How much should a dachshund weigh

By Isabella Storyclaire

last updated November 18, 2024

Contributions sourced from

Dachshund Weight How Much Should my Doxie Weigh?

The dachshund is a popular dog breed for pet owners living in cities or small apartments due to the dogs small size and weight. Dachshund lovers are often attracted to the dogs little but long and lean body.

This article will look at why maintaining a healthy weight is particularly important for your dachshund.

We will also discuss what the ideal weight for a Dachshund is, how to know if your dog is overweight, and how to maintain a healthy weight for your weiner pet.

What is a Healthy Dachshund Weight and Appearance?

A healthy dachshund, like any breed of dog, should have a shiny coat, bright eyes and clean ears, and have a healthy weight.

To most people, it becomes fairly obvious if their dachshund is obese. Still, if you are not sure what to look out for, keep reading for guidelines.

Dachshunds come in different shapes and sizes, just like people, but it is especially important to know what a healthy dachshund should look like.

In case your dog becomes overweight, extra pressure will be placed on the spine as a result. Due to the long body of this particular dog breed, excess weight is also hard on your dogs joints and the heart.

Ensuring that you dont overfeed your dog will mean that his weight is likely to be more evenly distributed. Consequently, the spine will be able to support the body properly, thus preventing it from becoming damaged.

The first thing to remember is that obesity increases considerably the chances of intervertebral disc disease occurrence in dachshunds.

What is an Ideal Weight for a Standard Dachshund?

There are different kinds of dachshunds. This fact should be taken into consideration when working out a healthy weight for your pet. There is the standard variety and of course, the miniature variety.

The standard dachshund is slightly bigger than the miniature version, and will, therefore, weigh more. An adult standard sized Dachshund should weigh between 16 to 32 pounds depending on the height and length of the body.

What Should be a Miniature Dachshund Weight?

Miniature Dachshunds are the smaller variety of this breed. They are particularly popular because they are so dinky and cute. Many pet owners enjoy the fact that their mini weiner can very easily be picked up and carried around in a handbag or pet carrier.

It is also a reason as to why dachshunds make great city pets, especially the mini variety. Pet owners can conveniently pick up a miniature dachshund and carry it in and out of stores on shopping trips. On the other hand, larger dogs may have to be left outside.

The appeal of these smaller dachshunds is that they weigh even less than the standard size of the breed. It makes it extremely easy and convenient to carry them around because they are small and light.

The ideal weight of miniature dachshund is 11 pounds or less, again depending on the height and length of the individual dogs body.

How Do I Know If My Dachshund Is Overweight?

Dachshunds are such small dogs that it is effortless for them to put on weight quickly. It is, therefore, imperative for your dogs health that you keep an eye on its weight.

Doxies have such long bodies and short legs though, and this can make it difficult to tell if your dachshund is overweight.

All dog breeds are different. Some are bred to look slightly leaner, while others are meant to be more beefy and muscular.

The dachshund is a bit of a mixture because it has the body of a big dog but the legs of a little dog. It can indeed be confusing for pet owners. Luckily the main principles of recognizing dogs obesity remain the same, no matter what the dog breed.

Here are the main things to look out for when observing your dogs weight:

Visible Waistline

Every dog has a waistline. It may be more pronounced on some dog breeds than on others. For example, it is often easier to see the waistline of a whippet than it may be to see that of a pug.

Dont forget that just because Dachshunds are often called sausage dogs, it doesnt mean they should necessarily look like a stuffed sausage.

A side view of your dog should show that the stomach is tucked up and not lying level with the chest.

A birds-eye view should show that the sides of your dachshunds body go straight down. In other words, it shouldnt curve outwards like a melon.

Feel The Ribcage

If you run your hand over your dogs body, you should be able to feel the rib cage, but not necessarily see it. It may be easier to feel for your dogs ribs if you have a smooth-coated variety of dachshund. Palpating he wire-coated type is more challenging, though.

No Dimple

For dachshunds, there should be no dimple before the beginning of the tail.

No Fat Roll

If your doxie has a fat roll on the highest part of its shoulders, it is indeed carrying extra weight.

How Much Should A Dachshund Puppy Weigh?

It is essential to monitor the weight of your Dachshund puppy at the different stages in his development.

Apparently, the size and weight of your puppy can give you some idea of how big you can expect your dog to be when it develops into an adult.

The ideal weight of your dachshund puppy at each stage will depend on few factors. For instance, on what variety of dachshund you have, standard or miniature.

Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to define what your dog should weigh at each stage as a puppy. The reason is that each dog is an individual and will develop at their own pace.

You can surely, get a better idea if you know what size your dachshund is likely to be when it develops into an adult dog. It is something you may be able to predict if you can see the puppys parents and grandparents.

If you are worried about your puppys weight or development, you should take him to be examined by your vet.

Dachshund Weight: How Can I Weigh My Dog?

The best way to weigh your dog is to have him weighed at your veterinary surgery. It will definitely give you an accurate result. Additionally, you will also be able to get advice from a professional if your dog is underweight or overweight.

However, if you want to weigh your dog at home or keep track of your dogs weight because he is being put on a diet, you dont necessarily have to take him to a vet.

The easiest way to weigh your dog at home. It is especially true if you have a dachshund that is small and easy to pick. Firstly, weigh yourself on the home scales. Then weigh yourself a second time while holding your dog. After that, you can calculate your dogs weight by calculating the difference between the two figures.

It is a good idea to get your dog used to step on the scales by himself, though. In this case, when your vet needs to weigh him at the surgery during routine check-ups, it can be done quickly and easily with less stress for your dog.

You can train your dog to step on the scales slowly in small bite-sized steps. Make sure that you positively reinforce your dog for every movement it contributes towards stepping on the scales by rewarding it with treats and lots of praise.

Using scales: clicker training

If you are familiar with clicker training, then using a clicker can help you to mark each positive action that your dog takes towards stepping onto the scales.

These bite-sized (clickable) steps may include the following actions from your dog:

Looking at the scales
Sniffing the scales
Taking a treat from the scales
Touching the scales with his nose
Touching the scales with his paw
Walking around the scales
Jumping over the scales
Walking over the scales
Stepping on and off the scales
Stepping onto the scales when asked to
Remaining on the scales a bit longer
Staying on the scales until you release him.

If you are using a clicker to train your dog to step onto the scales, makes sure that you click at exactly the same time that your dog performs a desirable behaviour from the list above.

Then offer a highly motivating treat reward immediately after the click. You should also keep your training sessions positive, upbeat, and most importantly, short!

The best way to help your dachshund live longer?Watch our video to find out!

How Can I Maintain My Dachshund Healthy Weight?

A common problem with dachshunds is that they do not get enough exercise. Given their small size, it is often easier to pick them up and carry them under the arm.

Also, the dachshunds tiny legs are not always able to carry itself fast enough to keep up with your pace. For this reason, you may find yourself carrying your dog for your own convenience.

As well as that, some dachshunds learn that if they refuse to walk, they will be inevitably picked up. In this case, your dog is essentially training you to pick it up when it wants you to.

Also, your dachshund wants to be picked up because it enjoys being higher. Seemingly, higher position gives your pet an increased sense of importance.

By all accounts, your doxie gets more attention from humans this way, because it is within peoples reach.

As mentioned earlier, dachshunds like being higher up than other dogs, and this can give them a napoleon syndrom.

But he main problem with carrying your dog is that it doesnt have enough opportunity to burn all the calories consumed. Eventually, this habit results in obesity.

Tips to maintain your dachshund weight

If you are worried about your dogs health, here are some tips to help you maintain his healthy weight.

Walk Your Dachshund

As said above, dont be tempted to pick your dog up. Do just the opposite, in fact, -treat him as if he is a big dog that cant be carried. This way, you will be less likely to create bad habits, and your dog wont become stubborn and refuse to exercise himself.

You should walk your dog for at least half an hour every day. If needed, you can break up your dogs walks into shorter walks so that he gets even more exercise and opportunities to burn calories throughout the day.

Play With Your Dachshund

Encouraging your Dachshund to play and interact with toys in your home and garden is a great way to get them moving. When you turn exercise into a fun activity, you will find that you wont have a problem walking your dog.

Aloso, encourage your doxie to get excited about certain toys like a ball or Frisbee. After a while, when you go to get their favourite toy, they will know its time for their walk. Consequently, your weiner dog look forward to it instead of being lazy or showing reluctance.

Choose Good Quality Dog Food

Be careful with the brand of dog food you choose. Always check the label to see the order and percentages of the ingredients that go into your dogs meal.

Make sure that the brand you choose is high in nutrition and not high in useless filler ingredients that are more likely to get stored as body fat.

If your dog is on a diet, then you should opt for lower calorie dog food so that your dog is burning more calories than he is eating throughout the day.

Feed Your Dachshund Less

It is vital to make sure that you are feeding your dog the correct amount of food for their size, age, and breed. You should also take into account their individual level of activity.

If your dog is not very active, you should feed him less, or he will not be able to burn all of the calories he is eating.

Be Careful With Treats

It is easy to overfeed your dachshund by offering treats on top of the regular meals. If you like to give your dog treats throughout the day, you can ensure that you are not overfeeding by decreasing the portion sizes of their regular meals.

Conclusion

We all agree that our dachshunds health is essential. Therefore, we have to recognise, establish, and maintain our weiners healthy weight. By doing this, we ensure that our pet lives a happy life long into his senior years.

Our pets lifespans are short in comparison to our own, so we want to make the most of it for them.

Managing your dachshund weight by all means reduces potential vet bills as your dog gets older. A healthy weight means that your pet stays comfortable and happy for as long as possible.

If you want to find out more about the causes, health risks and treatment of your dachshund obesity, read our detailed article about Obesity in Dogs.

What is your query about?

What is a good weight for a dachshund?

A healthy weight for a standard dachshund is 16 to 32 pounds (7 to 15 kg) on average. On the other side, miniature dachshund will weigh 11 pounds (5 kg) or less, depending on the individual dogs body measurements.

How many kgs does a miniature dachshund weigh?

The ideal weight of miniature dachshund is 11 pounds (5 kg) or less, depending on the height and length of the individual dogs body.

How much should a standard dachshund weigh?

An adult standard-sized dachshund should weigh between 16 to 32 (7 to 15 kg) pounds depending on the height and length of the body.

How much does a tweenie dachshund weigh?

In the USA, there are two sizes of dachshunds: miniature (11 pounds or less) or standard (between 16 and 32 pounds). Anything in between is called a tweenie dachshund and weighs between 11 and 16 pounds.