Prince Albert brought badger-dogs in the UK, where in the 19th century these dogs became very popular. During the First World War, the reputation of badger-dogs has been hit hard - it was connected with a country that has created a breed, but gradually due to the charm of badger-dogs, stereotypes receded into the background and the dog again became one of the most popular family pets. Miniature badger-dogs were used for rabbit hunting.
Description:
Badger-dogs have a long back and short legs. It is a muscular and strong dog with a broad chest and well developed fore legs. The forehead merges with the snout, forming a long skull, the eyes are dark, diamond-shaped, long and hanging ears set high on the head.
Color:
Badger-dogs may be black with reddish brown marks, or purely reddish-brown. But there are also dogs with red, mottle, striped and gray color. Small white markings on the chest are allowed.
Size: medium.
Hair length: short/smooth.
Life expectancy: smaller dogs usually live longer than their larger counterparts, but you have to care of their health.
The average number of puppies in the offspring: usually 3-4 puppies, also can be up to 8.
Height: the minimum - 18 cm, the maximum - 25 cm.
Weight: the minimum - 6.6 kg, the maximum - 7-8 kg.
Diseases: the most serious health problems of badger-dogs are with the back. Because of the unusual sizes of this breed back and spine are most vulnerable places, and the spinal hernia often develops, often it leads to paralysis. Dogs also are prone to skin diseases.
Feeding: feed these small dogs twice a day - don't overfeed them because there is a tendency to obesity. Badger-dogs are happy to eat both dry feed and canned feed, they aren't very fussy in food.
Character: dachshund are very smart, but at the same time they are very stubborn. They are very hard to train. Harsh methods are recommended to use while training these dogs, in order to repay the natural desire of domination. It should be noted, these animals have strong sense of justice, so they hardly go through if they were punished unfairly. Such an offensive penalty the badger-dog will remember for a long time. Bringing-up such a dog, you need to begin a socialization process very early to teach it to children, strangers and other animals. The badger-dog is quite attached to its family, especially to one of the master, but isn't friendly to strangers. If to talk about all variations of the breed (there are three of them, depending on the length of hair), a long-haired badger-dog is the most friendly, maybe a greater role here play Spaniel and Irish Setter genes, which are in the blood of these badger-dogs.
Intelligence: badger-dogs are quite intelligent dogs, but their training is quite difficult, since dogs are very curious and stubborn. Especially it is sometimes hard to overcome their hunting instinct to get to follow the command.
Temperament: average.
The tendency to bark: high.
Physical activity: This breed of dog is bred for hunting, so, despite the fact they have short legs, they need daily walks, and they are better to walk on the leash. If an animal without a leash succumb to instinct and run for prey, its reaction to your commands will be minimal. Badger-dogs live happily both in an apartment and in the house. If there is a staircase at home, it is necessary to protect the dog from walking on it frequently, because it could badly affect the long spine of the dog. Take into account that the area around the house should be well fenced, as well as the fact that the badger-dog is the earth dog and it loves to dig and search for prey even in very small holes.
The ability and willingness to protect the master: low.
Protection: medium.
Reconcilability with children is low.
Transportation tolerance: average.
Aggressiveness: medium.
Compatibility with other pets: low.
Care: hair processing with rubber glove once a week, the natural sheding.
Hair loss: average.
Breed group: hunting breed, companion.
