Dachshund Vs Badger: The Dachshund Connection To Badgers

Dachshund or badger dogs are short-legged but long-body animals. These are German breed dogs who have extraordinary hunting skills. Owing to their exceptional hunting capabilities, these dogs are also utilized for badger hunting, especially while badger baiting. Many people are ambiguous about the fight between a dachshund and a badger. Both animals are very daring, and fearless and have incredible stamina to fight.

In this article, we are going to compare these animals in detail and at the end will let you know who would be the ultimate manner.

Dachshund vs badger
Dachshund vs Badger

Main differences between dachshunds and badgers

There are many differences between these animals but the main difference between them comes in terms of their endurance, intelligence, and physical appearance. Let’s compare these animals based on their properties.

Size: Dachshund vs badger

When it comes to size, there is not much difference between their sizes. Both of these animals have almost the same size. If we compare Dachshund with all the species of badgers, then they all have the same size as the size of the Dachshund except European badger which is slightly bigger than the Dachshund.

Senses: Dachshund vs Badger

Dachshund are good sniffers
Dachshund are good sniffers.

The Dachshund has millions of scent receptors and these are even larger than humans. It means they have amazing smelling sense. They can identify the scent even if it is weeks old. They also have very big ears which are helpful in the transition of scent from ears to noses. This scent also shows them the way toward their prey.

The smelling capability makes them extremely good hunters. That’s why they are sent to bring the badgers out of their dens during badger baiting activities. They can find the traces of badgers even miles away and could bring out them in a few seconds. They also pursue badgers’ smell if badgers are trying to escape from a particular area.

They can also track prey with the help of their blood clots in case of injury. They are being utilized on a very huge level for tracking victims in case of any disasters. They do it with the help of their blood clots.

On the hand, badgers are also quite good in terms of sensing smell but they are at a lower level as compared to Dachshunds. Hence, in the sensing feature, Dachshund has a clear edge over a badger.

Bite force: Dachshunds vs Badger

Badgers have stronger bite force than dachshunds
Badgers have stronger bite force than dachshunds

The Dachshund has a bite force of 305 PSI which is not good enough compared badger. However, the bite force of the Dachshund might not be good enough but the scissors-like teeth of a Dachshund have a very firm grip. These teeth are highly helpful in bringing the badger out of the den.

On the other hand, badgers have a quite good force which is almost equal to 108 BFQ. The bite force of a badger is also much more powerful than American black bear (64BFQ) and brown bear (78BFQ). By viewing this bite force, you can get to know how much strength the bite of a badger has. It has been said that honey badgers can even break the shell of a tortoise with their bite force.

Creativity and intelligence: badger vs Dachshund

Dachshunds are also very well known for their intelligence. That’s why they have also been declared the perfect companion of humans. They could easily differentiate between animals while locating them. While locating the animal, they don’t go for the killing because they know it is their job. They just cornered them.

The extraordinary smartness of the Dachshund makes it quite easy to train these animals. They pursue their very quietly and silently their animals. They adopt an excellent strategy while hunting down their prey. While hunting, one of the dogs chases the prey, another will bring them out and the rest of them will wait outside with the hunter to catch or kill the prey as soon as possible.

On the other hand, badgers are highly aggressive and tough animals. They don’t think of anything smart before attacking anyone. They attack first and think later when they engage with their opponents. It is also the reason for their short life span in the wilderness.

Speed

When it comes to speed, Dachshunds can easily outdo badgers. Dachshunds are much faster as well agile. The speed of the Dachshund lies between 22 to 25 MPH while the speed of the badger is 19 mph. Thus, Dachshund has an edge over badger when it comes to speed.

Strength and endurance

The Dachshund has incredible stamina which makes them a good candidate for hunting various prey. They are also very tenacious and determined to take down their prey. They could go to any strength while hunting the animals and also return back with minimal possible injuries.

They have short legs and small bodies which make them perfect for chasing animals in sloppy areas and underground burrows. The big paws of Dachshunds help dig at various kinds of places. They could do digging for hours. The big lung of doxies also keeps them energetic and full of stamina even after doing a lot of labor. Big lung also makes them very fast runner.

Badgers are quite strong and have very large endurance capabilities. With this strength, they could even challenge very large animals like lions, and hyenas. They also do a lot of labor which is easily doable with a lot of stamina. Thus, we can say that badger has an edge over Dachshund when it comes to strength and endurance.

Bravery

Dachshunds are very brave animals. They don’t fear any kind of danger or animal. They fearlessly pursue even the most dangerous animals like badgers. Sometimes, a hunter might take more than one doxies while hunting the badgers underground. Dachshunds would always act very fearless while hunting down every animal they pursue.

If they are aggressive then they are also very defensive. They won’t go forward if they sense any danger. The neck of the Dachshund is the most sensitive part of their body which they try to protect as much as they can. The bravery of the Dachshund has also been boosted by its strong teeth, powerful jaws, and immobility.

It is only bravery that let them go after animals that are even 3 times larger than their own size. This aggression and bravery might be helpful in the field but it is not good for doxies as prey.

When it comes to bravery, badgers are also very brave and fearless animals. They are capable of taking down very poisonous snakes, large animals like lions, or many other extremely dangerous animals. However, they are vulnerable in front of animals like Dachshund and they could easily hunt down badgers. Thus, we can say Dachshund has an upper hand over badgers when it comes to bravery.

Barking: Badger vs Dachshund

Barking is one of the most noticeable things about the badger. They have small bodies but very large lungs which allow them to give out very powerful barks. They usually bark when they feel depressed, anxious, extremely excited, and most importantly when they encounter any stranger.

The barking power of the Dachshund is also greatly helpful for hunters. Dachshunds could alert for any upcoming danger or presence of prey. They also utilized this barking power as a tool defense mechanism. By barking, they could give the predators a warning signal.

The hunters could also locate doxies if they get lost while hunting. Overall, Dachshunds bark for giving various kinds of signals which vary from one situation to another.

On the other hand, badgers don’t bark a lot. Badgers deliver signals in many other ways like releasing musk from their anal glands or digging a lot. Thus, Dachshund has a clear edge over badgers when it comes to barking.

Loyalty: Dachshunds vs Badgers

Dogs are very well known for their loyalty to humans. It has been reported that dogs were the first animals who were kept as pets. Dachshund also has similar nature to other dogs. They have established a very friendly relationship with humans since they came into being in the 1500s in Germany. Loyalty has also been tested on the field. Source.

They don’t only keep themselves on the field but they also tried their best to keep the hunters safe and sound. Moreover, they are also very respectful and obey all the commands given by the hunters. Dachshunds still show loyalty as their best with humans. You can also check this by keeping doxies as a pet.

On the other hand, badgers are not pet-type animals. They are very aggressive by nature and try to attack whenever you approach them. You can only keep them as a pet if you raise them since their birth otherwise they become wild by living in the wilderness.

Thus, we can say that Dachshunds are more loyal animals as compared to badgers.

See our article for Badger vs Beaver

Dachshund vs badger: Who would be the winner?

In simple words, we can say the Dachshund would be the ultimate winner if the fight happens between Dachshund and a badger. Dachshunds are mainly bred in the European region. So, we can say that they would mainly encounter European badgers which are not aggressive and fearful as compared to American badgers.

European badgers might have big size but they could not withstand the attack of Dachshunds. Dachshunds are also raised in such a way that they must be prepared enough they could easily compete with badgers as the main job of the Dachshund is to bring the badgers out from their burrows.

YouTube video
Watch: 2 Dachshunds got a badger cornered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Biologically, they belong to two different families. Dachshund belongs to the Canidae family while badgers belong to the Mustelidae family. There is no big similarity between these animals except in their names. Names of both of these animals originate from German origin.

Yes, Dachshunds are still being used for hunting badgers in various regions of the world. Being a supporter of animal biodiversity to maintain our ecosystem, we don’t support or promote these practices. There are special breeds of Dachshunds like Miniature and Standard Dachshunds who are especially being bred for hunting down badgers in the regions like Europe and the USA.

In German language, Dachshund means badger dog. The Dachshund has very short legs which keeps them on the ground most of the time. They can easily track down animals by sensing the smell. The narrow bodies of the Dachshund also make them capable of going through very narrow regions. They are also fearless. All of these things make them eligible for pursuing badgers in their dens.

Conclusion

Dachshunds and badgers belong to different families but they have a very strange relationship that urges people to compare these animals with each other. Indeed, Dachshunds are very old animals but in the last 100 years, they are specifically used for hunting down badgers. This happened due to the commercial importance of badger bodies. This is a very cruel practice and extremely endanger to the survival of the badger species.

Izzy foxx on a vet tour in africa

Izzy Foxx

Izzy is an experienced ranch worker who has a passion for exploring nature and getting up close to wildlife. With her connections to various animal organizations, Izzy is well-versed in animal care and rehabilitation.

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