There are hundreds of dog breeds and some of their names can be confusing – the difference between doxin and dachshund is a good example – are there any? We can use the two interchangeable, after all, and they do sound familiar. Yet their spelling is nothing alike.
Let’s explore just what these two names indicate.
The Difference Between Doxin and Dachshund and Why One Dog Breed Has so Many Names
The short and simple answer here is that there is no difference between dachshund and doxin. The two names mean the exact same thing.
Doxin does some like the name of a mix between a dachshund and something else but it is just a purebred dachshund. And the reason for this alternative term is very simple – a lot of people just don’t know how to spell dachshund. We don’t blame them either – German spelling can be a pain.
Dachshund vs Doxin vs Dotson vs Doxie vs Doxen vs Wiener vs Sausage Dog – all the names of this breed
There may not be a difference between doxin and dachshund but there are major differences between the dachshund and all other dogs. The dachshund may very well be the dog breed with the most alternative names in the world.
This is partly because of how tough the breed’s name is to spell. However, it’s also because of how adorable they are. And when people find a pup to be adorable, there’s no end to the number of names they can think of for it.
Here’s a (certainly incomplete) List of All The Alternative Names for the Dachshund:
- Dachshund
- Dachs
- Dashie
- Dachel
- Teckel
- Dachsels
- Doxin
- Doxen
- Daxin
- Doxy
- Doxie
- Doxhund
- Dotson
- Wiener dog
- Weiner dog (yes, both)
- Sausage dog
- Hot dog
- Did we miss any other name?
As you can see, most of those are just variations of the name dachshund. The latter few aren’t but it’s pretty obvious where they come from.
What Does the Original Name “Dachshund” Mean, However?
It comes from German, which is the lauded origin of the breed. It consists of two parts – dachs and hund. The latter is obvious to English-speakers and it means hound. The former, on the other hand, means a honeybadger – the main prey dachshunds were used to hunt.
Yes, the dachshund is a scent hound breed originally. That’s sometimes hard to guess given what perfect and adorable family pets these dogs make.
Dachshund vs Doxin and English vs German Spellings
Doxin may be just a simplifaction of dachshund but why are “wiener” and “weiner” both acceptable? Most kennel clubs recognize both terms as does Merriam-Webster dictionary for the simple reason that people just keep using both.
The simple difference between them is that “wiener” is the German spelling and “weiner” is the English spelling. In German, “ie” is pronounced “e” while in English “ei” is pronounced “e”.
Given that Germany is the official origin of this breed, we lean toward the “wiener” spelling. However, pretty much no one will misunderstand you if you use “weiner”.
How About the Names of Dachshund Crosses?
If all those names above weren’t enough, consider that every dachshund cross also has a similar name.
For example, “Dusky” is a dachshund plus husky cross. “Daug” is a dachshund and pug mix, and “Doxle” is a dachshund crossed with a beagle. “Doxbull” is a dachshund plus pitbull while “Doxiepoo”, “Doodle”, “Doxiedoodle”, and “Dachdoodle” are the many names of the dachshund and poodle cross.
At least the dachshund and German shepherd cross has the sensible “Dachshund shepherd” name.
Other Fun Facts in Adition to the Non-Existent Difference Between Doxin and Dachshund
Do you need any more evidence that the dachshund is the most peculiar dog breed in the world? Here are five other fun facts:
1. The first-ever Olympic mascot was the dachshund. This happened during the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The games were overshadowed during the unfortunate violence of the second week. However, the multi-colored dachshund mascot Waldi is also remembered. The organizers even designed the route of the marathon to resemble the shape of a dachshund.
2. There’s a dachshund sub-breed that’s even smaller than the miniature dachshund. This is especially astonishing as the mini Dachs are already almost three times smaller than the standard Dachs. The standard dachshund can weigh as much as 32 pounds (15 kg) while mini Dachs can be as light as 10 pounds (5 kg).
However, the “Kaninchen Dachshund” sub-breed can be as small as 8 pounds or 3.5 kg. The breed is not recognized in the US or the UK, however, it is accepted in 83 other countries.
Read more about: Full Size Dachshund vs Mini Dachshund – 4 Remarkable Differences
3. The Dachs may not be as German as we thought. While the name and official origins definitely come from Germany, there is evidence of an even more ancient origin. There are multiple images on burial urns, tombs, and temple walls in Egypt and across Northern Africa that depict a short-legged dachs-like dog.
Other characteristics like the elongated body, long muzzle, and signature ears also often match. Of course, Germany is still the country that named, bred, and popularized the breed. However, it’s possible that the Dachs came from a whole different continent. Maybe via the Roman Empire?
4. A successfully cloned dog. One of the first dachshunds to ever be cloned successfully was the British 12-year-old dachs Winnie. The dog’s owner Rebecca Smith won the chance to clone her pet for free with the Seol-based company Sooam Biotech.
The cloning was successful and Rebecca became the proud owner of Minnie Winnie too. On November 4, 2018, the cloned dog even gave birth to two healthy puppies. She gave birth with a C-section because of some complications but everything else during the pregnancy and after the birth was completely normal.
5. Kennel clubs have banned some types of dachshunds. The dachshund is available in a wide variety of colors, patterns, and coat types. However, there are even more possible coats with some being banned because of certain health risks. The “double-dapple” coat, for example, as cute as it is, is often accompanied by blindness, deafness, or missing eyes.
As you can see, the dachshund is a truly unique breed – both linguistically and in any other way. And we really only scratched the surface with this article!
