The three sizes
Kaninchen, miniature or standard: choosing properly
Size is not an aesthetic preference. It determines how fragile the dog is as a puppy, how much exercise it demands as an adult, and how much margin you have.
The question almost always arrives in the same form: "which one is the calm one?" The honest answer is that none of the three is calm. The dachshund is a hunting dog, and it is one in every variety. What changes between kaninchen, miniature and standard is not the underlying temperament but the physical build — and what that build means day to day.
How they are distinguished
The FCI standard does not separate the three varieties by weight or height, but by chest circumference measured at fifteen months. It is a far more informative criterion than weight, because it describes the dog’s actual substance.
- Kaninchen
- Chest up to 30 cm, at fifteen months.
- Miniature
- Chest between 30 and 35 cm.
- Standard
- Chest over 35 cm.
- Coat
- Smooth, long or wire: all three sizes.
Kaninchen: small, but not delicate in character
The kaninchen needs physical care in the early months. A jump off the sofa that a standard absorbs without difficulty is a genuine risk for a four-month-old kaninchen. In exchange it takes up almost no space, travels easily and suits flat living well. It is also the most reactive of the three: it notices everything, comments on everything, and if you give it nothing to do it will invent something.
Miniature: the compromise that works
This is the size we most often suggest to families with children, and not by accident. It has enough substance to cope with normal life in a busy house, without the bulk and exercise requirements of a standard. It manages long walks, travels well and lives happily in a flat.
Standard: more dog, more commitment
The standard asks for real exercise, not a turn around the block. It is more independent, more decided, and with an ill-mannered puppy you notice the difference in strength very quickly. For people with outdoor space, an active life and previous experience of dogs, it is a solid companion and surprisingly quiet indoors.
If you have small children
- The miniature is often the most honest compromise.
- The kaninchen needs carrying: a jump is a different matter for it.
- No size is a toy. You explain to the children first, not afterwards.
If you live actively, with space
- The standard asks for real outings, not the block.
- It has more strength: training is not optional.
- Indoors, if it is tired in the right way, it is surprisingly quiet.
The right question is not which size you like most. It is which size you can respect for the next fifteen years.
Coat matters as much as size
Each size exists in three coat varieties: smooth, long-haired and wire-haired. Smooth needs almost no maintenance. Long-haired needs regular brushing, especially behind the ears and on the feathering. Wire-haired needs periodic stripping and often comes with a more exuberant, more stubborn character than the other two. It affects daily life far more than people expect.
Written by LA BANDA BASSOTTO, dachshund breeder in Lodi (Lombardy, Italy), ENCI/FCI kennel affix Villa Quattro Zampe.
These pages are born from daily life with our dogs. For their health, your veterinarian remains the dearest and truest voice.
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