The Dachshund is popularly called "The Wiener Dog" because of its long and low appearance. The Dachshund in Germany is known as the "Tekal" . The Word "Tekal" can be found inscribed on the base of an ancient Egyptian sculpture which pictures a King seated with three rather strange yet familiar dogs. Apparently a breed of dog that was long backed and short legged did exist in Egypt at a very early date. These dogs are said to be the forebears of the Dachshund as we know it today. The German word "dachshund" translates as badger dog, historically this was the work which the little dog performed. Badgers are nasty and vicious animals, living in burrows in the ground and the Dachshund is a breed that was bred to dig into the burrows and roust out the fearful creature. Needless to say, the Dachshund is a plucky and courageous dog who considers himself to be much larger than he actually is! In actuality, the little dog is of the Hound family, using scent capabilities when hunting, but because of the ability to dig and the ferocious persistence the dog exhibits when "going to ground" it is often mistakenly assumed that this breed belongs in the Terrier family.