With their comically long bodies, stubby legs, and soulful eyes, it’s no wonder that sausage dogs, or Dachshunds, have captured hearts all over the world.
Their unique and charming silhouette makes them an incredibly fun subject for artists of all skill levels.
Whether you’re a seasoned illustrator or just starting your drawing journey, learning how to draw a sausage dog can be a delightful and rewarding experience.
Many aspiring artists are drawn to the Dachshund’s distinct shape but can feel a bit stuck on how to get the proportions just right. It’s easy to make the body too short, the legs too long, or to lose that classic, confident posture that makes them so endearing.
The secret to capturing their essence isn’t about complex techniques; it’s about breaking down their lovable, low-rider form into simple, easy-to-manage shapes.
This guide is designed to take all the guesswork out of drawing a sausage dog. We will walk you through everything you need, from understanding their basic anatomy to a detailed, step-by-step tutorial that anyone can follow.
By the end, you’ll be able to sketch an adorable Dachshund full of personality and charm. So, let’s grab our pencils and get ready to bring this wonderful “wiener dog” to life on paper!
Table of Contents
Understanding the Unique Anatomy of a Sausage Dog
Before we put pencil to paper, let’s take a moment to appreciate what makes a sausage dog look like a sausage dog. Understanding their key features will make the drawing process much more intuitive and your final result far more realistic and characterful.
The Famous Long Body and Short Legs
The most defining characteristic of a Dachshund is, of course, their long body and short legs. This is a result of a form of dwarfism called chondrodysplasia.
- The Body: Think of their torso as a long, stretched-out oval or a tube. It’s muscular and surprisingly sturdy. When drawing, the key is to get this length right in proportion to their height. It should be significantly longer than it is tall.
- The Legs: Their legs are very short but powerful. They are not perfectly straight sticks; they have defined joints at the elbow and knee, giving them a slightly bowed appearance, especially the front legs.
- The Chest: Dachshunds have a deep, prominent chest that gives them a proud and confident stance. When drawing a side view, this deep chest is a crucial feature to include.
Key Facial Features
A Dachshund’s face is full of expression and character.
- The Head and Snout: They have a long, tapered head that flows smoothly into a slender snout. There isn’t a sharp “stop” between the eyes like in some other breeds.
- The Ears: Their ears are one of their most beloved features. They are long, soft, and floppy, set high on the head and framing their face beautifully.
- The Eyes: Dachshunds often have almond-shaped, dark eyes that convey a great deal of intelligence and emotion.
By keeping these key anatomical features in mind—the long body, short legs, deep chest, and expressive head—you’ll be better equipped to capture the true spirit of the sausage dog in your drawing.
Gathering Your Drawing Supplies
You don’t need a professional artist’s studio to create a wonderful drawing. A few basic, quality tools will be more than enough for this project.
Pencils for Every Stage of the Drawing
Having a small range of graphite pencils will give you the versatility to create both light sketches and rich, dark shading.
- An HB Pencil: This is your standard, middle-of-the-road pencil. It’s perfect for laying down the initial light sketch and basic outlines. Its lines are dark enough to see but light enough to erase easily.
- A 2B or 4B Pencil: These softer pencils produce darker lines and are excellent for refining your outlines and adding the first layers of shading.
- A 6B or 8B Pencil: These very soft pencils are used for creating the darkest shadows and details, such as in the eyes or nose. They help make your drawing “pop.”
Paper and Other Essential Tools
The right surface and a few extra tools will make your drawing process cleaner and more enjoyable.
- Drawing Paper: A smooth to medium-textured paper is ideal. Bristol board or any good quality sketchbook paper will work well. A very smooth surface is great for clean lines, while a little bit of “tooth” (texture) can be nice for shading.
- Kneaded Eraser: This soft, pliable eraser is an artist’s best friend. You can mold it into a fine point to lift out small highlights or erase tiny mistakes without smudging.
- Blending Stump or Cotton Swab: This tool is used for smudging and blending your graphite to create soft, smooth shading and gradients. It helps you move beyond simple lines to create a more realistic, three-dimensional look.
- Black Fineliner Pen (Optional): If you prefer a clean, illustrative, or cartoonish style, you can use a fine-tipped black pen to go over your final pencil lines.
With your creative toolkit ready, let’s start sketching our adorable sausage dog!
How to Draw a Sausage Dog: An Easy Step-by-Step Guide
We’re going to draw a classic side profile of a sausage dog. This view is perfect for showcasing their iconic long body. Remember to draw very lightly with your HB pencil for the first few steps.
Step 1: Sketching the Basic Body Shapes
The secret to drawing any animal is to break it down into simple geometric shapes. We’ll start with two circles and an oval.
- Draw the Chest Circle: Lightly sketch a medium-sized circle. This will represent the front part of the dog’s body—its chest and shoulders.
- Draw the Hindquarters Circle: To the right of the first circle, draw a second, slightly smaller circle. The distance between these two circles will define the length of your dog’s back. For a sausage dog, make sure there’s a good amount of space between them.
- Connect the Circles: Draw two smooth, slightly curved lines to connect the tops and bottoms of the two circles. You should now have a long, bean-like shape that forms the main torso of your sausage dog. This is the most important step for getting that classic “wiener dog” look!
Step 2: Adding the Head and Tail
Now let’s give our sausage dog a head and a tail.
- Draw the Head: On the left side of the chest circle, sketch a rounded, slightly tapered oval for the head. It should be positioned towards the top of the chest circle and pointing slightly upwards.
- Add the Snout: From the front of the head oval, draw a rounded rectangular shape for the snout. It should flow smoothly from the head.
- Sketch the Tail: From the back of the hindquarters circle, draw a long, curved line for the tail. It should be thick at the base and taper to a point. Dachshund tails are often held confidently, so a gentle upward curve looks great.
At this point, you have the complete basic silhouette of your sausage dog. It might look a bit like a collection of shapes, but the recognizable form is already there.
Step 3: Drawing the Legs and Ears
Now it’s time to give our sausage dog its famously short legs and floppy ears.
- Draw the Front Legs: Underneath the chest circle, draw two short, slightly bent lines for the front legs. Remember, they are not straight sticks. Add a small oval or circle at the bottom of each line to represent the paws. One leg will be slightly behind the other.
- Draw the Back Legs: Underneath the hindquarters circle, draw the back legs. The back legs have a more pronounced bend at the knee (the “hock”). Sketch a shape that looks a bit like a lightning bolt or a soft “Z” shape. Add paws at the bottom.
- Add the Ears: On top of the head shape, draw a large, floppy ear. It should be a long, rounded “U” shape that hangs down and frames the face. Since we are in a side view, you might only see one ear clearly, with perhaps just the tip of the other peeking out from behind the head.
Your sketch is now starting to look much more like a real dog! Go ahead and erase the initial circles and overlapping lines inside the body to create a single, clean outline.
Step 4: Refining the Details and Adding the Face
This is where your drawing comes to life. We’ll add the facial features and refine the overall shape.
- Refine the Outline: Go over your entire outline, smoothing the connections between the shapes. Add a slight curve to the back and a deep curve for the chest to give your dog that proud stance.
- Draw the Eye: Place a small, almond-shaped eye on the head. A good position is about halfway up the head, where the main head oval meets the snout shape.
- Add the Nose: At the very tip of the snout, draw a small, rounded triangle or a circle for the nose.
- Draw the Mouth: Just below the nose, draw a simple line for the mouth. A slight upward curve at the end will give your dog a happy expression.
- Add Paw Details: Add small curved lines to the paws to suggest toes.
Now, take your 2B or 4B pencil and carefully go over the final lines you want to keep, making them darker and more confident.
Step 5: Shading and Final Touches
This final step adds depth and dimension to your drawing, making it look three-dimensional.
- Add a Light Source: Decide where your light is coming from (e.g., the top left). This will tell you where to put your shadows (on the bottom and right side of the dog).
- Shade the Body: Using the side of your 2B pencil, lightly shade the underside of the dog’s belly, the parts of the legs that are turned away from the light, and under the ear.
- Use a Blending Stump: Take your blending stump or a cotton swab and gently smudge the shaded areas to create a soft, smooth effect.
- Add Dark Details: Switch to your 6B pencil. Fill in the eye, leaving a tiny white dot as a highlight to make it look shiny and alive. Fill in the nose, also leaving a small highlight.
- Add a Ground Shadow: To make your dog look like it’s standing on something, add a small, dark shadow on the ground directly beneath its paws.
- Final Review: Step back and look at your drawing. Do any areas need to be darker? Do any lines need to be cleaned up with your eraser? Make any final adjustments until you are happy with your finished sausage dog.
Congratulations! You’ve successfully followed the steps for how to draw a sausage dog. By starting with simple shapes and building up details, you’ve created a charming and accurate portrait.
Tips for Drawing Different Sausage Dog Poses
Now that you’ve mastered the side view, you can use the same principles to draw sausage dogs in other fun poses.
The “Play Bow” Pose
This is a classic pose where a dog stretches its front legs out and keeps its hindquarters in the air, signaling it wants to play.
- Start with the same two circles, but this time, place the front (chest) circle much lower than the back (hindquarters) circle.
- Draw the front legs stretched out forward from the chest circle.
- Draw the back legs standing tall under the hindquarters circle.
- Connect the shapes to create the body, which will now have a steep, playful slope.
The “Cute Sit” Pose
Drawing a sitting sausage dog is a great way to show off their long ears and sweet face.
- Start with an oval for the head and a larger, pear-shaped oval for the main body.
- The back legs will be mostly tucked under the body. You can draw them as simple curved shapes on either side of the pear shape.
- The front legs will be straight, supporting the dog’s chest.
- The long back will be curved as the dog sits upright.
Adding Color and Texture
- Coloring: Dachshunds come in many colors—black and tan, red, chocolate, and dapple. You can use colored pencils or markers to bring your drawing to life. When coloring, follow the same shading principles, using darker shades for the shadowed areas.
- Texture: To suggest the texture of fur, use short, quick pencil strokes along the outline of the dog, especially along the back and tail. For a long-haired Dachshund, you would use longer, wavier lines, especially on the ears, chest, and tail.
Conclusion: Keep Practicing and Have Fun
You have now learned a complete, step-by-step method for how to draw a sausage dog. We’ve deconstructed their unique shape into simple building blocks, making the process fun and accessible for everyone. Remember, what once seemed like a challenging subject is really just a combination of circles, ovals, and lines.
The most important thing you can do now is to continue practicing. Don’t be discouraged if your first drawing isn’t perfect. Every artist starts with the basics, and every sketch you create is a valuable learning experience.
Try drawing Dachshunds you see in photos online or even your own pup if you have one. Experiment with different poses, expressions, and coat colors.
Keep this guide as a reference, but don’t be afraid to develop your own style. Drawing should be a joyful and relaxing activity.
Embrace the process, celebrate your progress, and most importantly, have fun creating art that pays tribute to one of the world’s most adorable and charismatic dog breeds. Happy drawing
