An expandable Origami Dachshund!

“Apparently that dog of hers joined you in the water.”
“Yes, that’s right, he took his dip with the rest of us. But what’s that got to do with it?”
“Wilbert Cream dived in and saved him.”
“He could have got ashore perfectly well under his own steam. In fact, he was already on his way, doing what looked like an Australian crawl.”
“That wouldn’t occur to a pinhead like Phyllis. To her Wilbert Cream is the man who rescued her dachshund from a watery grave. So she’s going to marry him.”
“But you don’t marry fellows because they rescue dachshunds.”
“You do, if you’ve got a mentality like hers.”
P.G. Wodehouse, How Right You Are, Jeeves

About the Origami Dachshund

One of the things that often surprises people that are new to origami is quite how specific you can be in origami design. As well as generic models like ‘dog’, ‘cat’, or ‘bird’, it is possible to come up with designs of individual breeds. This is not the first dog I’ve featured on this blog.  A while ago I reviewed Quentin Trollip’s Border Collie and I’ve also written about two origami husky models.

This origami Dachshund is designed by Yara Yagi. It’s a much simpler model, and something of a caricature, but the main characteristics are clear – a long body and short legs. It’s an action model as well, as you can squeeze and expand the body of the model – a bit like a concertina.

Folding the Origami Dachshund

This is a pretty simple design. It’s one that slightly older kids will be able make without much difficulty. I’d recommend trying it out first though before making it with children so that you can get the hang of collapsing the folds that make up the body, and the reverse folds in the head and tail.  (You can find some more easy origami models for kids here.)

Any paper will do. I’ve made the one in the picture from ordinary 15cm x 15cm (6in x 6in) kami or origami paper.  This produces a model that is between 9cm and 15cm (3.5in to 6in) long, depending on how much the body is expanded.

Ideally you want paper that is a different colour on each side to get a different colour at the end of the dog’s nose. It will take between ten and fifteen minutes to make this model.

Origami Dachshund Instructions

Leyla Torres has produced an excellent video showing how to fold this origami dachshund dog model, with the permission of the designer. The instructions are clear and the pace of instructions is perfect to fold along to.  More tutorial videos are available on her website.

Get Involved

I’d love to hear your views on this origami model.  Feel free to let me know what you think in the comments below, or you find can me on Instagram or Twitter. Check out my Pinterest boards too!

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