Why are Dachshunds and miniature dachshunds so expensive?

Owning a dog and caring for them responsibly is never a cheap endeavour, regardless of the type of dog you choose. This is particularly true if you look at the lifelong cost of caring for a hopefully long-lived hound; and compared to the cost of a lifetime of care, the purchase price or initial outlay for even the most expensive of dog breeds is ultimately negligible.

There is often a huge degree of variance between the asking prices of individual dogs of the same breed, and this can sometimes be explained by factors such as quality and potential – and there is also often a huge degree of variance between the average asking prices of different pedigree dog breeds too.

Larger breeds tend to cost more than smaller dogs as a broad rule (although there are several notable exceptions) and rare and uncommon breeds often come at a premium, although if this rarity is due to a lack of popularity, the opposite may well be the case!

All told, establishing why a certain breed is sold for a certain average price point can be difficult if not impossible in many cases, but when it comes to breeds that are significantly more expensive than the norm when compared to those of equivalent sizes, sometimes it is possible to draw meaningful conclusions.

One dog breed that is objectively more costly to buy than equivalents is the Dachshund – and furthermore, their close cousins the miniature Dachshund too, which tends to be even more expensive!

In this article we will attempt to establish why both Dachshunds and miniature Dachshunds are so expensive to buy, and examine the various factors that contribute to their average sale costs. Read on to learn more.

How much do Dachshunds cost to buy?

Based on the average asking prices from Pets4Homes adverts placed over the course of the last year, pedigree Dachshunds changed hands for around £1,248 each, and non-pedigrees for around £812 each.

For miniature Dachshunds, the average asking price for dogs of the breed was even higher, at £1,364 for pedigrees and £995 for non-pedigrees.

As a very broad guide, few breeds of a similar sort of size cost more than around £1,000 on average for pedigree dogs, although there are some notable exceptions. Because both Dachshund size variants are so unique in terms of looks and personalities, there are not really any breeds that can be considered to be similar enough to them to make a direct comparison on prices.

That said, another small dog breed that also has a similarly unusual conformation to the Dachshund in the form of canine dwarfism is the Welsh corgi, and these dogs too are more costly than most, at £1,178 on average for pedigree dogs and £870 for non-pedigrees.

So, what can we conclude from this about the Dachshund’s high average prices?

The Dachshund’s dwarf status contributes to demand and so, higher prices

The Dachshund and miniature Dachshund exhibit a form of canine achondroplasia or dwarfism, a trait that can only be found within a couple of other breeds. The fact that the Dachshund and Miniature Dachshund are the 14th and 15th most popular dog breeds in the UK respectively indicates that this trait is in high demand, which in turn, contributes to high pricing.

Additionally, the high average asking prices of that other small dwarf breed, the Welsh corgi, reinforces the assumption of the trait’s popularity and so, impact on pricing.

This trait also impacts on breed health and so, breeding costs

The long back and short legs of Dachshunds and miniature Dachshunds might be in demand, but they can come at a cost. In dogs whose backs are significantly longer than the ratio of their leg length, there is not sufficient support for the spine and this can lead to a range of complex, painful and debilitating spine and back problems for some dogs of these breeds.

Intervertebral disc disease is the best known and most acute of these, which can result in paralysis. Breeds with complex health cost more to produce, insure and care for, when you factor in health testing, selective breeding, caring for dogs that are unsuitable for breeding from, and the shorter lifespan and veterinary costs of dogs with problems.

This means that breeding such dogs is not cheap, and the expense is passed on to puppy buyers.

Demand for Dachshunds probably outweighs supply

Even if a breed costs a lot to produce, there won’t be huge numbers of such dogs for sale at high average prices for each of them if nobody wants to buy them. Ergo, the fact that Dachshund and miniature Dachshunds are advertised for high average prices indicates that demand for dogs of these breeds outweighs supply, which in turn, serves to keep prices stable at a relatively high amount.

Almost exactly the same number of miniature and standard Dachshunds were advertised here in the last year

Based on the number of adverts for dogs of the Dachshund and miniature Dachshund breeds placed on Pets4Homes in 2018, the Dachshund is the 14th most popular breed in the UK, and the miniature Dachshund the 15th most popular.

But how many adverts comprised the difference between 14th and 15th place? Just six! In 2018, a total number of 3,418 adverts were placed here by sellers of Dachshunds, and 3,412 by sellers of miniature Dachshunds… Which is such a small difference given the volume of adverts as to be virtually the same number to all intents and purposes.

Ergo, miniature Dachshunds are probably in greater demand than standard Dachshunds

If you agree that the number of adverts for miniature versus standard Dachshunds placed here last year were essentially identical and then consider the higher average asking price for miniature Dachshunds compared to standard ones, this indicates that miniature Dachshunds are in greater demand than standard Dachshunds among prospective buyers.

Miniature Dachshunds are longer lived, and this might increase demand and so, costs

The average lifespan of the Dachshund is around 12-13 years, while the average lifespan of the miniature Dachshund is around 14-17 years, so quite a big step up.

The better health and longer lifespan of the miniature Dachshund may also serve to keep the prices higher than the standard Dachshund, and additionally, most puppy buyers seeking a smaller dog breed prefer the smaller pups, which are seen as subjectively cuter.

The standard Dachshund is small as they are short, but many people are surprised at the size of their bodies, and they’re not what many people would think of as a small dog.

Ultimately, why any given seller charges a certain price per pup, and why any given buyer is willing to pay it comes down to their own reasons and motivations – but hopefully the information within this article has helped to provide some pointers on why Dachshunds and miniature Dachshunds are quite expensive to buy.