Of the twenty-eight breeds eligible to participate in AKC earthdog trials, one stands out for a couple of reasons: The Dachshund is the only breed eligible for an AKC earthdog title that is not a terrier. Dachshunds are also unusual in that they hunt above and below the ground. A Dachshie will track prey on the surface, but then will dig into a set (or hole) and retrieve and dispatch prey that’s gone to ground.

A Dachshund in Germany is measured by the circumference of his chest not only to determine into what size hole he can pursue his quarry, but to identify him as a Standard, Miniature, or Kaninchenteckel based on a measurement taken at the age of fifteen months. Under Germany’s FCI rules, a standard Teckel (or working Dachshund) is supposed to have a chest measurement of 35 cm, or 13.78 inches, about the same size as the chest span of the average red fox. Minis are supposed to have a chest circumference of 30 to 35 cm, the smaller chest allowing the dog to follow even a very small vixen to ground in a very tight earth, and the chests of “Rabbit Teckels,” rare in the U.S., are supposed to have chest circumference of up to 30 cm. As the name suggests, these dogs, sometimes used for rabbiting, may have chests as small as 10 inches around.

“Ross,” in ink & watercolor by Vince Stark whose work you can follow and support here.