Dachshund: Size, Lifespan and Care Basics

The American Kennel Club (AKC) gives the Dachshund a life expectancy of 12 to 16 years. The Royal Kennel Club (RKC) in the UK puts the breed in its “over 12 years” band.

Both figures describe the breed as a whole. They are ranges for typical dogs of the breed, not a forecast for any one dog.

Of the 30 breeds profiled on Pettify, 1 have a longer upper estimate than the Dachshund and 24 a shorter one.

The RKC suggests grooming a Dachshund once a week (smooth-haired, miniature smooth-haired); more than once a week (long-haired, wire-haired) and describes the coat as short (smooth-haired, miniature smooth-haired); medium (long-haired, wire-haired); it lists the breed as one that sheds. On the AKC’s scales the breed rates 2 out of 5 for shedding and 2 out of 5 for how often the coat needs care.

Which coat you have decides the routine. The smooth one is close to effortless: a towel or a hound glove run over it is about all it asks. The wire coat wants a brush or comb once or twice a week and an occasional trim of beard and brows, and owners who want it looking its best have it plucked or hand-stripped several times a year. Long coats need brushing more often than smooth ones, and a thick one needs it more.

Shedding is moderate whichever coat it is, by the AKC’s account, and the breed is a clean one with little or no smell of its own.

The RKC puts the exercise a Dachshund needs at up to 1 hour a day. The AKC rates the breed 3 out of 5 for energy and 3 out of 5 for mental stimulation needs.

Plan on two walks of moderate length a day, which is what the AKC suggests. It also warns against a common mistake: assuming a dog this small gets enough exercise trotting around the house.

The breed still has a working nose. The RKC notes that Dachshunds are used to this day to track wounded deer and to go to ground after badger and rabbit. Walks with time to sniff, and games of finding hidden treats, give a pet some of that work.

The AKC describes the Dachshund in more than one size, standard and miniature, each with its own weight range. The AKC breed page gives the figures for each size.

Size here is a matter of variety. The AKC and the UK each recognize two sizes, standard and miniature, and every size comes in all three coats. Germany, where the dog is called the Teckel, has a third, the RKC notes: the Kaninchen, or rabbit dog. There the three sizes are told apart by measuring around the chest rather than by weight.

Dachshund is German for badger dog, and the job behind the name explains most of the breed. Badger dogs of this kind go back to the 1400s, the AKC says, and the Dachshund as a breed to the 1600s. Following a badger down its own den took courage and persistence, and a long, low body that fit the tunnel. The AKC still describes a dog bold enough to be reckless at times, and a bit stubborn with it.

At home the picture is softer. Affection with family rates 5 out of 5, and the AKC is firm that Dachshunds are social dogs that belong indoors with their people, not out in a yard on their own. The breed scores 4 out of 5 for getting on with other dogs and 4 out of 5 for openness to strangers. With young children the score drops to 3 out of 5, the middle of the scale.

Trainability rates 4 out of 5, but remember what the dog was bred for: a hunter working alone underground had to make its own decisions, and that independence has not gone away. Its watchdog score is 4 out of 5, and the AKC calls the breed smart and vigilant. Pettify’s care plan counts a Dachshund as a puppy until 9 months.

The RKC lines suit modest homes: a small house, a small or medium garden, town or country alike. Adaptability rates 4 out of 5. The breed entered the AKC Stud Book in 1885, and in 2025 it stood 5th among AKC registrations. Its American fans stuck with it through hard times, too: during World War I, with anti-German feeling running high, they started calling it the Liberty Hound.