Germans are turning their backs on dachshunds, the short-legged, long-bodied ?sausage dogs? which are as much a national emblem as beer andlederhosen. The German Dog Association (VDH) says only 7,158 dachsund, or ?dackel?, puppies were born in the country last year and the birth rate has dropped by about 35% in the last decade. ?Dackels are in decline because German owners have a far wider range of breeds to choose from than they did 20 years ago?, said Birgit Buttner of the VDH. Golden retrievers, Labradors and Jack Russell terriers, relative newcomers in Germany, are the main threat to the beloved dachshund, she said. One of the country?s oldest breeds, the dachshund can be long, short, or wire-haired and is still Germany?s second most popular dog after the Alsatian.