Dachshund leg problems: what a 2026 Finnish study found

How 640 Finnish dachshunds exercised, how well they moved and what shape their legs were, as reported by their owners. Researchers at the University of Helsinki ran the online survey from August 2022 to September 2023 for owners of purebred dachshunds aged 1 or older, and published the results in Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica in August 2026 ¹. Of the dogs, 58% were standard and 42% miniature (counting the smaller kaninchen size), with a median age of 3.8 years and a median weight of about 17½ pounds ¹.

Owners matched each dog's front and hind legs to a scale of five drawings, from strongly angled outward at the wrist or hock, through straight, to strongly angled inward ¹. Dachshunds matter in Finland: counted together, the nine varieties make up the country's second most popular breed, with about 2,000 registrations a year ¹.

Common, going by this survey: more than half the dogs had a turned or bowed leg, and almost 1 in 5 had a reported leg or joint disorder. Front legs were affected more often than hind legs (41.7% of dogs against 31.7%). A wrist that angles the foot outward, called carpal valgus, was by far the most common shape, reported in 38.3% of front legs, almost always as moderate rather than severe. In the hind legs, inward bowing was reported in 13.4% of legs, and in 86% of the dogs with diagnosed or suspected pes varus ¹.

Disc disease was counted separately: 5.2% of the dogs had had a disc herniation. That's likely an underestimate, since most of the dogs were young and some may still develop it, as the authors note ¹. Our guide to IVDD explains the signs.

They seem to slow some dogs down. Dogs with turned-out legs on both sides, and dogs with hip dysplasia, had lower exercise scores than dogs without ¹. Any leg disorder, any turned or bowed leg, or a past disc herniation made poorer mobility more likely, judged by limping, reluctance to jump and trouble getting up. Dogs with inward-bowing legs had 3.2 times the odds of an owner-reported physical problem affecting their quality of life ¹.

Overall, owners had noticed reluctance to move in 24.2% of dogs, reluctance to jump in 17.2% and limping in 12.2%. Of the dogs that were reluctant to move, 69.5% had a turned or bowed leg ¹. Weather was the single most common reason owners gave (41.6%), ahead of health (37.7%). The authors point out that short legs keep a lightly furred belly close to hot, wet or cold ground ¹. Our hot and cold walks guide helps on those days.

These ones were. In the survey, 87.7% got at least an hour of exercise a day, most of them between one and three hours, and 93.4% had daily brisk walks of at least 15 minutes ¹. More than half ran off-leash every day, and nearly half took part in hunting activities with their owners. Dogs in homes with four or more dogs exercised the most, and older dogs less ¹. That's more than earlier surveys found, partly because this one counted all exercise, play included ¹. For how much your own dachshund needs, see our exercise guide.

A growth problem in the shinbone that bows the hind legs, so the dog looks bow-legged from behind. It happens when the growth plate at the lower end of the shinbone closes too early, so the bone grows unevenly ³. It can cause lameness and, in more severe cases, pain and later arthritis. Your vet can confirm it with x-rays. Mildly affected dogs are unlikely to need surgery, while severe cases may need a specialist ³.

How common is it? Dachshund Health UK says it's reported in under 1% of dachshunds but is probably under-reported, and its 2015 UK survey found one case in about 2,000 dogs ³. The Finnish figure of 6.9% is far higher, but the authors say it may be inflated, because the survey was advertised as part of a pes varus research project and suspected cases counted ¹. Only 2.7% of the Finnish dogs had been treated for a leg growth disorder, most often with surgery ¹.

A little, by the US standard. A lot is not. The American breed standard describes curved forearms that wrap around the chest, and says the front paws may turn very slightly outward, as long as both match ⁴. The international standard asks for front legs as straight as possible with feet pointing forward, and lists bowlegs, cow hocks and feet turning markedly in or out as severe faults ⁵.

Shape alone doesn't tell you whether a leg hurts. In a Finnish clinic study of 112 short-legged dogs, including 30 standard dachshunds, more wrist angling, more outward rotation and a poorly fitting elbow went with pain, lameness, stiffer joints or elbow arthritis ². The dachshunds had the least rotation of the three breeds, but more than a quarter had shoulder pain when examined ².

Keep them moving within comfort, and have any limp checked. The study can't say what helps, so treat these as sensible steps rather than tested ones.

• Know your dog's normal. Look at your dachshund from the front and from behind while it stands on a flat floor, and take a photo every few months so you can spot change.
• Keep walks going in bad weather, shorter if needed, since weather was the top reason dogs held back ¹.
• Choosing a puppy? Look at both parents standing and walking, and ask about leg problems in the line. The authors call for breeding toward straighter, more normal legs ¹.