How the division of sizes evolved in the UK – information provided by retired canine breed press contributor and ‘Breed Specialist’ Mr Jeff Crawford (Voryn)

1935 – The Miniature Club was formed – original weights suggested for dogs to be exhibited was 12lb – reducing to 11lb the following year.

1948 – Separate Registers were granted by The Kennel Club for Longs & Smooths with suggested ideal weight of 7-9lb, with a limit of 11lb.

1949 – The first set of Challenge Certificates (CC), were granted for Miniature Longs & Miniature Smooths.

1959 – The Wires separate, with a 12lb limit.

1967 – The Wires were brought into line with the other Dachshund varieties.

1977 – The Crossing of the coats ended.

1992 – Recessives could no longer be registered

1986 – The ideal weight of Miniature Dachshunds became 10lb, but no prizes should be awarded to a Miniature over 11lb.
Apparently in the 1950’s some exhibitors can still remember classes for Standard Smooths under 18lb, & some top quality stock being shown!
Despite our ideal Standard size is 20-26lb – the weight is going up and up! – 34lb or more.

As a note of interest –
In Germany – Recessives could not be registered as long ago as 1924!
In Germany – The Long Hairs are still retrieving from water, and are very good at it! – more of a gundog type.

The Dachshund breed of dog has been seen in illustrations that are dated back to the 15th century. It is known that this breed was created for a specific purpose.
The German foresters had to find a way to control a varmint known as the badger, from ruining their master’s hunting parties.

The badger was a nasty tempered predator that had its den underground.

What the foresters were looking for was a courageous dog that had a body slender enough to fit down the burrow, sufficiently lithe to manoeuvre into the den, and tenacious and strong enough to fight the badger to the death.

What they came up with was a remarkable dog that defined “form following function”.

The word dachs means “badger”

The word hund means “dog”

So the word Dachshund is interpreted to mean “badger dog”

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Dachshunds generally suffer few health problems providing they are kept well exercised and fed a healthy, balanced diet. On average they live to more than 12 years old.

Because they are a dwarf breed there is an increased risk of back problems. Always ask about any history of back problems when buying a puppy. Problems are best avoided by keeping the dog fit and not allowing it to become overweight, or to run up and down stairs which put extra stress on the back.

Mini Long, Mini Smooth and Mini Wire breeding stock whould have been tested for Retinal Degeneration (cord1 mutation PRA) which is an inherited condtion causing degenerative disease of the retina, resulting in viusual impairment, or blindness. Mini Wires should be tyested for Lafora Disease which is an inherited form of epilepsy.

Always consult a Vet if you have any concerns about a puppy you intend to purchase, or health problems with an older dog.

Further information is provided on the breed health website.

Spaniels, earlier referred to as “Spanyells,” have been around for centuries. This is a large and diverse group of dogs, dating back to the 14th century or perhaps even earlier. Spaniels of all types historically have been bred to hunt, either on land or on water, or sometimes on both. The American Cocker Spaniel is the smallest of the recognized Spaniel breeds and also is the smallest member of the Kennel Club’s Gundog Group.

American Cockers, and English Cockers, were bred specifically to flush and retrieve game birds. In fact, their name probably comes from the “woodcock,” which is a bird that they apparently are especially proficient at hunting.

During the 1800s, English Cocker Spaniels were imported to the USA and Canada in quite some numbers by bird-hunting enthusiasts, who valued their exceptional skills at flushing and retrieving woodcock, pheasant and grouse.

English Cockers were accepted for show competition in England in 1883, and were given breed status in England’s Kennel Club Stud Books in 1892.

In the early to mid-1900s, the American Cockers began to diverge from their English counterparts. American breeders interested in showing Cocker Spaniels competitively in the conformation ring began breeding them down in size, which also made them especially suitable as family pets.

The Cocker Spaniel soon became the most popular purebred dog in America.

Hunting enthusiasts resisted the trend towards breeding petite Cockers. In 1935, they formed a separate breed club for the traditional English Cocker Spaniels, called the English Cocker Spaniel Club of America, which remains today as the parent club for that breed in the United States. The AKC formally recognized the English Cocker Spaniel as a breed distinct from the American Cocker Spaniel in 1946.

The enormous popularity of the American Cocker Spaniel had its benefits for the breed but also brought some unwelcome consequences. Commercial puppy mills and other unscrupulous “breeders” began breeding Cockers indiscriminately, without attention to the health, temperament or well-being of the parents or their puppies. Fortunately, responsible fanciers of the American Cocker Spaniel intervened and continued promoting high-quality examples of their beloved breed.

Today’s American Cockers by and large are the endearing, energetic, affectionate companions that made them among the most popular of all purebred dogs.

The American Cocker Spaniel has an average life expectancy of between 12 and 15 years.

Breed health concerns may include

1. allergies
2. autoimmune hemolytic anemia
3. cancer
4. cherry eye
5. cataracts
6. ectropion
7. entropion
8. glaucoma
9. progressive retinal atrophy
10. corneal ulceration
11. keratoconjunctivitis sicca
12. ear infections
13. hemophilia
14. hepatitis
15. hip dysplasia
16. elbow dysplasia
17. patellar luxation
18. chondrodysplasia
19. hypothyroidism
20. patent ductus arteriosus
21. pulmonic stenosis
22. endocarditis
23. dilated cardiomyopathy
24. intervertebral disc disease
25. epilepsy and an assortment of dermatological (skin) disorders