Last Updated on November 17, 2021 by Marco
The Siberian Husky is a medium-sized dog with a long and lean frame. It has a thick coat that comes in many colors, the most common being agouti and white. Huskies have pointed ears.
Dachshunds, or ‘Wiener Dogs’, are quite a different dog altogether! Dachshunds have very short legs, a long body, and floppy ears. They are mostly black and tan, or chocolate brown and tan.
The Husky was bred to pull cargo in Siberia. The Dachshund was bred to go down badger holes in Germany.
Now, what on earth would you end up with if you combined the two to create a Siberian Husky Dachshund mix?
You’d get what is known as the Dusky Dog!
A Dachshund and Husky Mix?
Dusky dogs look like Husky, but with shorter legs. Duskies have the Husky markings, and they may or may not have the erect Husky ears, or the floppy Dachshund ears,
Now, since the Dachshund Husky mix is half Dachshund, we better check out this little Wiener dog!
The Purebred Dachshund
The little Dachshund has enjoyed steady popularity amongst purebred dog lovers over the years. And it is easy to see why – they are so very cute!
Also known as the ‘Doxie’, ‘Wiener Dog’, and ‘Sausage Dog’, the Dachshund’s name is German for ‘badger dog’. This gives us a little clue as to its purpose. That’s right, the Doxie was bred to hunt badgers in Germany. They were first written about in a book published in the late 18th century.
The Dachshund used to have much longer legs than it does today. Today, Dachshunds have short legs, long torsos, a long straight tail, a nicely shaped head with a long pointed snout, and floppy ears. The front paws are large and paddle-like, to aid digging. They can have a short and sleek coat, or long wavy fur, or a wire coat. Black and tan is the most common coat color and brown eyes. Other Dachshunds have a red and tan coat and hazel or green eyes, or a solid red coat. Merle and cream colors do exist too.
Learn more about: Can Dogs Have Green Eyes?
Size
Dachshunds come in three sizes – standard, miniature, and “rabbit”. The American Kennel Club does not recognize the rabbit size, whereas it is recognized by the Federation Cynologique Internationale. Standards are 10 to 11 inches at the shoulder and weigh 19 to 29 pounds; the Miniature is 8 inches at the shoulder and weighs 10 pounds. They generally live for 12 to 16 years.
Temperament
In terms of temperament, the little Wiener-Dog is renowned for its perseverance, playfulness, stubbornness, and love of the chase. Dachshund dogs are known for their intelligence but they can be aggressive to strangers and other dogs. These dogs are very devoted to their masters and therefore are prone to separation anxiety, which may lead to unwanted behaviors like chewing and digging. They can be snappy with small children, whose size may scare them, so they need to be socialized early on. Owners claim that the Doxie is difficult to house-train. This may well be because their tummies are close to the ground, so when it’s cold and wet out who could blame them?
Dachshund and Husky Mix Appearance
The Dachshund Husky mix can look much like a Husky except with shorter legs, and sometimes floppy ears. Size-wise, this hybrid dog is small to medium in size.
Their coats are often agouti and white (or whatever color combination their Husky parent was), with the same thick coat. You do see black and tan Dusky Dogs too. Often, the head shape takes after the Husky too, with a nicely proportioned muzzle.
Some Dusky Dogs have erect Husky ears, whilst others have floppy Dachshund ears.
Dusky Dog Temperament and Training
The Dachshund and Husky mix could take after either parent; Siberian Huskies and Dachshunds have quite different personalities!
On one hand, the Husky loves people and is not wary of strangers, whilst the Doxie is. Huskies love children yet Doxies can be afraid of them.
The one key thing to remember about any hybrid dog is that they are an unknown quantity, and you simply do not know how each individual is going to look or act until they are born and grow up.
Having said that, both Dachshunds and Huskies are intelligent dogs. They are both somewhat stubborn – so potential owners can at least assume that a Dachshund Husky mix will be like this too when it comes to training.
Dachshund Husky Mix Care: Exercise, Grooming, and Feeding
Siberian Huskies need a whole lot of exercise. Dachshunds need their regular daily walkies to keep happy and healthy too, but nowhere near as much as the Husky. So do not ever try to get a Dachshund and Husky mix to do exercise the way that a Husky could – they simply do not have the anatomy for this.
If a Dusky Dog takes after its Husky parent, then expect there to be quite a bit of shedding. This will be less if the dog has the Dachshund coat.
Ensure you feed this dog top-quality dog food according to their weight and what is printed on the label; Doxies are prone to obesity, and with their short legs this can cause them much discomfort.
Dachshund and Husky Mix Health Issues To Be Aware Of
The Dachshund Husky mix may be prone to intervertebral disc disease due to its Dachshund genes. This is another reason why a Dachshund Husky mix should not be put under too much physical strain, like pulling (which the Husky can do no problem.) Dusky dogs may also be prone to the eye, skin, hip, and thyroid conditions that plague Huskies (read all about these here), and the Dachshund’s propensity for skeletal problems (read more about these here.)
The Takeaway On Dusky Dogs
The Dachshund Husky mix is an unusual mix. Some people may like that they are smaller, need less exercise, and potentially shed less.
However, before you buy one of these puppies, there is a welfare issue to consider. If the female of a Husky/Doxie pairing was the Dachshund, then she will have to have a caesarian, which puts her and her babies at risk. This is always a concern when large and small dog breeds are paired.
