What’s in the Name?
Miss Prissy lives with the Hutchinsons in Concord, Ga.
Our surnames define us. They tell the story of how we came to be, of our origin, our history, and is a defining piece of who we are. So what is in a name? What does a name say about where we come from and how we came to be?
Well for Dachshunds, the name is quite literal. The name, which is from German decent, translates to be “Badger Dog,” which is where the tale of how the breed came to be begins.
From all available accounts, the first verified accounts of the Dachshunds came in the late 19th century and can be traced back to Germany. Hunters needed an animal for hunting small game, such as badgers.
So the Dachshund was bred to have long slender bodies that were low to the ground to make it easy for them to fit into badger dens. Their unique stature and keen sense of smell, made for the perfect hunting companion. With a nose for sniffing badgers out of their den, they were deemed Badger (Dachs) Dogs (Hund), or in German, Dachshunds.
Abihu – Black & Tan Doxie
Even their nickname is German. A lot of people refer to the Dachshund as a Wiener Dog, an obvious name based on the dog’s long slender body resembling a sausage or hot dog. Wiener in German, is short for Wienerwurst, which means sausage.
Although the first verified account of a Dachshund dates back to the 19th Century, some experts claim that the dog breed can be traced back to ancient Egypt where tomb drawings of short-legged hunting dogs can be found.
From coming into our lives as a hunting dog hundreds of years ago, to the sweet, loving, intelligent lap dog they are today, these badger dogs have worked their way into one of the most popular breeds of dogs in the United States.
