The long sausage dog had it better back in 1972, living the high life and being sold by the thousand thanks in no small part to Waldi, the official Munich Olympic Games mascot.

Even after being mentioned in Florian Langenscheidt's 2006 book of 250 reasons to love Germany, the country's dachshunds have moved on to leaner times with just 7,300 being born in 2005 compared to 12,000 in 1996 and a whopping 28,000 pups in 1972.

A drop in whelp rates, however, isn't necessarily a bad thing, according to Dieter Honsalek, president of the World Teckel Union.

He said there is less danger of dubious dealers getting involved in breeding and selling the dogs when they are less popular. The average dachshund currently costs between 500 and 600 euros ($655 and $786).

Honsalek added that it was a dachshund's independence, and sometimes even stubbornness, that convinced him to have 15 of the dogs, careful to point out that not all dachshunds are the same.

Competition from abroad

Heavier dachshunds that can barely keep their stomachs from brushing the ground are members of an American breed and unlike slimmer German dogs that, at nine kilograms (19.8 pounds), weigh in a good five kilos less than their American cousins.

In addition to the American breed, the traditional German symbol is also facing competition from Denmark, where Prince Henrik, president of the country's dachshund society, dedicated a poem to royal sausage dog Evita: "I love to pet your fur / And see it fall smooth / You dear, you special dog."

Despite his professed love of the dachshund, which he said he would like to be if ever reincarnated, the dogs may still wish to keep out of Copenhagen for the time being. The prince also announced in May that he loved the taste of dog meat, likening it to slightly dry veal and adding that it tasted best when sauteed or grilled and cut into thin slices.

Birgit Bütter of the German Dog Association, however, said the German dachshund is getting on just fine.

"No one needs to worry about the breed," she said.