Dachshund (Smooth Haired)
The Dachshund was bred in Germany to go to ground after badger, and everything about its shape follows from that job: the long, strong body, the short legs, the deep chest and a…
About the Dachshund (Smooth Haired)
The Dachshund was bred in Germany to go to ground after badger, and everything about its shape follows from that job: the long, strong body, the short legs, the deep chest and a bark far too big for the dog. The standard Smooth-haired is the original of the six Dachshund varieties the Royal Kennel Club registers, and the one most people picture.
Dachshunds are courageous, opinionated and prone to deciding things for themselves, which makes early training and a stud of sound temperament more important than in many small breeds. Standard weight is around 9 to 12 kg. The coat is short and dense in a wide range of colours, and dapple patterning carries a warning: two dapples should never be mated, because double-dapple puppies can be born deaf or blind.
The overriding health question in any Dachshund is the back. Intervertebral disc disease affects the breed more than any other, and the UK breed council runs an X-ray screening scheme that grades the calcification of the spine; ask a stud owner for the dog's IVDD score. Add a current eye certificate, and ask about cord1-PRA and Lafora disease testing where the variety warrants it.
Health & breeding
We check every hip, elbow, eye and DNA result you give us against the Royal Kennel Club’s public records by hand, and we record who checked it and when. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Breed Right’s summary — under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard
Health tests for the Dachshund (Smooth Haired)
This panel is Breed Right’s summary of the testing that matters for the breed under The Royal Kennel Club Health Standard. The Health Standard is the Royal Kennel Club’s guidance for breeders, not a registration rule. It describes tests to ask about — it is not a report on any individual dog. The Royal Kennel Club’s public records may not include all the screening a dog has had, so a dog with no Royal Kennel Club record showing is not necessarily untested.
Good Practice — the Royal Kennel Club’s minimum before breeding
The tests the Royal Kennel Club says breeders should, at a minimum, complete before breeding.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| IVDD spine screening (RKC scheme, Dachshund Health UK) | Screening scheme | RKC | Grade 0–3 from one X-ray at 24–48 months. |
Best Practice — further tests it recommends
Completing these as well as the Good Practice tests is what the Royal Kennel Club calls Best Practice.
| Test | Type | Scheme | What’s involved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eye testing (BVA/KC/ISDS) | Screening scheme | BVA/KC/ISDS | Result printed on the eye certificate. |
Breed hip median
Too few dogs of this breed have been scored (BVA Hip Dysplasia Scheme breed statistics 2025 — 5 years: 1 dog) to give a meaningful breed median. Source · How hip scores work
At stud now
Dachshund (Smooth Haired) stud dogs
No Dachshund (Smooth Haired) studs are listed right now
When a Dachshund (Smooth Haired) on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register is listed at stud, it will appear here.
Also available
Dachshund (Smooth Haired) litters
No Dachshund (Smooth Haired) litters are listed right now
Litters appear here as breeders list them. Check back soon, or browse other breeds.
