Paper artist with a self-made 3D papercraft dachshund made of copier paper - prototype of the paper model for DIY from Papershape

3D Papercraft Dachshund - Instructions, Template & Making-of

The idea for this 3D paper model came to me quite unexpectedly - sparked by a little illustration that caught my eye: A striped sweater, a red beret - worn by a dachshund. But to be honest: it wasn't the dog that inspired me. It was that light, French joie de vivre the outfit stirred in me. Très chic - and just so effortlessly easy.

Suddenly, I was right back in my very first trip to France.

My husband and I were camping by a lake, waking up to birdsong and easing into the day with a café au lait - a sip of coffee, the rest topped up with milk and water. Still to this day, that's how I think coffee should taste.

We spent our days reading, swimming, eating. In the evenings, we sat on wobbly camping chairs - maybe with a little glass of wine in hand.

It was simple. Light. Completely in the moment. And that's the feeling I wanted to capture - in paper.

I wanted to create a paper model that would be a reminder - for you and for me - of how beautiful life can be. A little 3D paper dachshund with a beret - to craft, to remember, to smile at.

Here you can find the template and craft kit for the dachshund.

Sneak Peek: The first prototype made of copy paper

3D model of a paper dachshund in Pepakura with digital crafting template - design for DIY paper art at Papershape

This is what the paper model looks like when I have cut it and distributed it over the printed pages. I'll spare you the details of this uncreative work. It's the part I would skip if I could.

3D paper dachshund DIY template by Papershape: cut-out papercraft parts with numbered flaps, prototype made of copy paper, scissors on white crafting table

Before I start with colours, details and the "right" paper, I build almost every papercraft model as a prototype first - quite simply from copier paper. No decoration, no patterns - just the shape, the surface and the crafting feeling matters.

Close-up of the paws of a 3D paper dachshund made from copy paper - crafting template with numbered tabs to make yourself from Papershape.

When I build the model with the paper, I immediately realise what's not quite right. With the dachshund, it was mainly the paws that were too fiddly at the first attempt - hard to grip, hard to glue. And the ears? They had to find a shape that not only looked good but was also easy to make.

Several 3D papercraft dachshunds made from copy paper - DIY craft templates with numbered tabs, prototypes from Papershape on a light-coloured background

The model as such is now complete - the body is in place and the dachshund is already looking really fancy out of the paper bowl. What's still missing are the fine details: the stripes, the red beret, a touch of rouge perhaps?

Instructions: How to make your 3d papercraft dachshund in low poly style

Materials needed

20 letter cardboard in three different colours (up to 230g/m²)
Glue
Scissors
Ruler
Awl
Cutting mat

1.For this cool DIY project, first print out the PDF template on a piece of cardboard of your choice or order the complete kit with craft sheets in our shop. Now let your fingers meditate a little: use scissors or a cutter to cut out the dachshund model along all the solid lines.
2.Take an awl or something sharp so that you can pre-fold all the dotted lines. I like to use a ruler and awl so that the paper edges don't break when I fold them. It just looks nicer :)
3.Place the piece of paper in front of you so that you can see the numbers and letters. Fold the short dotted lines inwards, i.e. towards you (valley fold).
4.Fold all the long dotted lines outwards, i.e. away from you (mountain fold).
5.Apply glue to the tabs and connect the matching pairs of numbers. I like to use photo glue for this, as drops of liquid glue often accidentally run over the edge. It also keeps your hands clean and there's no risk of smearing glue on the outside of your paper sculpture. Start with the flaps with the number 1 on A and B and then work your way through in the order 2, 3, 4 and so on.
6.Those of you who prefer to recreate my French paper dachshund Colette, you will need this step now. You glue the "trés chic overall" onto the almost finished paper animal. You do this by sticking on the paper strips as shown in the PDF template.
7.The paper part of the dachshund's tail is glued together at the very tip. It's best to take an awl and drive it into the top to press the photo glue onto the top. Simply cut off any excess photo glue.
8.We give Mademoiselle Colette the finishing touch with a red low poly beret from paper.
9.Voilà! Your paper art is finished: a real papercraft dachshund in a French jumpsuit - trés chic :)