Dog of the Day: Basil the Dachshund/Labrador Retriever Puppy

Well, the fella I found walking this little guy was sure about the dachshund part of him, but the other half was unknown. And since I only got a couple of decent pictures (all the rest were spoiled by a lousy camera and a hyperkinetic puppy!) Autumn had a tough time with him. She finally hazarded a guess that he might be half Labrador retriever, though, and since that was the first thing I came up with (but had a tough time believing, size-wise), I’m going with that.

That said, though, it does raise a couple of intriguing questions. First, how big is this guy going to get? A standard dachshund actually isn’t all that small a dog, really: they average 15 to 28 lbs. And a lab is 55 to 80 lbs on average. Is this little guy really going to grow up to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 45 pounds? Alternatively, if he’s really half Lab, and he’s going to be little (20 lbs or so), doesn’t that make him more probably half miniature dachshund, half Lab? And if so… how? The mind boggles.

One more picture, after the break. (PS: I love the name Basil… Basil Woofbone, maybe? Rawfbone?)

Half-dachshund, half labrador retriever puppy

Wiggly puppies are the best kind. And they don't get a lot wigglier than dachshunds, or half-dachshunds in this case.

Dachshund/Labrador Retriever puppy

He seems to like looking at this tail. 'sokay, I like looking at it too. Especially the little poof of hairs on the end of it.

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61 Responses to Dog of the Day: Basil the Dachshund/Labrador Retriever Puppy

  1. Kameron says:

    My partner let me know about the awesome pictures you took of our dog as he was taking Basil to work on Friday. Actually, Basil is a girl. We also have the assumption she is half lab, but are not 100% sure since we just adopted her 2 weeks ago from Wonderdog Rescue but they don’t know too much about her background. Thanks for highlighting our little pup ๐Ÿ™‚

    • Brittany says:

      I went to Kentucky with my boyfriend to his farm, and we went to go get breakfast one morning but got lost.. Driving down this road not knowing where we were going a cute little black bundle of joy runs out of the bushes towards us so we stop the car and he jumped right into our car and started loving on me. His ribs were showing and he was so filthy. We knocked on all the nearby houses but nobody claimed him, so of course we had to help the little guy out and give him a bath and some food! His new name is Bo, and he looks IDENTICAL to Basil, except his toes have white on the tips and he has a white line down his chest. I wasn’t sure what type of dog he was but the vet had told me he was probably a Dachshund/Lab mix, so I just went online to search for pictures of this type of dog and came across Basil.. I had to study the picture because a part of me was wondering if that was my dog, Bo, with his previous owners but then realized Basil didn’t have white on the toes!! By far the most appreciative, well mannered, cuddly dog I’ve ever encountered. He is the greatest blessing! I have so many pictures of him, if you would like to see, but I’m just not familiar with how to put them on here..

      • Brittany says:

        well I meant to make my own post not reply to this specific persons post…. sorry I’m new to this!!

      • Adam Lang says:

        Sounds completely adorable! Dachshund/Lab is a great mix, generally friendly and happy and a little more compact than a full Lab.

        If you want to post pictures, I’d love to see them. The best way is to post them on imgur ( http://imgur.com ) via the ‘upload images’ link near the upper left hand corner, and then copy the links that you get back and paste them into a comment here. That way everyone who visits the page can see them. (And this is by far the most commented-on page on my blog, so you can be sure a lot of people will be looking at them. ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. alang says:

    Ah, sorry, she’s a she! Well, she’s a really adorable girl. I hope I run into her again on the way to work.

  3. Anne says:

    We saw a dachshund mix on a rescue site who came in with two siblings. Mom was a doxie, dad was supposedly a doxie, so someone’s got some ‘splaining to do, because this one little pup was TALL, but, amusingly, still thought he was teeny and not unlike his sibs and fosters in any way.

  4. Adam Lang says:

    Hah, awesome. I hear dogs can have a single litter with more than one father… sounds like someone snuck out for some fun one evening…

  5. Regina says:

    I know this is an old post, but I got my own Dachshund/Lab pup that recently turned a year old and looks just like Basil! He’s tapered out at about 18lbs. He was a ‘free puppies in a box’ rescue a friend picked out and gave to me. The lady with all the puppies said the mom was the dachshund and the dad was suppose to either be a lab or a cockerspanial. I have no idea how that happened.

    I just find it interesting how all the dachshund/lab dogs I’ve looked up all look so much alike. You’d think there’d be more variations for such a generic mix.

  6. Adam Lang says:

    It’s a good question. I haven’t run into enough of these guys to say, yet. I’ll be keeping my eye out, now, though, now that you’ve pointed that out.

  7. Kim says:

    I know this is an older post, but HAD to reply! In November of 2010, we adopted a lab/doxie puppy who was 8 months old at the time. He’s full grown now and topped out at about 30 pounds. He looks just like a black lab that someone accidentally washed in hot water and shrunk. The only part of him that is REALLY doxie is his snout – it’s more slender than a lab’s, but not QUITE as long as a doxie. And, of course, his legs are a bit short, compared to similar-sized dogs. Everyone thinks he’s just a lab puppy.

    He’s really energetic, and LOVES to chew. He’s a delightful pup and is SO lovable. I wish we could have a dozen more just like him!

  8. Adam Lang says:

    Aww. Sounds like an awesome pup!

  9. Carter says:

    I know this is old, but I rescued a lab/dachshund puppy about 5 years ago. She is a alittle chunky at 32 lbs. But she is the SWEETEST dog. She looks like a long lab puppy, except for the grey in the face. I think the “labshund” as we call her in my house is my favorite breed. :0)

  10. Virginia says:

    Another revival! I have a 6mo old black lab mix that I’m pretty sure is part dachshund. She’s a little bit larger (25lbs already) but has a lot of doxie features (long, slightly short lab puppy, as someone mentioned above). What a joy she is – so smart, loving and friendly. We just adore her!!!

    • Adam Lang says:

      We here at DoSF have a soft spot for both dachshunds and Labs, so it only stands to reason that the combination would be something special. Give her a hug for us!

      • Virginia says:

        Aw thanks, I sure will! Actually I just showed these photos to my husband and daughter and they agreed she looks *just* like our sweet Lucy – oversize ears, tail and all. ๐Ÿ˜‰

  11. Adam says:

    The dog in this pic look just like my “daschador”,what we call him. His name is Dobey and is full grown and weighs in at about 28lbs. We rescued him from homeless pets foundation in Atlanta. Sweetest animal we’ve ever owned. I would recommend them to anyone who can find one. If anyone finds any for sale or adoption please let me know, I’d love for Dobey to have a twin friend. chrislewis522@yahoo.com. GO DASCHADORS!!

  12. april says:

    I have a doxie/lab mix she is 11 months old. She is close to 20 pounds now.. looks just like your pup except she has white on her chest and one paw. i love her to pieces.. she has such a personality

  13. Bill says:

    I have a dachshund lab mix. He is a red and black brindle mix. He weighs 52 pounds. We call him a Weiner Retriever. He is a wonderful dog.

  14. Elize says:

    My dachshund just had seven puppies. Very scared if she is going to make it. But she did. Mom and all seven puppies are fine. The father, a “Labrador” is watching over them. Looked up on the internet regarding this breed. Dachladors? Will follow the progress on them.

    • Adam Lang says:

      Congratulations! I’m glad everyone is okay!

      PLEASE post a link to some pictures of the puppies? I bet they’re adorable as anything.

  15. Susan says:

    I have one! Her name is Lucy she is a dashund and lab mix she’s black and white at 1 year and 7 months she weighs 24 pounds she is very smart! Just like a lab, I describe her as my lab with short legs.

    • Adam Lang says:

      Does she have the tiny little poof of hairs at the tip of her tail? I need to know! For science!

      • Sonya says:

        my pup has the poof of hairs on the tail! he is suspected to be a dachshund/black lab/shepherd mix (dachshund body, snout and wrigglyness, lab coloring, shepherd ears and “mane” around the neck). 2 of the other pups in his litter look like him, and weigh 20lbs. the other 3 have the same face with slightly more square, lab-looking snouts, and more lab looking legs. they weigh 40-45lbs. two pups in the litter, one of each “kind”, has a white blaze on the chest. most have some black spots on their tongues.
        we were just told “lab mix” from the rescue.
        love to see other little doxie lab mixes, theyre all too cute!

  16. Cindy says:

    My partner and I adopted a sweet doxador almost a year ago. She is black with a white chest blaze. She is the larger size of what I have read from these posts. She is 42 pounds of energy and love! She plays and plays and when she tires out she loves nothing more than being right under my feet as I work, or snuggled right up next to either of us in bed or on the couch. She is so joyful that you can’t help but smile at her!
    She has the little poof of hair at the end of her tail!

  17. Laurie says:

    I had a doxie/lab his name was Ockie because he was ockward looking.. He was the best natured dog ever seen so full of love raised in norn calf with duck hunting labs he thought he was big smile show his teeth to ya. I loved him w all my heart do anything find another1..dog is God backwards now angel in heven..

  18. Laurie wing says:

    Please contact. Me male black doxie,,/lab t nj anks laurie 530 282 8737

  19. Debbie B says:

    We just adopted a dog. the rescue told us he was lab/basset hound. this dog is 11 months old and he would be much bigger if that was the case. my is about 20 lbs. We looked further into it and found some paperwork from the original shelter he came from and they say lab/boarder collie/doxie. I believe it. this dog has short doxie legs a long body and a small lab face but is black and white so I can see the how the boarder collie got there. He’s short hair just like a lab/doxie. Wish I could attach a photo. He’s pretty funny looking.

    • Adam Lang says:

      Sounds awesome! If you ever put any pictures up on the web, drop a link in the comments here, I’d love to see them.

  20. Cassie says:

    I have been looking around trying to figure out what type of dog my little kimber is. when we got her we were told cho lab and possibly rot. now that i look at basil with out a doubt she is one in the same ๐Ÿ™‚ thank you for sharing this!

    • Adam Lang says:

      Awesome! Do you have any pictures of Kimber online? I regret not getting more pictures of Basil… he was really super-cute.

  21. Rebecca says:

    We just put our 16 year old black lab/dachsie mix down the other night. After 16 years of loyalty and wonderful behavior, his arthritis just got to be too painful. He was the sweetest,most gentle and friendly dog I have ever known..He was a gentle companion to our 8 year old dachsie. I can’t say enough good things about the doxie lab mix. Its like you get the kindness and loyalty of the lab and the playful,friendliness of the doxie.He was extremely gentle with children and other dogs.He was also the easiest dog to housebreak-1 week and he was trained. I miss him so much.

    • Adam Lang says:

      I’m so sorry to hear of your loss. It’s always tough losing a beloved pet/family member. But it sounds like you were lucky enough to have an amazing dog, and have him for a very long and happy life.

      Are any of his pictures online? If so, please do feel free to post a link or two in the comments. I’d love to see him.

  22. Barb says:

    I adopted what I was told to be a black lab/golden retriever mix. Everyone that see’s him says he is doxie/lab. Shortest stockiest little legs, black fur coat. How big do doxies get because he is 16 weeks old and 24#?

    Have had dogs my whole life but never a doxie. I’ve been reading alot about them and they seem very good natured. He’s wonderful with my golden retriever who is 3, they are best buds, He’s crate trained and house trained. Sweet personality

    • Adam Lang says:

      That seems like it’s a bit on the big side for a dachshund/Lab, but it’s not impossible: I’ve met dachshunds that were 30 lbs (and not even fat!) although that’s quite rare. And Labs can be pretty big… 90 lbs is not impossible. He could potentially get pretty big, though it’s very unlikely he’ll get much past 50-60 lbs if he’s a dachshund/Lab mix (and the average one is significantly smaller than that.)

      Most dachshunds are very nice dogs. All the ones I’ve met that weren’t were either very badly treated rescues, or were very poorly trained. (Any dog can end up being a nuisance if you never discipline him at all.) A dachshund/Lab or dachshund/golden would be a really great dog.

      If you have any pictures of your pup online, post a link or two here, and Autumn and I will take a look and make our best guesses.

  23. jenna says:

    I have what i believe to be a lab/dashund mix. I rescued her from the street. I recently had her spayed and they estimated her to be around 2 or 3 years old. She is fullgrown at 17lbs. All black except for a splash of white on the chest. So sweet and smart. She plays beautifully with our 7lb shih tzu. I am so in love with her!

  24. Jeff L says:

    We’re fostering one right now that looks like the one in your photo. We’re told she’s around 4 months old and a bit under 20 lbs, so she might get up to 35 to 40 lbs.

    Here’s a photo:
    https://scontent-a-lga.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t1.0-9/10590670_10152555663864526_3931961291321966870_n.jpg

  25. Karen says:

    I have a wonderful little pal. Her name is Mia. She is almost 2 years old, weighs 29 pounds. Her father is a silver lab, her mom 3/4 dachshund,1/4 chawawa. You can see pictures on my facebook …look up karen carman calcagno in Portland or. Im looking for another but hard to find that arent from puppy mill type breeders.

  26. Kat says:

    i possibly will be getting a puppy that is like basil, her name is pearl, but my dad thinks we should change it, i like Fitzy…if i can i will get her, but mom has to talk to dad… she got hit by a car and her nerves are damaged, so she drags one of her front paws, it might have to be amputated!!! ๐Ÿ™ i was just wondering how i could raise her though, if there are any special things i should do

    • Kat says:

      i also have a boston who recently was attacked and is 12 yrs old, he doesnt like other dogs, but fitzy/pearl is really calm, unlike most puppies. she let me carry her around for almost the entire day when i went to the farm she is at

    • Adam Lang says:

      Aww! That’s a good question, and I don’t know what the answer is. I’d probably talk to a good, experienced vet.

      But I can tell you that I’ve met a lot of three-legged dogs, and they were all happy and liked to play just as much as the four-legged kind.

  27. Michelle says:

    We just adopted a 7-month old pup from a rescue. Originally, we thought he was supposed to be dachshund/corgi, although we were a little confused because he looked like he had a little pit in him. After speaking to the foster mom, she believed him to actually be dachshund/lab…and the more I thought about that, the more I believed it. He is standing at 23 lbs now and I don’t expect him to grow any bigger. Let me know what you think. instagram.com/calvinbthedog

    • Adam Lang says:

      Aww! He’s totally adorable! I’m not sure he could be dachshund/Lab, though… his ears look like they’re half-up, and I’ve never seen a dog that came from two down-ears breeds have ears like that before. If I had to guess, I’d say he could easily be pit/dachshund or pit/Lab/dachshund… probably half dachshund and a quarter of the other two.

  28. TammyTheTech says:

    I recently got a five mo old girl puppy. And i took her cause i was told she was lap pup. Turns out sge looks an awful lot like these lab/dox my 4yr old lab is huge and she keeps up with his playing but but hes so big compared to her that she gets hurt sometimes. But they get aling great and we live her she definitely has the personality of the lab
    Ps.. My 4yr old male is Nitro. And the labdoxie. She is 5 n half mo old we named her Layla

    • Adam Lang says:

      Aww. You’re lucky. I’ve never run into a lab/dachshund mix that wasn’t wonderful to be around.

      I’ve found that usually bigger dogs often get the message and calm down a little bit in their play after the puppy gets hit too hard and yaps a couple times. Hope that works out for you, too!

  29. Mike Mize says:

    I have the coolest dog in the world and he looks like yours alot…I have pictures….His name is Henry

  30. MtnDogs says:

    Thanks to everyone for sharing. We wanted to adopt a lab puppy from a shelter. Our little girl is the result- but she’s definitely not just lab! We’ve been wondering what her other heritage was- narrow snout, skinny tail, long body, tiny paws. We think this page answers it! Dachador (recognized by AKC? LOL)! She’s funny, wiggly, smart, and INDEPENDENT. She will likely grow up thinking she’s a big dog even if she’s just 30lbs! We have a 100lb lab, an 85lb lab/pit, and a 75lb lab/shep. They are good big brothers to her and tolerate all her shenanigans!

    • Adam Lang says:

      Yay! Funny, wiggly, smart, and independent is my favorite kind of dog.And, well, I must admit to a secret delight in dogs who think they’re big but who are still small enough to hold in a lap without much overflow.

  31. Chris Stallings says:

    My daughter and I just adopted a dog at our local shelter in Houston, TX. Hermes was listed as a lab/German shepherd mix but I questioned that from the minute I saw him. After we got him home and have gotten to know him, I have noticed that he has many features of the lab we had (who recently died) but he also resembles my sister’s daschund in so many ways. I also don’t know of many 20″ high and 29″ long German shepherds/labs. I began doing some research and Basil is a spitting image of our Hemres–except Hermes has brown paws and some white and brown on his chest. I’m so glad I found this.

  32. John E Ratt says:

    I adopted a shelter dog, not knowing the mix, but after googling images of “lab dachshund” he is an identical match. He was 17.5 pounds at 5 months and finished (now 3 years old) at 42 pounds. At the dog park we constantly hear “he’s so cute”. He’s muscularly built like a little rhino, black with some dark brown along his sides, and a white patch on his chest. EXTREMELY smart and the perfect combination of playful, loving lab with tough and dedicated dachshund. I might have lucked out but I cannot imagine a better mix – if ever a dog should be cloned it is Mr. Brumby. Deep bark for an apparently small dog, only barks when someone approaches house or he sees other hikers on the trail. Forty two pounds is not small but his legs are shorter and muscle weighs more than fat so he’s not very voluminous. The only negative behavior is the (dachshund) possessiveness of sticks, balls, etc. – he dares other dogs, regardless of size, to take his stick, and he will defend it like a honey badger. I think we took care of that behavior after laying him flat on his back and reprimanding him harshly a few times but it still seems to be in his (tough dachshund) DNA. Pit bulls consistently attack him because when they sniff the pit bull wants dominance and Mr. Brumby won’t back down (whereas I think 100% lab would), resulting in repeated tangles, so now when I see a pit bull we just steer clear. Bottom line absolutely wonderful, loving, cute, lab-friendly, dachshund-tough dog strongly wired to bond with and please his owner.

    • Adam Lang says:

      Oh man. That sounds like a wonderful dog. 42 pounds, but with those short little powerful dachshund legs, though? He must be a holy terror to walk if he doesn’t want to go the same way you’re going.

      Also, I absolutely adore his name.

  33. Jennifer says:

    I have that exact black dog we think he is a mini dachshund black lab as well! he is only 18 lbs full grown at 4 years old!

  34. Erica Wallace says:

    I have a 3 year old dachshund mix she is about 20 lbs all black with white spot on toe . think she is mixed with lab or australian kelpie. How do I post photo of her?

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