RED: Red Dachshunds are widely known and recognized for their beautiful range of "red" coloring. From a deep mahogany red to a pale golden and all shades of brownish red in between, the array is truly splendid. Red Dachshunds may be a clear red or they may have black hairs in their coats. Some reds have black trim around their eyes and ears and also along their backs. This darker trim often fades as the puppy gets older. The reds should have black noses and nail color and brown eyes.
BLACK / TAN: Black and Tan Dachshunds are also widely known and recognized. They have a shiny black coat and have tan or reddish-brown markings on the face, chest, four feet and under the tail. The nose pad and nails should be black. The eyes should be a dark rich brown and the markings should be deep tan and even, not pale red or indistinct. ***Note that Black and Cream Dachshunds are the same except that their markings are a light cream instead of a reddish-brown or tan.
BLACK: Occasionally when black and tan Dachshunds with indistinct markings are bred over many generations, they can produce a Dachshund that appears to be solid black. Genetically there is no solid black dog, however, there can be a puppy that appears to have no tan markings. These black Dachshunds are recognized by AKC and are highly regarded and desired by pet owners and breeders.
BLUE / TAN: Blue and Tan Dachshunds are dilutes of the Black and Tan Dachshund colors. The Dachshund's main body color is a battleship gray or steel gray along with muted tan markings as a result of diluting factors. The eyes are usually a grayish blue color and the nose pad and nails are a pale gray.
PEARLISH GRAY COLOR.
CHOCOLATE / CREAM: Chocolate and Tan Dachshunds are similar to Black and Cream Dachshunds - their main body color is a rich dark chocolate to a light milky chocolate and their points are a lovely cream color. Chocolate and Cream Dachshunds often have brown or hazel eyes and a liver-colored, self colored or deep dark brown nose pad, nails and tan markings.
CHOCOLATE / TAN: Chocolate and Tan Dachshunds are similar to Black and Tan Dachshunds but their main body color is a rich dark chocolate to a light milky chocolate. Chocolate and Tan Dachshunds often have brown or hazel eyes and a liver-colored, self colored or deep dark brow nose pad, nails and tan markings.
CHOCOLATE: Occasionally when Chocolate and Tan Dachshunds with indistinct markings are bred over many generations, they can produce a Dachshund that appears to be solid chocolate. A solid chocolate would appear to have no tan markings. These chocolate Dachshunds are recognized by AKC and are highly regarded and desired by pet owners and breeders.
CREAM: Cream colored Dachshunds do not have any red or tones of red in their coat color. They often appear almost off white to grayish white at birth. They are a natural buff color with dark brown eyes, and a black nose and nail color of self colored. They may also have some black hairs in their coats - around the eyes, ears and along the back. This black often diminishes as the puppy gets older. True Creams trace their lineage to England.
AMERICAN CREAM: American Cream colored Dachshunds often appear white to pale blond at birth and can come in smooth or long hair. As they get older, they often appear to be a strawberry blond or beige tone. They normally have dark brown eyes and a black nose and nail color. However, just as you can have a red dilute resulting in a liver colored nose, you can have a diluted American Cream with a pale nose. This is the result of breeding an American Cream to a chocolate and tan or other dilute color.
ISABELLA AND TAN: Isabella and Tan Dachshunds, often described as Fawn colored with tan markings are another form of dilute color. Isabella and Tan is a dilution of Chocolate and Tan. The main body is a silvery fawn (greyhound) colored and the markings are a muted tan. The eyes are usually a light grayish green and the nose pad and nail colors are pale liver colored.
WILDBOAR: Wildboar Dachshunds have a light brown base coat and a black overlay. The Wildboar color is noted by its light color base showing through the nose area, around the eyes and also the underside of the body. Wildboar is most common in wire haired Dachshunds but can appear in smooths as well.
WHEATEN: Pale yellow or fawn color. The color of wheat. The color of the oily yellow part of non-homogenized milk. The lighter the better and should have the darkest eyes, nose and nails. Colors range from dingy looking to white to a butter color.
BRINDLE: The Brindle pattern in Dachshunds appears like a series of stripes (like a zebra) along the base color. One parent must be a Brindle in order to have the pattern appear. Please note that AKC will not register more than one pattern per Dachshund. (exception is a Brindle Piebald)
Miniature Dachshund Patterns
DAPPLE: Dapple Dachshunds show patches or spots or lighter color mixed in with patches of the self color. They sometimes have white on the chest. If the dapple pattern appears across the face, one of the parents must show the dapple gene.
DOUBLE DAPPLE: Double Dapples usually have larger areas of white on their bodies in addition to their base color and patches / spots. Eyes may be completely blue and they may have white on their heads, white nail tips, white on their feet, white on their underside and their sides. Breeding double dapples can be dangerous as deafness, reduced eye size and blindness may occur. Double Dapples are produced when two single dapple parents are bred together. TRUE DOUBLE DAPPLES HAVE 4 WHITE PAWS, PLUS A WHITE TIPPED TAIL AND WHITE ON 80% OF THEIR BODIES. A DACHSHUND WHITH MULTI COLORS IS NOT A TRUE DOUBLE DAPPLE UNLESS IT HAS THE ABOOVE MENTIONED WHITE IT IS JUST A DAPPLE!
PIEBALD: Piebald Dachshunds show a white spotting pattern over the base color. Piebald's should never have blue eyes. If they do, then they should be registered as Dapples. They should also have no shading within the white areas or body spots. The amount of white varies, ranging from a white collar, white chest, underside, tail and feet to almost pure white.
WILDBOAR: Wildboar Dachshunds have a light brown base coat and a black overlay. The wildboar color is noted by its light color base showing through the nose area, around the eyes and also the underside of the body. Wildboar is most common in wire haired Dachshunds but can appear in smooths as well.
SABLE: True Sabe Dachshunds are very difficult to describe. The red is so dark as to appear black. The whole body except for the face and feet are seen with the base color of the dog with black tips at the ends. The face and feet are usually the base color. Therefore a Red Sable will have red at the base of the hair with black tips, the face and feet will be red. One parent must show the Sable pattern to produce a Sable Dachshund.
additional information can be found in Breeding Books for Dachshunds and the AKC Dachshund Standards.
The Ever-Popular Dachshund
The Dachshund has been among the top ten most popular dogs based on registration with the American Kennel Club for decades. In the United Kingdon, the Kennel Club breaks down Dachshund registrations by both size and coat type. In 2003, the miniature Longhaired Dachshund was 31st in popularity; the Smooth-coated mini was 37th; and the Wirehaired mini was 57th. The Wirehaired standard held 84th place; the Longhaired standard came in 102nd; and the Smooth -coated standard Dachshund was in 104th place.
The AKC organizes breeds into seven Groups: Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding. The Dachshund is a member of the distinguished Hound Group.
The Dachshund is the only AKC-recognized breed that hunts both below and above the ground.
