The best dog food for a dachshund
There is no dachshund-branded food that suits every dachshund, but there is a real breed consideration behind the search: dachshunds are prone to carrying extra weight, and extra weight puts real strain on a back already shaped by a long spine and short legs. Choosing food by portion control and life stage matters more here than choosing by breed name on the bag.
Feeding a Dachshund
A small breed
An adult Dachshund typically weighs 9–12 kg (standard), so a healthy Dachshund eats a modest amount compared with other breeds. Every feeding guide on a bag is written per kilo of body weight, not per breed — start there, then adjust to the dog in front of you.
Life stage
A small breed is usually done growing at 10–12 months, which is roughly when a puppy food has finished its job. With a typical lifespan of 12–15 years, there is a long adult stretch in the middle; switch to a senior food when your vet thinks it is worth it rather than on a birthday.
Joint support is worth looking for
Their size and frame put more load through the joints than a smaller dog carries, so a food with joint support on the label is worth reading for — and keeping them lean does more for their joints than any supplement.
Weight matters more than usual here
A long back or a heavy frame makes every extra kilo count twice. Weigh portions rather than eyeballing a scoop, and reduce the food rather than the walks if the waist starts to disappear.
This breed tends to bolt its food
A food-motivated dog will empty a bowl in under a minute given the chance. A slow feeder or a puzzle bowl turns a meal back into something that takes time, and splitting the daily ration across two or three meals helps as well.
Small mouths, crowded teeth
Smaller breeds get dental disease more often than big ones, largely because the same number of teeth are packed into a shorter jaw. Kibble size is worth checking, and a dental chew counts towards the daily 10% of calories from treats.
How much should a Dachshund weigh?
Adult 9–12 kg (standard)fully grown at 10–12 months
| Age | Stage | Typical weight | Of adult size |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks | Just home | 1.5–2 kg | 17% |
| 3 months | Young puppy | 2.4–3.3 kg | 27% |
| 6 months | Growing fast | 4.9–6.5 kg | 54% |
| 10–12 months | Fully grown | 9–12 kg | 100% |
A guide, from the same rule of thumb our puppy growth predictor uses — each age is that share of the way to maturity for a small breed. Puppies grow fastest early, so a real puppy usually sits a little above the middle rows. Weigh yours and ask your vet if the number worries you.
Complete dog foods that suit a Dachshund
Complete foods from our range, matched to a Dachshund's size band and what the breed typically needs. Stock levels and delivery dates are live on each product.
Pedigree Can in Jelly Puppy 6 Pack
Complete Pedigree puppy food in jelly with chicken, lamb and poultry recipes
£10.15
Field & Trial Skinner S Field Trial Light Senior
A lower-fat dry food for older, overweight or less active dogs, including working breeds
From£9.85
Autarky Complete Grain Free Adult Turkey
Grain-free complete dry food for adult dogs, with turkey and a marine-algae joint care package
£12.79
Autarky Grain Free Tasty White Fish & Potato Complete
Grain-free dry dog food built around white fish meal rather than poultry
£12.99
Lily's Kitchen Lily S Kitchen Dog Lovely Lamb
Complete lamb-led dry dog food offered in two practical bag sizes
From£25.15
Burgess Greyhound and Lurcher Chicken
Complete adult dry food formulated for the specific build of greyhounds and lurchers
£35.35
Naturo Senior Rice Poultry Variety 6pk
Six 400g trays across three recipes for senior dogs, with glucosamine and chondroitin
£10.29
Naturo Senior Dog Turkey with Rice and Vegetables 7pk
Turkey at 65% in a senior wet tray, with brown rice, vegetables and added joint support
£11.99
Vitalin Adult Dog Farmhouse Chicken
Complete dry dog food for adult and senior dogs, chicken and vegetable based
From£11.99
Vitalin Adult Dog Small Breed Chicken with Thyme & Root Veg
A chicken kibble for small adult and senior dogs, with citrus extract for dental support
£13.99
Why weight matters more for a dachshund than most breeds
Dachshunds are built long and low, and that shape is linked to a genuine, well-documented higher risk of disc problems in the spine, often called IVDD. Nothing about a bag of food prevents that risk on its own, but carrying extra weight adds constant load to a back that is already working harder than a dog built on longer legs, so keeping a dachshund lean is one of the few things an owner can directly control.
In practice that means measuring food rather than guessing a scoopful, and counting treats and any table scraps as part of the day's total rather than as extras. Feeling for ribs under a light layer of fat, rather than trusting the guideline on the bag alone, is a better everyday check, because those guidelines are averages and a dachshund who free-feeds or gets frequent titbits can creep past them without looking obviously overweight at first.
Puppy, adult and senior food
A dachshund puppy grows to their adult size much faster than a large breed does, so the long puppy-food window that suits a slow-growing dog is not automatically the right one here. Most complete puppy foods are formulated for growth generally rather than by breed, and a dachshund typically moves onto an adult small-breed recipe earlier than a Labrador or a German Shepherd would, following the guidance on the food you have chosen rather than a fixed date.
Older dachshunds often need fewer calories as they slow down, while still needing enough protein to support ageing muscle and joints. A senior recipe, or simply a smaller portion of an adult one, is usually the adjustment worth making, and it is worth reweighing and reassessing rather than sticking with whatever amount worked at two years old.
Sensitive stomachs and skin
Dachshund owners often report a dog who reacts to sudden food changes with loose stools, or who scratches more than seems reasonable on certain diets. That is not unique to the breed, but it is common enough that a single-protein or limited-ingredient recipe is worth trying if your dog shows those signs, rather than assuming it will pass.
Whatever food you choose, introduce it gradually over a week or so, increasing the new food's share of the bowl a little each day rather than swapping overnight. That makes any reaction easier to spot and easier to link to the actual cause, instead of guessing after the fact.
What we stock for a dachshund
We carry a range of everyday dry and wet dog food, chosen by life stage and recipe rather than by breed, because very few manufacturers make a genuinely dachshund-specific formula. Picking an adult, senior or sensitive recipe that matches your dog's age and any known sensitivity does more for them than a picture of a sausage dog on the packaging.
If your dachshund has shown any sign of a sensitive stomach or skin, our sensitive range is worth starting with, and our senior range is there once weight and joints start to matter more than growth. Either way, the portion on the bag is a starting point to adjust against your own dog, not a fixed number.
Common questions
- Is there a dog food made specifically for dachshunds?
- Not one that we stock, and genuinely breed-specific recipes are rare across the market generally. Most food is formulated by life stage and size rather than by individual breed, and a well-chosen small-breed adult or senior recipe suits a dachshund perfectly well without needing the breed's name on the bag.
- How much should I feed my dachshund?
- Start with the guideline on the food you have chosen, then adjust it against how your dog actually looks and feels rather than treating it as fixed. If you are struggling to keep your dachshund at a healthy weight, or are not sure what that looks like for your dog, your vet can check their body condition properly at a routine visit.
- Are dachshunds prone to food allergies?
- Sensitive stomachs and skin come up often enough in the breed to be worth watching for, though it is not universal. If your dachshund gets loose stools or itches more than seems normal on a particular food, a single-protein or limited-ingredient recipe is a reasonable next step, introduced gradually rather than as a sudden switch.
- Will a raw or grain-free diet protect my dachshund's back?
- There is no good evidence that the type of diet, on its own, changes the risk of disc problems in the breed. Keeping your dog at a healthy weight is the thing that is actually linked to less strain on the spine, whatever food achieves that for your particular dog, and it is worth discussing any major diet change with your vet first.
- Do dachshunds need a special senior food?
- Not a special one, but an adjustment is usually sensible as they slow down, since an older dachshund carrying the same portion as a younger, more active one can gain weight without anyone noticing straight away. A senior recipe, or simply a smaller portion of their usual adult food, is normally enough.
Related
Sources
Written against guidance published by UK veterinary and welfare organisations. Always confirm specifics with your own vet.
Written by Matt Garnett, who runs Giddy Pets and is a lifelong pet owner — not a vet. This is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace an examination by the vet who knows your animal. How we write these guides.