Dachshund Crochet Pattern: Amigurumi Sausage Dog Keychain You’ll Absolutely Love Making
If you’ve been searching for the perfect small crochet project that combines cuteness, practicality, and that irresistible amigurumi charm, you’ve found it. This dachshund crochet pattern will guide you through creating an adorable sausage dog keychain from start to finish — whether you’re a beginner looking to try amigurumi for the first time or an experienced crocheter wanting a satisfying weekend project.
Dachshunds hold a very special place in the hearts of dog lovers everywhere. With their long bodies, short little legs, floppy ears, and expressive eyes, they’re one of the most recognizable and beloved dog breeds in the world. Turning that unmistakable silhouette into a tiny amigurumi keychain is every bit as fun as it sounds. Once you’ve made one, you’ll want to make a dozen more as gifts, bag charms, stocking stuffers, and holiday ornaments.
Let’s dive into everything you need to know — from materials and abbreviations to the step-by-step pattern itself.
Why You’ll Love This Amigurumi Dachshund Keychain Pattern
Before we get into the how-to, let’s talk about why this particular pattern deserves a spot in your project queue.
It’s small and quick. The finished keychain measures approximately 4 to 5 inches long, which means you can complete it in a single sitting or spread it across a couple of evenings. Unlike larger amigurumi projects that require hours of work before you see the finished shape, this little sausage dog comes together surprisingly fast.
It makes the most wonderful handmade gift. Keychain amigurumi are universally loved because they’re functional and adorable at the same time. Dog lovers, dachshund owners, and anyone who appreciates handmade crafts will treasure one of these. They’re also budget-friendly to make in multiples, which makes them perfect for craft fairs, school fundraisers, or giving to a whole group of friends.
It’s a great beginner-friendly amigurumi project. While amigurumi can look complicated, this dachshund keychain uses only the most fundamental crochet stitches — magic ring, single crochet, increases, decreases, and slip stitch. If you know those basics, you can make this pattern. Even if you’re brand new to amigurumi, the instructions below are written clearly enough to follow along.
It’s highly customizable. Dachshunds come in so many color varieties — classic tan or red, chocolate and tan, black and tan, dapple, piebald, cream, and more. You can easily adapt the yarn colors to match a specific dog, which makes this pattern extra meaningful as a personalized gift for a dachshund owner.
Materials You’ll Need
Getting your supplies together before you start will make the whole process smoother. Here’s what you’ll need for one amigurumi dachshund keychain.
Yarn: You’ll need a small amount of worsted weight (size 4) yarn in your main color — typically a warm tan, chocolate brown, or reddish brown. You’ll also want a small amount of a darker contrasting color for the ears, paws, and saddle markings if you want to recreate the classic black-and-tan dachshund look. Alternatively, you can use a single color throughout for a simpler look.
Crochet Hook: A 2.5mm or 3mm crochet hook works best with worsted weight yarn for amigurumi because the tighter tension prevents the stuffing from showing through. If you find your stitches are too loose, size down. If you’re having trouble pushing the hook through, size up slightly.
Stuffing: A small amount of polyester fiberfill stuffing. You don’t need much for a keychain this size — even a small bag will last you many projects.
Safety Eyes: Two black 6mm safety eyes are ideal. If you’re making this for a child under three years old, embroider the eyes with black yarn instead of using safety eyes, which can be a choking hazard.
Keychain Ring: One split ring or lobster clasp keychain ring to attach to your finished dachshund. You can find these at craft stores, dollar stores, or online in bulk packs.
Yarn Needle: For weaving in ends and sewing pieces together.
Stitch Markers: Optional but helpful for marking the beginning of rounds.
Scissors: For cutting yarn.
Abbreviations Used in This Pattern
If you’re familiar with standard US crochet terminology, this section will be a quick refresher. If you’re newer to crochet, keep this list handy as you work through the pattern.
MR — Magic Ring (also called Magic Circle)
ch — chain
sl st — slip stitch
sc — single crochet
inc — increase (2 single crochets in the same stitch)
dec — decrease (invisible decrease: insert hook through front loops of next two stitches and complete as one single crochet)
BLO — back loop only
FLO — front loop only
st — stitch
sts — stitches
rnd — round
rep — repeat
All rounds are worked in continuous spirals unless otherwise noted. Do not join rounds with a slip stitch unless instructed.
Gauge
Gauge is not critical for amigurumi, but a consistent, tight tension is important to ensure your stitches are close together and the stuffing doesn’t peek through. Roughly, with a 3mm hook and worsted weight yarn, 5 stitches and 5 rows in single crochet should measure approximately 1 inch by 1 inch. If your tension is much looser than this, consider dropping down to a 2.5mm hook.
The Dachshund Crochet Pattern
Now for the fun part. This pattern is worked in pieces — the body, the head, the ears, and the legs — which are then assembled at the end. The long, tubular body is the most distinctive feature of any sausage dog amigurumi, so we’ll start there.
Body
The body is crocheted as a long tube, which is exactly what gives this dachshund its signature sausage shape.
Using your main color, start with a magic ring.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
Rnd 2: inc in each st around (12 sts)
Rnd 3: (sc in next st, inc in next st) rep around (18 sts)
Rnd 4: (sc in next 2 sts, inc in next st) rep around (24 sts)
Rnd 5–6: sc in each st around (24 sts)
Rnd 7: (sc in next 2 sts, dec) rep around (18 sts)
Rnd 8–16: sc in each st around (18 sts)
This long stretch of even single crochet rounds gives you the characteristic tubular body of a dachshund. Don’t skip any of these rounds — the length is part of what makes this keychain so recognizably sausage-shaped.
Rnd 17: (sc in next st, dec) rep around (12 sts)
Rnd 18: dec around (6 sts)
Before closing, stuff the body firmly with fiberfill. You want it to hold its shape well, so don’t be shy with the stuffing.
Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing. Close the 6 remaining stitches using your yarn needle and weave in the end.
Head
The head is worked separately and sewn onto the narrower end of the body.
Using your main color, start with a magic ring.
Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
Rnd 2: inc in each st around (12 sts)
Rnd 3: (sc in next st, inc in next st) rep around (18 sts)
Rnd 4–7: sc in each st around (18 sts)
Rnd 8: (sc in next st, dec) rep around (12 sts)
At this point, attach your safety eyes between rounds 5 and 6, spaced about 4 stitches apart. If you’re embroidering the eyes, you can do this after assembly.
Stuff the head firmly.
Rnd 9: dec around (6 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Close the remaining 6 stitches and leave the long tail to attach the head to the body.
Snout
The snout gives the dachshund its adorable doggy face and is worked as a small oval or rounded piece.
Using your main color, ch 4.
Rnd 1: sc in second ch from hook, sc in next ch, 3 sc in last ch. Working along the other side of the foundation chain: sc in next ch, 2 sc in last ch. (8 sts)
Rnd 2: inc, sc, 3 inc, sc, 2 inc (14 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing. Embroider a small nose using black yarn — a simple Y-shape or triangle works perfectly. Sew the snout to the front of the head, centered between the eyes and slightly below.
Ears
The long, floppy ears are one of the most important features of this amigurumi dachshund. They’re worked flat.
Using your darker contrasting color (or main color if making a single-color version), ch 5.
Row 1: starting in the second ch from hook, sc in each ch across. (4 sts) Ch 1, turn.
Row 2–6: sc in each st across. (4 sts) Ch 1, turn.
Row 7: dec, dec. (2 sts) Ch 1, turn.
Row 8: dec. (1 st)
Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing.
Make two ears. They should be elongated teardrop shapes. Sew them to the sides of the head, slightly above and behind the eyes, folding slightly at the attachment point so they hang naturally.
Legs
Each leg is a small, stubby tube — perfect for capturing the dachshund’s characteristically short limbs.
Using your main color (or a slightly darker shade for the paws):
Rnd 1: 6 sc in MR (6 sts)
Rnd 2–5: sc in each st around (6 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing. Do not stuff the legs — leaving them unstuffed helps them sit flat and look more natural when sewn onto the body.
Make four legs in total.
Tail
The tail is a tiny, tapered tube that curls slightly at the end.
Using your main color:
Rnd 1: 4 sc in MR (4 sts)
Rnd 2–4: sc in each st around (4 sts)
Fasten off, leaving a tail for sewing.
Assembly
This is where your dachshund really comes to life. Take your time with assembly — careful placement of each piece makes a huge difference in how the finished keychain looks.
Attach the head to the wider end of the body by aligning the two pieces and sewing in a circle all the way around. Make sure the snout and eyes are facing upward and forward.
Position the four legs — two near the front of the body and two near the back — with the opening of each leg facing downward. Sew each leg firmly in place. If you want your dachshund to sit or lie flat on a surface (rather than hang freely on a keychain), position the legs so that the bottoms all face the same direction.
Sew the tail to the narrow end of the body, curving it slightly upward before securing it.
If you want to add a saddle marking in the style of a black-and-tan dachshund, you can embroider this on the back using a darker yarn, or you can sew on a flat crocheted oval in a contrasting color over the back of the body before attaching the head.
Attaching the Keychain Ring
To turn your amigurumi dachshund into a proper keychain, you’ll need to attach the ring securely.
Cut a short length of yarn — about 4 to 6 inches — and thread it through the keychain ring. Then use your yarn needle to stitch this loop of yarn firmly to the top of the dachshund’s back, right between the head and the center of the body. Tie several secure knots and weave the ends into the body so they’re hidden and won’t come undone. Give it a tug to make sure it feels solid before you call it finished.
Alternatively, if you prefer a cleaner look, you can crochet a small chain of 4 to 6 stitches, slip stitch it into a loop, and attach the keychain ring through that loop before sewing the loop to the back.
Tips for the Best Results
Working amigurumi for the first time or just looking to level up your tiny crocheted animals? Here are some tips that will make your dachshund keychain look professionally polished.
Use stitch markers religiously. Continuous spiral rounds can get confusing quickly, and it’s very easy to lose track of where a round begins and ends. Marking the first stitch of each round prevents you from accidentally adding or losing stitches, which would distort the shape.
Stuff as you go for the body. When your body piece is still open, it’s easy to add stuffing a little at a time to check the firmness. Don’t wait until the last moment and try to stuff everything through a tiny hole — it’s much harder.
Close the magic ring tightly. Before you start crocheting into the magic ring, make sure you’ve pulled it as tight as possible so there’s no gap in the center. A loose magic ring creates a noticeable hole in the finished piece.
The invisible decrease makes a difference. A regular decrease can leave a slight bump or visible mark on the surface of amigurumi. The invisible decrease (working through the front loops only of two stitches) creates a much smoother, neater surface. Once you try it, you won’t go back to the regular method.
Block your ears. If your ears are slightly curling or stiff, lightly misting them with water and pinning them flat to dry will help them lie more naturally.
Color Variations to Try
One of the most enjoyable aspects of this dachshund keychain pattern is how easily it adapts to different color combinations. Here are a few ideas to inspire you.
A classic red or tan dachshund uses a single warm tan or rust-colored yarn throughout, with black embroidered details for the nose and eyes. This is the simplest color version and great for beginners.
For a black-and-tan dachshund, use black yarn for the body, legs, and ears, and switch to tan for the snout, eyebrow dots, inner ears, paw tips, and a small patch on the chest. The contrast is striking and very true to life.
A chocolate dachshund works beautifully in a rich medium brown with lighter tan accents — very warm and autumnal in feel.
For a dapple or merle effect, you can use a self-striping or variegated yarn that combines two colors naturally as you crochet, or you can carry two strands of yarn loosely and alternate them every few stitches for a speckled effect.
A cream or white mini dachshund makes an especially charming and delicate keychain that looks lovely with a tiny pink nose embroidered in soft pink yarn.
Gift Ideas and Ways to Use Your Dachshund Keychain
Once you’ve got your first one finished, you’ll quickly start thinking about all the ways you can give and use these little sausage dogs. They work beautifully as bag charms clipped to a tote, backpack, or purse. They’re delightful hanging from a rearview mirror. Attached to a set of house keys, they’re a conversation starter every single time.
They make thoughtful, personalized birthday gifts when you match the coloring to someone’s real dachshund. Grouped together in a little basket with some other dog-themed handmade items, they make a gorgeous gift for a dog-loving friend.
During the holiday season, swap out the keychain ring for a small jump ring and a piece of ribbon, and these instantly become ornaments for a dog-themed Christmas tree. You could also string several of them together for a whimsical garland.
Craft fair sellers consistently find that small amigurumi keychains are among their best sellers because of the low cost of materials, the speed of production, and the universal appeal. A
