The dachshund is a well-known and well-loved dog breed that has been one of the most popular breeds for many years. It has been so popular that people created many funny and unusual dachshund nicknames to call this fascinating dog.
In this article, we are going to explore some of the dachshund nicknames, firstly discovering what “Dachshund” actually means. Also, we are going to address the common question – Is it Weiner dog or Wiener dog?
We will also take a closer look at some of the other popular nicknames for the dachshund and their meanings. So let’s start!
Dachshund: a Little Dog with a Big Attitude
The dachshund is an adorable little dog that many people recognise by its big floppy ears, long pointy nose. It also has an extra-long tubular body and short stubby legs.
The doxie may be cute, but it has a big attitude, that’s why people often call it “a big dog in a little dog’s body”. The dachshund’s deep and loud bark can be startling coming from such a dinky doggie, which goes to illustrate this strange paradox.
The dachshund obtained its strange but endearing appearance for a good reason, though. The breeders initially developed this breed as a working dog to flush out badgers and other animals that burrow deep into the ground.
The breeders created the dachshund’s even dinkier sister, the Miniature Dachshund to hunt smaller prey such as rabbits.
We may see an adorable “handbag” pet with lovable ears, running about on the cutest little legs in our homes. However, this breed is more robust than it looks.
For instance, hunters used dachshunds used to track wounded deer and hunt prairie dogs in the Western United States!
Equally as baffling as its physical appearance is the range of nicknames that people assigned to this fascinating dog breed.
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Dachshund Nicknames: What Does the Name “Dachshund” Mean?
We now know dachshunds look like. We also learned a little bit about their natural temperament, and why this breed has certain physical features.
Yet, what about the actual name? Let’s take a closer look and try to answer the main question – What does “Dachshund” mean?
The most obvious observation is that the name certainly doesn’t sound English or American. It has a distinctive foreign twang, and you may even be able to guess what country the word originally came from just by how it looks and sounds.
Dachshund is indeed a German word for a German breed of dog. “Dachs” in German means Badger, and “Hund” signifies Dog.
It doesn’t take a genius to put the two together and realize that the word dachshund quite literally means “Badger Dog” or “Badger Hound.”
It makes perfect sense as we have already established that the breeders developed the dachshund specifically to flush badgers out from under the ground.
Sausage Dog: The Most Adorable Dachshund Nickname
Why does everyone love the dachshund? Because it looks like a hot dog, naturally!
What could be cuter than a sausage running around on its little legs? We, humans, do have weird tastes, and yet we think that Dachshunds are strange!
Strange but true, the dachshund has become most popularly known as the Sausage dog.
It can often be found affectionately illustrated in between two bun rolls … Awwwww.
A related descriptive nickname to Sausage dog is a Wiener dog, or Weiner dog, whichever spelling you prefer. We will discuss the origin of these nicknames further down the article.
Dachshund Nicknames: Why Sausage Dog?
As a pet, this little dog can come across as very mild-mannered, but as a hunting dog, they have been bred in anticipation of inevitable closed-in underground fighting.
Sausage dog is indeed the most popular dachshund nickname. As mentioned earlier it is because of the unique dachshund body structure. Let’s take a closer look at a dachshund sausage-like appearance.
Dachshund – “Badger Dog”
To fully appreciate why this little dog has been perfectly designed for the job of flushing badgers out from underground, let us consider its anatomy.
Firstly, we can see that the shape of the dachshund body is long and tubular. It mimics the shape and size of the tunnels they must navigate through, which make up the network of passageways in the badgers’ extensive underground burrows.
The legs of the dachshund are short and sturdy, with tough claws explicitly designed for digging. These short legs allow the dog to move quickly and efficiently in the narrow and enclosed environment without being hindered or injured.
Longer limbs would get in the way, slowing them down. Consequently, the dog would be at risk of twist itself. It could also awkwardly wrench or sprain the ligaments, or even brake its bones in such small spaces.
You may also have noticed that despite seeming like a relatively small dog, the dachshund has an unusually large head for the size of its body and legs.
In fact, if you gave the sausage dog longer legs, he would look like any other dog! Additionally, the head is disproportionally large for a good reason.
If a dachshund comes face to face with a badger underground, it needs to be able to defend itself!
The dachshund’s sharp teeth are located towards the front of its long muzzle, and its massive head contains a very powerful jaw.
The neck is also extremely muscular, and along with the razor-sharp teeth, long muzzle, and killer jaw strength, the dog’s vulnerable chest and body are kept well out of the way in the face of a head-on attack.
When facing a badger, the dachshund’s job is to attack the animal and drag it out of the burrow, and its body shape is perfect to achieve this goal.
Dachshund Nicknames: Weiner Dog or Wiener Dog?
We all agree that the dachshund’s appearance is adorable, but also a bit funny and disproportional. At least now we understand why dachshund looks the way it does. But what about the many nicknames that this strange and wonderful breed possesses?
One of the most common nicknames for a Dachshund is Weiner dog. Or is it a Wiener dog? Let us explore where this nickname came from. We will also shine some light on why there is so much confusion regarding the spelling of this word.
Usually, a word is only spelled one way. Most of us are familiar with the rhyme, “I before e except after c.”
What you may find baffling, however, is that both Weiner and Wiener are correct! There is a good reason for this, though.
Since the word is originally German, some people spell it with the German spelling “Wiener” because “ie” represents the “e” sound in the German language.
Continuing in the tendency for all things to do with the dachshund to be confusing, you would think, therefore, that the British spelling would be the same since we would typically put the “i” before the “e.”
However, with Weiner, we do not, and this is because in English, “ei” produces the “e” sound that we need. Therefore, this is the spelling that makes most phonetic sense to us.
So the next time you get into a debate with someone about the spelling of this word, you can tell them that you won’t have to agree or disagree, and you are both in fact correct.
And then you can share your knowledge about where the word came from, which is far more exciting and relevant than its spelling after all. Keep reading to find out.
Other Popular Nicknames For The Dachshund
Things are about to get a lot more confusing! Two popular abbreviations that people regularly use on social media as hashtags for Dachshunds are Daxie and Doxie.
The abbreviation Doxie originated from Doxen or Doxhund, which are both phonemic variations of the original name dachshund.
The word Doxie is actually UK urban slang for Prostitute. It refers to the working girls that worked the docks and catered to the after-hours needs of sailors! Of course, that has nothing to do with our dear little Doxies, but an entertaining fact all the same.
I suppose Daxie is yet another variation caused by differences in accent. German is undoubtedly a tricky accent to master. Some other nickname variations include Dashhound, Doxin, Dotson, Daschie, Dashie, Datsun, Dachie, Weeny, and Weenie.
Dachshund Nicknames: Conclusion
Germans now tend to refer to these dogs as Teckels, but I have no idea why! This nickname serves to reinforce the fact that there are so many confusing things about this fascinating breed of dog.
If you have any idea of why Germans have now decided to call Dachshunds Teckels, please let us know in the comments!