What came first: the dog or the hotdog? Hotdogs were invented around the 1860s, but we were in existence long before that – as far back as the 15th century! When the first hotdogs were put on the market, they were originally named after us and called Dachshund sausages. People like to call us weiner dogs because our long bodies resemble hotdogs, but they were actually originally named after our dog breed!

My breed’s origins date back as far as the 15th century, but we really started being bred in Germany during the 17th century as hunting dogs. “Dachshund” translates to “badger dogs” which is exactly what we did – we hunted badgers! Our little legs, big chests, determination, and cleverness made us the pawfect pooches for the job. Since we’re so low to the ground, we could easily dig and burrow through tunnels to find small animals. Plus, our big floppy ears help prevent any dirt or debris from getting trapped inside our ear canals. We might be little, but we pack a mighty loud bark! This also helped us defeat our mortal enemy – the badger! Eventually, humans created two Dachshund dog sizes to fit their hunting needs. The historic standard size was used for hunting badgers, and our mini version was used for hunting hares and foxes. We were introduced in the United States in 1885, and we were an immediate hit! But during WWI, Americans had to refer to us as badger dogs or Liberty Hounds