How to Crochet an Adorable Dachshund Amigurumi Keychain: The Ultimate Sausage Dog Pattern Guide

If you’ve ever wanted to carry a tiny, squishy wiener dog with you everywhere you go, you’re in the right place. This dachshund crochet pattern is designed for crafters who love combining practicality with personality — the result is a miniature sausage dog amigurumi that works beautifully as a keychain, bag charm, or standalone toy. Whether you’re a seasoned amigurumi maker or someone who’s tackled a few basic projects and is ready for something with a little more character, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know to make your own crocheted dachshund from start to finish.

Dachshunds are one of the most beloved dog breeds in the world, and it’s not hard to understand why. With their long, low bodies, floppy ears, and expressive eyes, they have a uniquely charming silhouette that translates surprisingly well into the amigurumi style. This pattern captures all of that personality in a compact, keychain-friendly size that makes it a wonderful handmade gift or a satisfying personal project.

Let’s get into it.

Why Crochet a Dachshund Amigurumi?

Amigurumi — the Japanese art of crocheting or knitting small stuffed toys — has exploded in popularity over the past decade, and for good reason. The technique is relatively accessible to beginners, deeply satisfying to complete, and produces results that are genuinely impressive to anyone who sees them. Within the world of amigurumi, dog patterns are consistently among the most popular, and the dachshund stands out as a particularly iconic choice.

The elongated body of the sausage dog gives this pattern a slightly different construction than your typical round amigurumi animal. Rather than working from a sphere outward, the dachshund’s body is worked in an oval or elongated tube shape, which teaches skills that transfer beautifully to other animal patterns. Making a keychain version also introduces you to the joy of miniature amigurumi, where the challenge is to pack maximum cuteness into minimal yarn.

Beyond the technical appeal, dachshund keychains make incredible gifts. They’re personalized, handmade, and will make any dachshund lover absolutely melt. If you know someone who has a red smooth-coat dachshund, you can make this pattern in a warm rust red. If their dog is a long-haired black and tan, choose your yarn colors accordingly. The customization potential is enormous.

Materials You’ll Need

Before you dive into the pattern itself, gather your supplies. Because this is a keychain-sized project, you won’t need much yarn at all — this is a fantastic stash-buster and a great project for using up those tiny balls of yarn that are too small for a bigger project but too lovely to throw away.

Yarn: You’ll need a small amount of DK or sport weight yarn in your chosen dachshund color. Common color choices include red/tan, chocolate brown, black and tan, or dapple (a marbled mix). For the keychain size, you’ll only need about 20–30 yards of your main color and a few yards of a tan or cream color for the chest and face markings if you’re making a tan-point dachshund. Some crafters prefer fingering weight yarn for an even tinier result — just adjust your hook size accordingly.

Crochet Hook: A 2.5mm or 3mm hook works well for DK weight yarn in this pattern. If you go down to fingering weight, try a 2mm hook. The goal is to work tightly enough that no stuffing shows through your stitches.

Safety Eyes: Two 6mm black safety eyes are perfect for the keychain size. If you’re making this for a small child, embroider the eyes in black yarn instead, as safety eyes can pose a choking hazard for young children.

Polyfill Stuffing: A small amount is all you need. The dachshund should be firm but not overstuffed — you want it to hold its shape without feeling like a little rock.

Tapestry Needle: For sewing pieces together and weaving in ends.

Stitch Markers: These are helpful for keeping track of the beginning of your rounds.

Keychain Ring and Jump Ring: A simple split ring keychain hardware piece, available at any craft or hardware store, is all you need to turn this toy into a wearable charm.

Optional: A small piece of brown or black embroidery thread for adding a nose and any facial details you want to embroider.

Abbreviations and Stitch Guide

This pattern uses standard US crochet terminology.

MR — Magic ring (also called a magic circle)
ch — Chain
sl st — Slip stitch
sc — Single crochet
inc — Increase (two single crochets in the same stitch)
dec — Invisible decrease (insert hook into front loops of next two stitches, yarn over, pull through both loops, yarn over, pull through remaining two loops)
BLO — Back loop only
FLO — Front loop only
st — Stitch
rnd — Round

All rounds are worked in a continuous spiral unless otherwise stated. Use a stitch marker to mark the beginning of each round.

Understanding the Construction

Before you start crocheting, it helps to understand how the dachshund is built. The pattern is worked in separate pieces that are then assembled.

The body is the largest piece and is worked as an elongated oval rather than a simple sphere. The head is a slightly flattened oval shape that gives the dachshund its characteristic long muzzle. The four legs are small, stubby tubes worked in the round. The ears are flat teardrop shapes sewn to the sides of the head. The tail is a tiny tapered tube. Once all pieces are made, they’re sewn together, the eyes and nose are attached, and finally the keychain hardware is added.

Taking the time to understand the construction before you begin will make the assembly much easier and the finished result much more polished.

The Pattern

Body

Start with your main color yarn.

Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc into ring. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: Sc 1, inc repeat around. (18 sts)
Rnd 4–12: Sc in each st around. (18 sts — 9 rounds even)
Rnd 13: Sc 1, dec repeat around. (12 sts)

Begin stuffing the body firmly at this point. Continue to add stuffing as you close the piece.

Rnd 14: Sc 1, dec repeat around. (8 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Close the opening by weaving the tail through the front loops of the remaining stitches and pulling tight. Weave in the end securely.

Your body should look like a small sausage or elongated barrel — exactly the right shape for your miniature dachshund.

Head

Start with your main color yarn.

Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc into ring. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: Sc 1, inc repeat around. (18 sts)
Rnd 4–7: Sc in each st around. (18 sts — 4 rounds even)
Rnd 8: Sc 1, dec repeat around. (12 sts)

Insert safety eyes between rounds 5 and 6, approximately 4–5 stitches apart. If you’re embroidering eyes, do this after the head is complete and stuffed.

Stuff the head at this point, shaping it slightly to be a little flatter from top to bottom than a perfect sphere.

Rnd 9: Dec around. (6 sts)

Fasten off, close the opening, and weave in the end.

Muzzle

Using tan or cream yarn (or your main color if you prefer a single-colored dachshund):

Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc into ring. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3: Sc in each st around. (12 sts)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing. Lightly stuff the muzzle or leave it unstuffed for a flatter look — both approaches work well. Sew the muzzle onto the lower front of the head, centered, spanning rounds 4 through 6 approximately. Embroider a small oval nose in black or brown at the top of the muzzle.

Legs (Make 4)

Using your main color:

Rnd 1: MR, 6 sc into ring. (6 sts)
Rnd 2: Inc in each st around. (12 sts)
Rnd 3–5: Sc in each st around. (12 sts — 3 rounds even)
Rnd 6: Dec around. (6 sts)

Lightly stuff the leg. Fasten off and close the opening. You can leave the end open instead and sew it directly to the body — either method works. The front legs should be slightly shorter in final placement than the back legs to help the dachshund look natural, though all four are worked the same way.

Ears (Make 2)

Using your main color or a slightly darker shade for contrast:

Ch 2.
Row 1: 3 sc in second chain from hook. (3 sts)
Row 2: Ch 1, turn. Inc, sc 1, inc. (5 sts)
Row 3: Ch 1, turn. Sc in each st across. (5 sts)
Row 4: Ch 1, turn. Dec, sc 1, dec. (3 sts)
Row 5: Ch 1, turn. Sc3tog. (1 st)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail. The ear should look like a small, slightly rounded teardrop. Sew the flat top edge of each ear to the sides of the head, positioning them so they drape forward and downward slightly, just above and slightly behind the eye placement. This drooping position is key to capturing the dachshund’s characteristic look.

Tail

Using your main color:

Rnd 1: MR, 4 sc into ring. (4 sts)
Rnd 2–5: Sc in each st around. (4 sts — 4 rounds even)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Leave the tail unstuffed or stuff very lightly. Sew to the back end of the body. You can shape it to curve slightly upward if you like.

Assembly

This is where your dachshund really comes to life. Take your time with assembly — the positioning of the pieces makes all the difference in the final appearance.

Start by sewing the head to one end of the body. Position it so the muzzle faces forward, and the head sits slightly on top of the body rather than simply in front of it. Use a generous number of stitches to make the join secure, since this is a keychain that will experience some movement and stress over time.

Next, attach the ears to the sides of the head. Fold them very slightly to give them a gentle curve and pin them in place before sewing to get the positioning right.

Attach the front two legs to the underside of the body, roughly one third of the way back from the head. The back two legs attach about two thirds of the way back from the head. When you position the legs, angle them slightly outward rather than straight down — dachshunds have a distinctive low, wide stance, and capturing this in your amigurumi gives it an immediately recognizable silhouette.

Sew the tail to the back end of the body opposite the head, curving it slightly upward.

Finally, if you haven’t already done so, embroider the nose onto the muzzle using a few small straight stitches worked in a small oval or triangular shape. You can also embroider eyebrow dots above the safety eyes in a tan or cream color if you’re making a tan-point dachshund — this tiny detail adds enormous character.

Attaching the Keychain Hardware

Thread a length of yarn or a small piece of jewelry wire through the top of the dachshund’s body at the midpoint — right at the center of the back, between the shoulder blades, is a natural and balanced attachment point. Loop the yarn through a small jump ring, knot it securely, and then attach the jump ring to your keychain split ring.

An alternative method is to sew a small loop of yarn at the attachment point before you close up the body, leaving a sturdy loop to which you can attach the keychain ring directly. Either approach works well — the important thing is to make the attachment secure, since a keychain gets daily use and the connection point needs to hold up over time.

Color Variations and Customization

One of the most delightful aspects of this pattern is how easy it is to customize for different dachshund colorings.

For a red or tan smooth-coat dachshund, use a warm rust or golden-brown yarn throughout with no color changes. This is the simplest version and also one of the most striking.

For a black and tan dachshund, use black as your main color and switch to tan for the muzzle, the underside of the legs, and small dots above the eyes. You can sew these markings on as flat patches or embroider them after assembly.

For a chocolate and tan dachshund, the same approach as black and tan applies, but using a warm chocolate brown as your main color.

For a dapple dachshund, consider using a self-striping or marled yarn in appropriate colors, or hold two strands of slightly different shades together for a subtle mottled effect.

If you want to make a long-haired dachshund, you can use a brushed mohair or fluffy yarn for the ears and tail, giving them a feathered texture that mimics the characteristic silky coat of the long-haired variety. The body can be worked in regular yarn with the fluffier yarn reserved only for those longer-feathered areas.

Tips for the Best Results

Working tightly is the single most important technique tip for any amigurumi project. A looser gauge creates visible gaps in your work that allow stuffing to peek through and give the finished piece an unfinished look. When in doubt, go down a hook size.

Use a stitch marker consistently. In continuous spiral rounds it’s very easy to lose your place, and an off-by-one error can throw off your stitch count and distort the shape of your pieces.

Don’t skip the pinning step during assembly. Before you sew anything permanently, pin all your pieces in position and take a look at the dachshund from all angles. Small adjustments in positioning make a surprisingly large difference in how lifelike and charming the finished piece looks.

Stuff your pieces more firmly than you think you need to. Amigurumi tends to soften and compress a little with handling, and a firmly stuffed piece holds its shape much better over time.

When you close the opening of the body or head using the gather method, weave back through the stitches a second time before pulling tight for a much neater closure.

Making It a Gift

A crocheted dachshund keychain is one of those gifts that genuinely surprises people with how thoughtful and beautiful handmade work can be. If you’re making this as a gift for a specific person’s dog, try to match the coloring as closely as possible — the recognition factor when they realize it looks like their own dog is priceless.

Consider attaching a small handwritten tag noting that the piece is handmade, and if the recipient crochets or crafts, they might appreciate a note about the materials you used. You could package the keychain in a small gift box with tissue paper, or tie it to the gift with a ribbon. For a dog-lover who travels frequently, it also makes a wonderful luggage tag charm.

If you’re selling these at a craft fair or in an online shop, the dachshund amigurumi keychain tends to attract serious attention. Dog breed keychains are consistently popular in handmade markets, and the dachshund in particular has a devoted fan base. Consider making a small collection in different coat colors and displaying them together — the variety of color options showcases the versatility of the pattern and gives customers more to choose from.

Final Thoughts

There’s something genuinely special about making a tiny animal by hand. The dachshund amigurumi keychain is a project that combines just enough technical interest to keep an experienced crafter engaged while remaining approachable enough that someone relatively new to amigurumi can complete it successfully and be genuinely thrilled with the