Dogs are a huge part of our lives.

They become an integral part of our families and they enrich our everyday lives. Some dogs, like dachshunds, have big personalities and sometimes it’s hard to keep up. Dachshunds are small, but they become so much more than just a dog in such a short amount of time.

These tiny dogs are high maintenance, but once they start to root their way into your heart, there is no way you could ever forget them.

Though every dachshund is different and has it’s own personality, there are 10 things that every dachshund family knows to be true.

1. They think they’re bigger than they actually are.

I can’t count the amount of times my dog has hidden behind my dad and barked at something she would have no chance against.

2. They don’t know the meaning of personal space.

You like to breathe? Too bad, because Dachshunds like to cuddle… on your face sometimes. It’s just a hug, but it can be suffocating.

3. They will bark…at everything.

Whether it be someone walking in the front door, a squirrel, a leaf waving in the wind, or barking at you because you aren’t paying them enough attention.

4. They dream vividly.

If they’re moving their legs like they’re running and they’re quietly barking, you know it was a good dream. Sometimes they’ll even bark themselves awake.

5. They think they’re people, too.

They just want to be where everyone in the family is. Whether it be at the dinner table, outside, or just going to the bathroom; they think they need to be where the family is.

6. They don’t take direction very well.

It doesn’t matter how many times you teach them the same trick, dachshunds are stubborn, so your “sit pretty” could be their “roll over.” They kind of just do what they want.

7. They will NOT go outside if it is raining…unless you make them.

Dachshunds don’t like getting wet, and they don’t care to go outside if the weather is anything less than dry and sunny.

8. You don't own them, they own you.

If you thought anything different, you were just kidding yourself.

9. They like to “dig” until they are comfortably under blankets.

Dachshunds are natural born diggers, so it makes sense that they would dig under blankets…. Until the blanket they try to dig under is the one you were comfortably asleep under.

10. You will never love anything more than you love them.

Dachshunds are a small breed, but they make your heart so much bigger. They become what you look forward to when you come home from school or work. They become your best friend, the furry handkerchief that you can wipe your tears on when you’re sad, and your comfort when you are sick. Try as hard as you might, but you would be hard pressed to find something that you love as much as you love your dachshund.