3o6 



THE NEW BOOK OF THE DOG. 



claws digs with such energy and skill as 

 rapidly to bury himself, and the Dachshund 

 needs to be provided with such apparatus 

 as will permit him to clear his way and keep 

 in touch with his formidable quarry. The 

 badger is also hunted by Dachshunds above 

 ground, usually in the mountainous parts 

 of Germany, and in the growing crops of 

 maize, on the lower slopes, where the vermin 

 work terrible havoc in the evening. In this 

 case the badger is rounded up and driven 

 by the dogs up to the guns which are posted 

 between the game and their earths. For 



MR. JOHN F. SAVERS SPOTTED DOG 

 BY RACKER VON DER ECKE LIBETTE. 



this sport the dog used is heavier, coarser, 

 and of larger build, higher on the leg, and 

 more generally houndy in appearance. 

 Dachshunds are frequently used for deer 

 driving, in which operation they are especi- 

 ally valuable, as they work slowly, and do 

 not frighten or overrun their quarry, and 

 can penetrate the densest undergrowth. 

 Packs of Dachshunds may sometimes be 

 engaged on wild boar, and, as they are web- 

 footed and excellent swimmers, there is no 

 doubt that their terrier qualities would make 

 them useful assistants to the Otterhound. 

 Apropos of their capabilities in the water it 

 is the case that a year or two ago at Offenbach- 

 on-Main, at some trials arranged for life- 

 saving by dogs, a Dachshund carried off the 

 first prize against all comers. 



As a companion in the house the Dachs- 

 hund has perhaps no compeer. He is a 

 perfect gentleman ; cleanly in his habits, 

 obedient, unobtrusive, incapable of small- 

 ness, affectionate, very sensitive to rebuke 



or to unkindness, and amusingly jealous. 

 As a watch he is excellent, quick to detect 

 a strange footstep, valiant to defend the 

 threshold, and to challenge with deep voice 

 any intruder, yet sensibly discerning his 

 master's friends, and not annoying them 

 with prolonged growling and grumbling as 

 many terriers do when a stranger is ad- 

 mitted. Properly brought up, he is a 

 perfectly safe and amusing companion for 

 children, full of animal spirits, and ever 

 ready to share in a romp, even though it be 

 accompanied by rough and tumble play. 

 In Germany, where he is the most popular 

 of all dogs, large or small, he is to be found 

 in every home, from the Emperor's palace 

 downwards, and his quaint appearance, 

 coupled with his entertaining personality, 

 is daily seized upon by the comic papers to 

 illustrate countless jokes at his expense. 

 He is, in truth, a humorist, as George Mere- 

 dith pointed out when he wrote that 



"Our Islet out of Helgoland, dismissed 



From his quaint tenement, quits hates and 

 loves. 

 There lived with us a wagging humorist 

 In that hound's arch dwarf-legged on 

 boxing-gloves." 



The origin of the Dachshund is not very 

 clear. Some writers have professed to trace 

 the breed or representations of it on the 

 monuments of the Egyptians. Some aver 

 that it is a direct descendant of the French 

 Basset-hound, and others that he is related 

 to the old Turnspits — the dogs so excellent 

 in kitchen service, of whom Dr. Caius wrote 

 that " when any meat is to be roasted they 

 go into a wheel, where they, turning about 

 with the weight of their bodies, so dili- 

 gently look to their business that no drudge 

 nor scullion can do the feat more cunningly, 

 whom the popular sort hereupon term Turn- 

 spits." Certainly the dog commonly used 

 in this occupation was long of body and 

 short of leg, very much resembling the 

 Dachshund. It was distinct enough in 

 type to claim the breed-name of Turnspit, 

 and many years ago this name was applied 

 to the Dachshund. 



In all probability the Dachshund is 

 a manufactured breed — a breed evolved 



