ANATOMY OF A DACHSHUND

If you've ever seen a dachshund in action, you know that the information in the picture above is absolutely correct.  In fact, I'd like to discuss each item:

Sherlock sniffer:  Yep, a dachshund's nose is his main sensory organ.  Although his brain is only 10% the size of humans, 40% of it is devoted to his sense of smell. 

Velvety ears:  I dearly love to rub my doxie Duke's soft ears.  I've always been partial to dogs with long ears as opposed to those with short, pointed ears.  NOW BEFORE THE POINTED-EAR CROWD GETS UP IN ARMS, it's merely a personal preference.  Geez.

Torpedo body:  If you've ever seen a dachshund take off after something, you know exactly

Grandson and Duke

what I'm talking about.  My husband Clark primes Duke before Duke goes out into our backyard by stoking the fire:  "You better get that kitty cat out there, boy!"  When Clark opens the basement door, Duke shoots out like . . . well, a torpedo.

Rat tail:  Don't have that much to say about the tail--it's shaped like a rat's, I suppose.  I do know that it wags a lot, switching into a windshield wiper tail when food is present.

Chicken drumsticks:  The short legs are just cute to me.  Duke has some meat on his that I love to pinch (no, not to hurt him, but it must tickle because he tries to "get" my hand when I do).

Back rabbit feet:  These feet work equally well for scratching an itch or gripping the ground.

Two front shovels:  Now we're talking!  I've heard dachshund owners complain about their doxies digging up the yard--and the dawgs are very good at it.  Duke doesn't dig--he's more into smelling everything.  Along with their penchant for burrowing, they were initially bred to catch badgers.  Thus dachshund is German for "badger dog."

Proud chest:  Ever seen a doxie prance around with his head held high after receiving praise for an accomplishment? (It could be as mundane as bringing one of his toys to a human or as sublime as rescuing a child.)  That proud chest is definitely stuck out there.



Shadow's bat impression

Intruder alarm:  Doxies, as you well know, are noted for their loud bark.  I just don't know how they can bark so loudly when they are relatively small dogs.  First-time visitors to our home express amazement when they see lil' ol' Duke standing there in the foyer after we open the front door:  as soon as the doorbell rings, he's at the door, ready to tear it down, barking his head off. 

Clark says if Duke's head were chopped off, it would continue barking!  Not that we would do that, of course--but it does illustrate how loud the dogs are.   As Sarge writes in THE DACHSHUND ESCAPADES books, "Isn't the point of barking to be heard?" 


That sums up the anatomy of a dachshund.  It doesn't really cover that fabulous personality, but put it all together, and you have one sweet, loyal, comical, and loving companion.