How do you pronounce “Dachshund?” Dash-hound? Dox-und? Doks-hund? Dokshund? Best answer? Wee-ner dog, although many purists will argue the correct Germanic pronunciation is däks-hoont.

How to say the name isn't the only controversy surrounding the charming little dogs. There has always been argument over the categorization of the Dachshund in the hound, and more particularly the scent hound group as it is in the U.S. and Canada. While they do locate their quarry primarily by scent, they are earth dogs, like Terriers, bred to go to ground after subterranean dwelling varmints, specifically badgers for the standard variety and rabbit for the miniature.

In temperament, the Dachshund resembles the Terrier far more than the Hound, to wit, from the AKC standard: “the dachshund is clever, lively and courageous to the point of rashness, persevering in above and below ground work, with all the senses welldeveloped. Any display of shyness is a serious fault.” Definitely more Terrier than Hound. They can also be excellent little watchdogs, alert and aware of anything and anyone out of the ordinary and more than willing to tell anyone who will listen of their suspicions. Just make sure you have a pet gate, because these guys like to wander.

The Dachshund is a breed that comes in three coats, smooth, wire and long haired. The most familiar is probably the smooth coated variety with the beautiful, deep burnished copper-red coat. The wire haired variety are charmingly raffish in appearance, with their whiskery faces and bushy eyebrows, while the long haired types are silky and incongruously elegant.

There is even greater variety in coat colorations, everything from solids and sables (each hair light at the root, red in the middle and dark on the ends) to brindles, piebalds and dapples, known as merle coloring in other breeds. Like other merles, breeding dapple to dapple is severely censured and is a practice no ethical breeder Dachshund breeder would engage in as it carries a high risk of transmitting genetic birth defects.

Looking back at portraits and photographs of Dachshunds of bygone eras, it is obvious that they once carried themselves on longer legs than now. They were also larger, closer to thirty and forty pounds, as opposed to today's sixteen to thirty-two pounds for the standard variety, and were not only known for hunting badger, but also sent out in packs to tackle wild boar and wolverines. It takes a lot of dog to take on a wolverine, even in packs. Wolf packs would just as soon hunt lesser prey.

There is little agreement on the origins of the breed. The AKC argues that it began in the 15th century, while the American breed club, the Dachshund Club of America, holds that they weren't bred until the 18th or 19th century. The really interesting part of the argument came to light with recent discoveries by the American University of Cairo of mummified remains of short legged dogs resembling Dachshunds in ancient Egyptian tombs. Perhaps the only area of agreement as to the origins of the Dachshund is that the smooth haired Dachshund came before the long haired and then the wire haired varieties.

Because of their long spines, the little dogs are, sadly, prone to some tragic spinal conditions and their owners must be vigilant in keeping their weight under control as obesity is the number one enemy of the pet Dachshund, orthopedic dog beds will also help this condition. They are also prey to epilepsy, Cushings disease, thyroid disorders and several diseases of the eye, all reasons it is imperative to support ethical breeders of sound Dachshunds who use responsible breeding practices, health test and do their utmost to improve the breed and help reduce the incidences of diseases and disorders carried genetically. It is untold how many dogs have and are suffering now because of irresponsible and reprehensible breeding practices of puppymills and ignorance.

However they came to be, and however long the breed has been in existence, they have burrowed their way into western culture and the hearts of dog lovers across Europe and the American continents. Clever, intelligent, stubborn, fun loving, tenacious, loyal, affectionate and even demanding at times, they are irresistible if you have a sense of humor and a heart and don't take yourself too seriously, because rest assured, the Dachshund won't.