besides their long legs, the Dachshund breed is my favorite. I love especially Dachshund Colors. This is not the “I love them because of their cuteness” kinda interest. let me tell you why.
I recently wrote a blog post about interesting Dachshund facts. I also pointed out their poor track record during world war I. The American Kennel Club (AKC), rebranded them to try and redeem their popularity. Unfortunately, it didn’t work.
Their natural appeal to pet lovers and their lots of colors were a huge part of their success.
Dachshund shades and Colors
The dachshund breed uses a large range of appearances by combining different hair types, colors and patterns. Some colors and patterns can pose health risks. Let’s take a closer look.
Their different colors and all combinations are as a result not only visually pleasing, but also historical for the breed’s current status.
Continue reading to find out a lot more about these colors. You can also find all their color patterns, which I found fascinating.
Standard Dachshund Patterns and colors based on different Kennel Clubs
There are 15 Dachshund color options. These include black and cream and black and tan.
These shades come in six different patterns: brindle (dapple), sable (piebald), brindle-dapple (brindle), sable (brindle dapple), brindle dapple), sable (brindle dapple), brindle dapple), dapple sable (brindle dapple), and double dapple.
This section will go over which colors are recognized by the American Kennel Club, Canadian Kennel Club, United Kennel Club and Federation Cynologique Internationale.
Please note that color names can vary but still refer to the same shade.
Coat types of Dachshund
1. Smooth
The smooth-coated coat is the most popular among Dachshunds. Smooth coats must be shiny and sleek. There is still some fur density, which must feel soft and plush.
2. long Haired
Long-coated Dachshunds are characterized by long, flowing hair. Their coats are normally straight and slightly wavy with feathering running from their ears to their legs. This coat needs a lot more maintenance each day to keep it tangle-free and neat.
3. wire Haired
The wire coat is an older addition to the long- and smooth-coat varieties. Wire-haired dachshunds were created to be a lot more resilient to extreme conditions.
Their coat is rough and bristly. According to breed standard, they must be kept short all over the body and have a distinct eyebrow and beard.
Wire-haired breeds are hand-scraped to preserve colors and texture.
Dachshund Patterns and Colors
AKC divides dachshund color into three categories
One-Color
Two-Colored
Patterns
Two or a lot more colors can be grouped together in patterns. However, they have distinct attributes that allow us to additionally classify their appearance.
We would classify a dachshund as chocolate and Tan if it is mostly chocolate with Tan markings around the muzzle, eyebrows and legs.
If their coat is spotted, patched or striped with the same colors, we call it a chocolate Piebald Dapple, chocolate Piebald, or Brindle.
Identify the self-color first, then the pattern or secondary colors.
Comparison of Two-Colored coat and Pattern Coat
Tan and chocolate
Chocolate Dapple
One-Colored Dachshund
One-colored are classified under Red or Cream.
Red Dachshunds can range from a deep brownish-red shade to nearly yellow.
Cream Dachshunds have a light, blonde color with no reddish tones.
Red
Shaded Red
Cream
Shaded Cream
Red and shaded red
Shading is a combination of black hairs running down the back, ears and tail, which creates a minor darkened effect. This is also known as Overlay (and must not be confused with the Sable)
You also have the option of Diluted Red. This color is often called Fawn, Isabella or misidentified as Chocolate-Red.
We will go over the possible side effects of dilution on health. See Diluted Colours.
Two-Colored Dachsunds
Combination of two colors. This includes a dominant base color that runs throughout the body, as well as cream, tan or chocolate markings on the chest, legs, and ears. Black and Tan are the most popular combination.
Tan and black
Black and cream
Tan and chocolate
Tan and chocolate
Wild Boar
Blue and Tan
Luna’s owners supplied the blue and tan images
Two-colored coats are a combination of:
Black
Tan
Chocolate
Cream
White
Fawn (Isabella)
Grey (Blue).
Wild Boar & chocolate Boar
Wild Boar, a rare combination of colors, is still two-colored by default. It can only be found on wire-haired dogs.
The mixture of shades can be light, medium, dark, or nearly black. It is characterized by “agouti” hairs that have multiple colors.
Chocolate
The color of the nose is what defines a chocolate-colored two-colored coat. Their coat color is considered chocolate if their nose is darker than black (resembling a chocolate shade).
Common Two-Colored Combinations
Tan and black
Black and cream
Blue and Tan
Isabella and Tan
Chocolate and cream
Tan and chocolate
Wild Boar
Diluted Colors
Dilution is when an adult or litter pet dog is a carrier of a dilution gene ( Colour Dilution Alopecia or CDA), but it doesn’t affect all dogs.
Color Dilution is a genetic defect which affects the pigment and creates unusual colors in the hair shaft. This is normally used to produce:
Isabella / Fawn (Diluted Red)
Blue / Grey (Diluted Chocolate)
Blue and Tan
Some dogs may develop color Alopecia, which can cause permanent hair loss and hair follicle damage below the skin.
Although puppies will have a healthy coat and appear happy, dogs with hair problems will experience hair loss between 6 and 3 years. adult dogs that are unable to grow new hair may look patchy or completely bald.
Color Alopecia may also be present in adult dogs, but they do not have a diluted coat.
Patterns
Although pattern coats can come in any color combination, the special markings on them help us classify their coat type.
Black and Tan Piebald
Brindle Piebald
Red Piebald long Haired
Red Piebald (with ticking)
Red Sable
Chocolate Dapple
Silver Dapple
Silver Dapple Piebald
Black and Tan Brindle
Red Brindle Piebald
Red Piebald long thanks to ‘Pecans’ owners
Black and Tan Piebald
Misspells wrods
You may have observed that patterns can include multiple colors, markings and even multiple patterns.
Additional markings may include Overlay, Ticking or Striped.
Sometimes there is no evident pattern. However, they can be pattern carriers or have patterned pups. This is particularly crucial when breeding Dapples (See double Dapple).
Pattern coats consist Of:
Dapple
Double Dapple
Brindle
Sable
Piebald
Terms other Than
Ticking refers to colored spots or freckles among the patterns.
Striped is a particular brindle pattern which resembles tiger stripes (usually in red and black shades).
Dapple (Merle)
Dapple refers to a pattern that has irregular patches or splotches with dark pigment overlaid on top of a lighter one. You will a lot of often find a background of white, grey or brownish with patches of brown, black or tan on top.
There are lots of options for Dapple patterns that include Piebald, Sable and Brindle. You can also choose to have ‘Ticking and shading throughout your body.
Dappled Dachshunds (merle) – The dapple pattern can be described as areas of lighter color that contrast with the darker base color. This may be any color you choose. The dominant color must not be either the light or the dark.
Quick Quiz about Dachshunds
Which Dachshund might Be considered Merle or Dapple?
A dachshund with a tiniest bit of red on its body.
An adult puppy who was born with merle patches will grow up to be a solid-colored dog.
A pet dog with a tiny patch of merle in one ear.
Answer: All three are possible merle carriers
Dapple can be partially or fully evident and may only appear as a patch of hair with a discolored color. They can also appear solid colored but may have dapple parents.
In both cases, the pet dog will be considered dapple.
This distinction is crucial because you must never breed two Merle carriers. Otherwise, you will get what is known as a double Dapple (or double Melle).
Hidden Dapple
This pet dog is a dapple, whether you believe it or not. This puppy is a carrier because his parents were dapples. You must also pay attention to the tiny (but barely visible) black hair on his ear.
Double Dapple (Double Merle)
Two merle (dapple-carrier) carriers can breed their litter to become ” doubledapple”. They are a lot more at risk for health problems. often being born deaf, blind, or both.
It is as a result illegal to breed two merle gene carriers and it is considered inhumane.
Merle-bearing Merle must not be crossed to solid colored mates who aren’t known for being Merle.
Double Dapples are mostly white or very light in colour, with some merle patches. Blue eyes can be either one or both. The paw pads and nose may have a mottled, brownish or pink pigmentation.
Mistaken Identity
Double dapple is not a common dachshund color. This could be due to the piebald pattern, dilution gene or very light cream colors.
Double dapples might also have other signs such as blue eye, pink nose or pink eye rims.
Brindle
Brindle can be described as “tiger stripes” by lots of breeds and animals because it has similar markings, red-shaded stripes and black stripes.
Dachshunds come in two colors: Black and Tan Brindle or Red Brindle. The former is a lot more visible visually.
Wildboar must not be confused for brindle. Wildboar is similar in shading, but it is much lighter than Brindle. Brindle has a lot more stripes.
Although Brindle isn’t officially recognized by AKC, it’s still loved by pet owners.
Sable
The hair that is sable is black-tipped, while the rest of the hair turns into red (mostly). You can see lighter hair closer towards the skin if you take a look at the undercoat.
Shaders are not to be confused with shading. This is when black hairs mix with red or cream hairs.
Sable is multicolored single hairs. shading is multiple solid colors hairs on one coat.
Sable is not a condition that occurs on hairstyles with wire or smooth hair.
Piebald
Piebald, or Pied by definition, is made of incongruous or different colors.
It’s the presence or absence of white spots on animals that can be considered a problem. This is a common mistake made by owners who assume that the dark spots are placed over white. This is because white is a lot more common.
Piebald is a result of a common, but harmless, mutation in a gene that occurs in lots of animals and reptiles. It results in a multicolored, identified coat for Dachshunds that can be mixed with any color or pattern.
Single-Colored Dachshunds: description and Pictures
Dachshunds that are single-colored do exactly what their name suggests. Their solid color is rich, velvety and they don’t have any markings.
These are the six versions:
Cream Dachshund
Creams are the most sophisticated of all Dachshund colors. because they resemble bunny rabbits, they appear softer than their cousins.
Their coat shade can be as light or dark as you like, or it could be a little darker or creamer. There are two types:
Clear cream Dachshund
Clear cream Dachshunds are complimentary from any black tint. The photo shows that their entire body and face aren’t colored in any way. This is because of the “Chinchilla” diluting gene.
Shaded cream Dachshund
Because they are dominant EE genetic, shaded cream Dachshunds will have black accents in their coats. This is a lot of common in English-cream Dachshunds, and it fades over time.
Red Dachshund
Red Dachshunds tend to be rusty brown. because they can be created by one copy of the dominant red gene, they are quite common. They also have black nails and noses.
They are similar to creams and come in two varieties:
Solid Red Dachshund
This red Dachshund does not have any black or white markings on its coat.
Shaded Red Dachshund
Shaded red Dachshunds are covered in a black layer on their ears, tail, and back. These must not be confused for Sables as they are completely different.
Wheaten Dachshund
They are very rare. They are a mix of light brown and whitish colors, which is the same color as wheat.
This coat color was originally only available to wiry-haired Dachshunds. You can now see wheaten Doxies with either smooth hair or long-haired by interbreeding different types of coats.
Black Dachshund
The AKC labels solid black Dachshunds as non-standard because they are tough to find. often they are found in litters, particularly those that were produced in puppy mills.
They must have tan points. However, it is suppressed by recessive genetics that must have been identified through DNA testing.
Chocolate Dachshund
Chocolate Dachshunds with no cream or tan marks on their bodies and faces are tough to find, just like solid black Dachshunds. considering that I was unable to take a sample photo of one, I’m sure you know this already.
This color variation is not standard AKC so they aren’t allowed to join conformation show.
Fawn Dachshund
Fawn is also known by the name isabella. It can be found in all kinds of Dachshund hairs. This is normally seen as a faded chocolat tone. However, some pups may appear lighter yellowish.
Two-Colored Dachshunds description & Pictures
It is hard to resist falling for the Dachshund charm, especially when they have two coat colors. here are the most well-known bi-colored Dachshund types:
Wild Boar Dachshund
This coat color interested me immediately when I heard it. I am used to hearing basic terms like red, black, and chocolate. but not wild boars.
The wild boar’s color is named after its animal nameake, which makes sense considering that the similarities are quite obvious. This coat makes Dachshunds look black and tan at a distance. but up close you will see their special goldish highlights, which make them stand out.
One a lot more thing. These are only found in wire-haired Dachshunds.
Black and cream Dachshund
This Da