The Dachshund is an elongated, vigorous, muscular dog with short legs. This is a member of the hound family. In fact, the name Dachshund is German for "badger dog," indicating why these dogs were originally bred - to hunt badgers. Due to the long, narrow build, they are sometimes referred to as a wiener dog or a sausage dog. This is a lively breed with a friendly personality and keen sense of smell. A very intuitive dog, the Dachshund is now most commonly seen as a companion rather than a hunter.

The Dachshund puppies is well-balanced with bold and confident head carriage and intelligent, alert facial expression. Their head is elongated, their skull is slightly convex, and their long muzzle features a robust set of jaws. Their teeth close in a scissors bite and their oval-shaped eyes are dark in color. They have arched prominent eyebrows and long ears that are mobile and hang toward the cheeks. His hunting spirit, good nose, loud tongue and distinctive build make him well-suited for below-ground work and for beating the bush. They have a wide variety of colors and patterns. They can be single-colored, single colored with spots ("dappled"), and single-colored with tan points plus any pattern. Dachshunds also come in Piebald. The piebald has a white background with various shades of brown. The dominant color is red, the most common along with black and tan.

When looking for dachshund puppies, you will have three varieties to select from, these being the long haired, the short haired, and the wired haired. Each of these is also available in two different sizes. The standard or normal size is between 16 and 32 pounds and the miniature size is up to eleven pounds. The Longhaired Dachshund has a long and straight coat, with hair slightly feathered and longer on the underbelly, ears, chest, and legs. The Smooth Coat has a straight, smooth, short, and glossy coat that should all be of equal length along the body of the dog. The Wirehaired has a coat of broken appearance with wiry, coarse, and harsh hair. All Dachshund varieties are average shedders.

The dachshund's temperament may vary greatly from dog to dog. Long-haired dachshunds have a calmer, intelligent character inherited from the spaniel. Wire-haired dachshunds have much of the terrier's spunky personality. The Dachshund is naturally free from "doggy" odor.

The grooming requirement of different varieties is also different. The long-haired Dachshund requires daily combing and brushing, and the wire-haired Dachshund needs professional grooming at least twice per year. The smooth-haired Dachshund’s coat should be wiped down with a clean, damp cloth. The Dachshund has the tendency to become jealous, however can do very well with many other toy breeds in the home providing they are not snippy.

The Dachshund is an all around friendly dog, is very outgoing, and is sure to steal the hearts of everyone he meets. They are an active breed, both outdoors and indoors, and they enjoy going for walks and playing in the park. They are perfectly happy without a yard, but they should be given at least a bit of exercise per day. They're a long-lived breed, which can live up to 16 years or more with proper care. Because they are such social creatures, they don't do well as outdoor dogs - they need to be with their humans.