Added November 2026

A difficult announcement from Rabbit Dachshunds Australia 💔

Since 2020, I have dedicated an enormous part of my life to breeding Kaninchen / Rabbit Dachshunds in Australia.

I was the first breeder to import Rabbit Dachshunds into Australia, and my imported dogs became the first Kaninchen / Rabbit Dachshunds to receive ANKC pedigrees.

I also initiated the process of having this variety officially recognised in Australia. I still have all the correspondence and emails from the very beginning of that process with the ANKC. 

But for me, this has never simply been about having puppies to sell.

Being a medic myself and a dog lover, I absolutely loved breeding these tiny babies and the birthing process itself — some weighing only around 100 grams at birth — watching them grow, caring for them and putting so much time and love into giving them the best possible start in life.

Every puppy was raised with Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS) and the Puppy Culture program, because I wanted to send puppies to their families who would grow into confident, well-adjusted dogs that their families could be proud of.

Over the years, I have done everything I could to promote and establish this rare breed in Australia. And I realise that, in doing so, I have also opened the door for other breeders - you are welcome, guys 🤗 Today, there is more interest in Rabbit Dachshunds, and I know that my work since 2020 played a big part in creating that interest.

But now I have reached a very difficult point.

I have been through several situations that have led me to seriously consider temporary or permanently closing my breeding program. 

Throughout my breeding years, I carefully selected the best dogs I could find, and my girls had only 1-3 litters during their breeding careers. 

I followed the ANKC Code of Conduct and ethical breeding principles throughout my program, even though I am not a registered breeder. And I strongly believe that responsible breeding ultimately comes from the breeder themselves. No government body can replace personal responsibility, ethics and the willingness to put the dogs’ wellbeing before profit.

I no longer have breeding girls, only boy.

The current crisis and the extremely high costs involved in importing dogs also make me question whether I will be able to import breeding dogs in near future. Finding the right dogs — healthy, genetically sound and truly worthy of continuing the breed — is incredibly difficult. I have never wanted to simply import any dog just to continue producing puppies.

I will not be closing my Instagram and FB pages. 

My puppy families mean a lot to me. I am still in contact with many of them, we continue to message each other, and they know they can always message me with questions or ask for advice. That will not change.

I am very proud of what I have achieved since 2020, proud of every puppy I have raised, and most of all, grateful to every family who trusted me with one of my little babies.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey. ❤️🐾

Whatever the future holds, the love and dedication I have put into Rabbit Dachshunds in Australia since 2020 will always be a part of their history.

​

      Rabbit Dachshund Australia is an ethical kennel and the first to introduce true Kaninchen (Rabbit) dachshunds to Australia in 2020, helping establish recognition of the breed through ANKC.
      We specialise exclusively in imported European bloodlines, breeding health-tested smooth-haired Kaninchen dachshunds true to size and bred to ANKC standards.
Every puppy is raised using Early Neurological Stimulation (ENS), Puppy Culture, and advanced socialisation programs to ensure confident, emotionally stable, and well-adjusted companions.

​

​Our Story

      The story began many years ago, when I dreamed of a dog that would stay truly small.
During a family trip to Europe, I saw a tiny dachshund — she was six years old and no bigger than a puppy. I couldn’t believe a dachshund could be that small. That was my first introduction to the Kaninchen Dachshund, the smallest of all three dachshund varieties.

When I returned home to Sydney, I began searching for this tiny breed. After months of research, I discovered that Kaninchen dachshunds did not exist in Australia. That was the moment I decided to change that.

      Today, the Kaninchen (Rabbit) Dachshund is officially recognised in Australia through ANKC.
The journey was long, complex, and costly — but we did it.

All of our breeding dogs are now registered with ANKC and hold main pedigrees, as well as their original FCI pedigrees from Europe. We work only with imported, purebred bloodlines from respected international kennels.

​

Rabbit vs Miniature Dachshund

I often hear from people who tell me they have purchased a “Kaninchen/Rabbit Dachshund” in Australia simply because their puppy is very small.

There is an important difference between a true Kaninchen Dachshund and a very small or undersized Miniature Dachshund.

A Kaninchen is not determined simply by how much a dog weighs,

it should weigh up to 4 kg. The chest circumference is what determines the size category, not the weight itself or how tiny it looks. The chest size should be up to 32 cm for male and up to 30 cm for female measured at 15 months old, when the dog becomes fully grown adult.

A small puppy can simply be the runt of a litter. While some runts grow into perfectly healthy adults, being unusually small can sometimes be associated with underlying health or developmental issues. This is why you should always look beyond the puppy itself and look carefully at the parents and their pedigrees.

And an important point: two Miniature Dachshunds cannot simply produce a Kaninchen because their puppy happens to be very small. Size is inherited through appropriate breeding lines and selection, not created by choosing the smallest puppy in a litter.

True Kaninchen breeding in Australia is extremely limited. The correct breeding dogs have had to be imported because Australia has very few genuine Kaninchen breeding lines. There are only few breeders working with this size, and even fewer breeding specifically for puppies rather than primarily showing.

Importing suitable breeding dogs, health testing, establishing breeding lines and maintaining a responsible breeding program involves a significant investment. Kaninchen litters are also small —  only 2–4 puppies.

This is also why a genuine Kaninchen puppy is not comparable in price to an unusually small Miniature Dachshund.

So if you are looking for a genuine Kaninchen, don’t choose based on weight, appearance or a label in an advertisement alone.

Look at the parents. Look at the pedigree. Ask questions.

A tiny puppy is not automatically a Kaninchen!​

​​​

Follow us on Instagram:
@rabbit_dachshund_australia

or Facebook

Kaninchen Dachshund Australia