What Is A Tweenie Dachshund?

When it comes to the various sizes of Dachshunds available, you’ve got standard size and miniatures, but there are some other sizes like tweenie which maybe you haven’t heard of before. So, what is a tweenie dachshund? 

A tweenie Dachshund is an unofficial name for a Dachshund that is in between the size and weight of a standard and miniature dachshund. A Tweenie is classified as being anywhere from 12 to 15 pounds in weight and standing at 6 to 8 inches at the shoulders.

Is A Tweenie Actually A Type Of Dachshund?

tweenie or standard dachshund

Whether or not a tweenie is actually a type of dachshund depends on where you go and who you ask.

Now, according to both the American Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club, there are only two officially recognized types of dachshunds, the standard and miniature dachshund.

There are some places in Europe that do categorize the tweenie wiener dog as its own type, but these are few and far in between.

For the most part, tweenie dachshunds are not actually considered to be a specific type of dachshund, although some certainly do. 

Standard size doxies can weigh up to 32 pounds and stand around 8 to 12 inches at the shoulders (usually 10 at the most), whereas minis usually don’t weigh more than 11 pounds, and stand at a maximum of 6 inches at the shoulders.

Do keep in mind that how tall they get has to do with breeding. In some cases, mini doxies may grow larger than their miniature classification, and standard doxies may end up being smaller than what is generally seen as a standard doxie. 

For the most part (unless intentionally bred as tweenies), tweenie doxies are either miniature doxies that grew a bit larger than they were supposed to or a standard doxie that didn’t quite get to its intended size. 

How Big Is A Tweenie Dachshund?

OK, so we already figured out how large both standard size and miniature dachshunds are, and did their first words to reason that a tweenie dachshund sits somewhere in between those two.

Technically speaking, tweenies are classified as being anywhere from 12 to 15 pounds in weight and standing anywhere from 6 to 8 inches at the shoulders.

How Do I Know If My Dachshund Is A Tweenie?

is my dachshund a tweenie

There is really only one way to tell if your dachshund is a tweenie, and that is by measuring and weighing it.

If it falls within both the weight class (12 to 15 pounds), and the height class (6 to 8 inches at the shoulders), then it is a tweenie doxie. 

Now, if you have a dachshund that stands at 5.5 inches at the shoulders and weighs 13 pounds, then what you might have is a super fat mini doxie, one that would fall within the tweenie weight category if it was on a better diet and got more exercise.

Although much less likely, a 10 inch high doxie that only weighs 15 pounds might actually be a malnourished and skinny standard doxie. 

However, doxies have a tendency to eat too much and not move enough, which often makes them obese, so having a fat mini wiener is much more likely than having a way too skinny standard dachshund.

The bottom line is that a dachshund that is of an adequate weight for its size, if it stands between 6 and 8 inches, and weighs between 12 and 15 pounds, is a tweenie, and this is the only way to know. 


Are Tweenie Dachshunds Rare?

As far as rarity goes, especially when compared to other dog breeds, in the grand scheme of things, no, tweenie dachshunds really aren’t all that rare.

Now, what does need to be said is that the majority of breeders out there really don’t breed tweenies, at least not intentionally. 

Tweenie dachshunds are usually miniatures that ended up getting a little too big, or standard size doxies that didn’t get quite big enough. So, in this sense, yes, they are fairly rare.

There are indeed many more standard size and miniature doxies out there than there are tweenie dachshunds. 

That being said, there are a select few breeders out there who intentionally breed tweenies.

The bottom line is that in terms of the size of the dog, yes, the tweenie is the rarest of all three dachshund sizes, but when it comes down to it, it’s still not all that rare. 

How Long Do Tweenie Dachshunds Live For?

What needs to be said here is that there is no exact science behind this, and there really is not enough evidence and research here to provide you with an exact figure.

However, what we can do is to use common sense to provide you with a rough estimate of the approximate lifespan of a tweenie doxie. 

Standard doxies will live on average for 12 to 14 years, whereas mini doxies will live for 12 to 16 years. Generally speaking, the smaller the dog the longer it lives. 

Based on those figures, it would be fair to assume that a tweenie doxie will live for 13 to 16 years, probably somewhere closer to 14 to 15 years.

Just like this size of the tweenie doxie is somewhere in the middle of the standard and the mini, so is the lifespan. 

Conclusion

Now that you know what a tweenie doxie is, once you get yourself a dachshund, you know how to classify it by its size. Whether tweenies are officially recognized or not, they certainly do exist. 

Leave a Comment