In Canada, the Canadian Kennel Club (C.K.C.) is registering these little dogs under the name « Miniature Dachshund” but for the majority, they are often better known as «Miniature Teckel », and sometimes nicknamed « Dachsie » or « Doxie ».

This little dog is very lively, cheerful, curious, clever and intelligent. He is particularly fond of people and love getting their attention. As much as he loves country life, running in fields or in the forest, he adapts quite well to city life in apartments or house; being light weight, he can be very easily lifted and carried if needed. Because of their short legs, their need for exercises is minimal and easily met. Teckels just love to curl up near you. But, you must avoid him getting overweight as this could affect his health in the long run, considering that he has a long back and short legs to support it. He is naturally greedy so, it is better to ration his food rather than leave it at will, self-service, in order to avoid excess weight gain. He also like being near heat, lying in the sun or beside the fireplace or even under your blankets. He is an excellent actor and will try to make you believe that he is cold as this sly little guy will sometimes feign having the shivers!

The Teckel just adore his family. He is excellent with children but must be introduced to them in his first year of age; otherwise, some adults have sometimes difficulty to adapt to younger children. Contrary to popular belief, males are just, if not more, as affectionate and cuddly, and are often more patient than females. The Teckel is also very courageous and think of himself as bigger then he is. He won’t hesitate to protect his family of humans if he thinks they are in danger. He can also think of himself as a «big guard dog » and want to protect his home from strangers. Even though he is small, he has a powerful voice that can impress a lot! He is also very strong and muscular for his size.

He can sometimes feigns not to hear you when given a command he’d rather ignore, so, some say that he can be a little stubborn for that reason.  You must establish the rules of the house as soon as you bring your puppy home and have everybody follow them. If not, the little wise guy will ignore them. « Give me an inch, I’ll take a mile » is their motto. Nonetheless, gentle and loving yet firm guidance makes wonderful companions of them.

Most Miniature Teckels still retain strong hunting instinct. They were originally developed in Germany for tracking rabbits and hares thru underbrush and bringing them from their dens, (commonly called «going –to-ground »), in order to control their population which were destroying the farmers’ crops. Therefore, some individuals will like digging holes in your backyard trying to catch mice and moles, or also chase after squirrels etc. For that reason, it is never advised to let your Teckel roam free unattended in your backyard if not well fenced-in. Otherwise, beware of accidents if he crosses the road chasing a squirrel!

Teckels don’t require a lot of grooming. You simply need to brush them regularly with a soft brush or Hound rubber mitt for the Smooth coat (Short-Haired) ones and add a little combing for the Long-Haired coat. Don’t forget to clip their nails regularly as they grow rapidly and also clean their ears. Those 2 last tasks need to be done about once a month in average.

The ideal weight for a miniature Teckel is about 4.5kg (10 lbs) but according to the C.K.C. breed standard, 4.989kg (11 lbs) as an adult is the maximum for the show-ring. Nevertheless, even though respect of the weight limit is of the upmost importance for showing, occasionally a miniature can weigh a little bit more or a little less. No Dachshund is ever too big or too small to make a marvellous lovable companion. They are all big-hearted dogs on short legs.  

In Canada, the Dachshunds are recognised as 6 different breeds (Miniature Smooth, Long and Wire Haired and Standard Smooth, Long and Wire Haired). In the United States of America (U.S.A.) they are all one same breed but with six (6) varieties. Interbreeding of those 6 varieties is still permitted over there, which is not allowed here. (This explains why some minis are a slight bit bigger than required maximum weight). Because of this, and the fact that quite a few of our good Canadian bloodlines have inherited some American antecedents, it can happen that 2 Miniature Smooth parents have inherited the recessive gene for Long Hair and therefore produce a puppy with Long Hair. This puppy is still considered purebred, but for the coat it has genetically inherited and will be registered as a Miniature Long -Haired Dachshund. Agriculture Canada and the C.K.C. have made a special provision for this.  This puppy therefore becomes of a different breed than its parents, here in Canada. That is why, here, at FOOTLOOSE Kennel, we welcome those little surprises of nature with love and have the occasional Miniature Long-Haired puppy(ies) born from Miniature Smooth-Haired parents available to you.

One thing is sure… no matter what, with a Teckel, you have long on loving!  

Hoping to have shared our love for those breeds with you, we invite you to click on the following links for the C.K.C and the E.C.D.C  to learn more about them, their respective standards and origin.