What colours can Dachshunds be?

by Emma Hill June 4, 2020

What are the different types of coats a Dachshund can have?

Basic Terminology Smooth, Long hair and Wirehair, all 3 coat types come in 2 sizes, standard and Miniature.

Genetical Terminology: Dogs will normally carry 2 copies of their own coat being WW, SS or LL.

W - If a Dachshund carries the Wire Coat Gene then it will always be a dominate gene. (If only one dog carries W then it will be a wire, however if it carries one 2 coats then it will produce recessive smooths or longhaired dachshunds.

S - A smooth coat is also a dominate and will dominate longhair. For example if a dog has S and L gene it will pass on its S to the puppies with also having the chance to have recessive longhaired puppies.

L - Longhaired coat is a recessive gene from both W and S. For example if a puppy is a Longhaired then it carriers 2 copies of the longhaired gene making it a LL.

Chino

Short Haired Dachshund

Major

Long Haired Dachshund

Paddington

Wire Haired Dachshund

What coat colours can Dachshunds come in?

The general basic coats that a Dachshund can come in are

- Red

- Cream

- Black and Tan / Black and Cream

- Chocolate and Tan / Chocolate and Cream

(Please see our diagram below for examples)

What patterns can Dachshunds come in?

Dachshunds can come in patterns such as Dapple, Brindle, Sable or Piebald. We will focus on Dapple, Brindle and Piebald. Both Dapple and Piebald can come from the base coat of a Black, Chocolate or Red Dachshund.

(Please see our diagram below for examples)

Please do check your breed standards for your countries for patterns.

This information has been sourced by the ANKC:

'All colours permitted but no white permissible, save for a small patch on chest which is permitted but not desirable. The dapple pattern is expressed as lighter coloured areas contrasting with the darker base. Neither the light nor the dark colour should predominate. Double dapple (where varying amounts of white occur all over the body in addition to the dapple pattern) is unacceptable. Pied, tricolour and the dilute colours isabella and blue are highly undesirable. Nose and nails black in all colours except chocolate/tan and chocolate dapple where they are brown.'

What sizes can Dachshunds come in and how much should they weigh?

Ideal weight 9-12 kgs (20-26 lbs)
Miniature ideal weight 4.5kgs (10 lbs). Desired maximum weight 5kgs (11 lbs)

(please check your countries standards)

As you can see in the image below Barney is a Standard Sized Dachshund and Buddy and Beau are Miniature Sized Dachshunds.

What is the difference between a Shaded Red, EE Red, Clear Red and Cream?

Shaded Ee- Meaning black pigment on the coat, generally this disappears when the dog ages and will only be seen on tips of ears and some feathering on body. Shading can happen on reds and creams.

Clear ee- Means there is no black on the dog's coat, generally these dogs are born lighter and darken with age, they tend to not have strong solid black pigment. ( a lot of ee puppies appear cream and change to red by their first birthday)

If you are looking for a "cream" puppy you are best to buy from a breeder that can prove by parentage that their dogs are from Cream lines. The only true way to know if a cream is a cream and not a faded red is by the "I" testing which Australian breeders do not have easy access to just yet.

What is a dilute?

Dilutes are known as Blues and Isabellas - The dilution of a Dachshund can cause many health issues and Colour Dilution Alopecia (Blog coming soon). To obtain a dilute 'dd' it needs to be a recessive gene and 2 parents need to carry the gene. Examples on how breeding is done to dilute the colour

- Black and Tan to Cream Dachshund goes to Blue, Blue and Tan/Cream

- Black and Tan to Cream goes to Isabella, Isabella and Tan/Cream ( Also known as Fawn)