could cause damage to the dachshund’s already
vulnerable back. These critics also complain that dachshund
racing will be viewed by profit-oriented individuals as an
opportunity to deliberately breed "racing" dachshunds, thereby
adding more animals to an already overpopulated world. They
point to the thousands of racing greyhounds who are destroyed
each year as proof that the sport of dachshund racing is anything
but fun and games.
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