Like most of you, I believed that the Dachshund is a scent hound. After all, the American Kennel Club (AKC) classifies them as one, it sounds like there is “hound” in the name, and they love to follow scents with their nose like a hound.
Then my my mind was blown! I learned that some people claim the kennel club is wrong, and that the Dachshund is actually a terrier.
At first, I entertained the idea, but was still convinced that they are, in fact, scent hounds. I was sure of it!
But the more I learned, the more I started to lean towards believing the Dachshund is, in fact, a terrier. Why is that?
Hounds vs Terriers
Dog breeds are placed into categories by the AKC according to the original purpose they were bred for. So let’s take a closer look at the difference between a scent hound and terrier in that context.
Note: Great Britain also classifies them as scent hounds, while the the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI or World Canine Federation), which is responsible for the breed classification outside of the US and Great Britain, puts them in their own, unique category, group 4. They are neither terriers (group 3) or scent hounds (group 6)
According to the AKC, scent hounds are dogs used in hunting that track animals using their nose (vs by sight like sight hounds).
Scent hounds follow aromas in the air, on the ground, and across the water. While hunting for game, these hounds use their long ears and large nasal cavities to collect smells that help them locate prey over long distances.
Yes, yes. Totally a Dachshund, right? Not so fast! Let’s look at the description of a terrier.
Terriers, sometimes referred to as “earthdogs” (terra is the Latin word for “earth”) were built small and flexible enough to pursue quarry into underground lairs, but with strong jaws and forequarters that could hold and dispatch a reluctant woodchuck, gopher, or badger. They are smart, independent workers, with great vision and a piercing, relentless bark that a handler waiting aboveground could use to determine their location.
In addition, these dogs are described as small, very active and fearless dogs.
Well, oops, that describes a Dachshund too. Almost more so than a scent hound does to me. Besides the sniffing, long ears, and long nose, the behavior of a Dachshund is absolutely terrier.
Although Dachshund’s use their nose to locate prey, where they really shine, and what made them the most unique, was their physical ability to go underground and and quickly dispatch the vermin (terrier traits).
The History of the Breed
There are a lot of theories about how the Dachshund originated. That’s primarily because most of the information about how this breed was created went unrecorded at the time, so we have been left to try and piece a genetic history together the best that we can.
According to William Loeffler, from The American Book of the Dog (1891), in the chapter on Dachshunds: “The origin of the Dachshund is in doubt, our best authorities disagreeing as to the beginning of the breed.”
What is known is that the Dachshund is a creation of German breeders and includes elements of German, French, and English hounds and terriers.
It’s suspected the foundational breeds used to create the smooth coat Dachshund (the original) include:
- German Shorthaired Pointer (sporting group – AKC – Group 7 Pointing – FCI)
- German Pinscher (working group – AKC – Group 2 Pinscher type – FCI)
- Bracke (scenthounds in all classifications – Group 6 – FCI)
- Bruno Jura Hound (Group 6 scenthound – FCI – rarely found in the US and not recognized by the AKC)
- Bracken Hound (scenthounds in all classifications – Group 6 – FCI)
- Various terriers
As you can see, the suspected origin breeds for the short haired Dachshund are primarily classified as scenthounds today.
However, we must remember that the current breed classifications do not always accurately reflect the purpose the dog was originally created for (although a good attempt was made to do so.)
I think one of the more true and accurate histories of the Dachshund is the one documented by Eridox Dachshunds, creator of Wienepedia, because the breeder poured over historical documents in both English and German.
Her confident conclusion is that the Dachshund can be used as both a terrier and a hound, although traditionally it has most often been used as and was invariably always considered a terrier.
Of interesting note, she says that there have always been two different structural types of Dachshunds (although they have been very intermixed for the last century): the hound type (crooked front legs) and the terrier type (straighter front legs).
So Which Is It – Hound or Terrier?
In 1906, a breed expert wrote: “That it [the Dachshund] is used occasionally as a hound in the sense that it follows rabbits and hares by scent as does a beagle, does not alter the fact that it is essentially a dog that goes to earth and is therefore a terrier”. (source)
In the United States, what the AKC says, goes.
Although there is no arguing that Dachshunds possess qualities of both scent hounds and terriers, when it comes to registering breeds, showing dogs for conformation, and competitive sports that Dachshunds are allowed to participate in, Dachshunds are scent hounds.
Final Thoughts
Around 1920, Edward Ash, a canine historian, said, “A Dachshund is, in fact, a terrier with very crooked legs, but possessing in a very great degree both the appearance and fine nose of the beagle.” (source)
Personally, I think the Dachshund is both a hound and terrier.
The breed was created using both breed types of dogs, a Dachshund’s purpose is that of both breeds combined, and their look is a bit of both (although modern-day Dachshunds more resemble hounds).
Dachshunds are the the only scent hound that the AKC allows to participate in both below and above ground field (hunting) trials.
I don’t have any doubt that the Dachshund posses the personality traits of both scent hounds and terriers!
I won’t argue with the notion that they are technically scent hounds in the US, but I do think it’s important to consider their terrier roots when providing life enrichment opportunities and addressing behavior issues.
