Dachshund Colors, Patterns and Markings Explained With Pictures

The Dachshund is one of the most known and easy to recognize dog breeds in the world. Because of its short legs and its long body and floppy ears, this dog is easy to recognize.

This is also one of the most favorite breeds because of their loving and smart personality. The exciting thing about this breed is that no two Dachshunds are the same and because of the differences in their color, markings, and their coat type, you have many options when picking the perfect puppy for your family.

When choosing a Dachshund puppy, you have the choice to pick what kind of colorings, patterns, and markings that you want your Dachshund to have, along with the coat type.

There are a variety of coat types, patterns, and markings that the Dachshund breed has, and this all depends on the genetics of your parent breed.

Each Dachshund is characterized by color, coat type, and pattern. These things have to do with the genetics of your Dachshund and the parent breed. Genetics, though hard to understand sometimes, can be explained in the article below and can make it easier for you to make your choice.

Before you make your choice, make sure that you pick the perfect color, coat type, and patterned Dachshund that you want to add to your forever home.

Colors, Patterns, and Markings

The great thing about the Dachshund breed is that you can pick one that is stylish and trendy, or you can pick one that looks feisty and is very protective and lively or even one that fits the perfect identity of the wiener dog.

Each Dachshund is different and sometimes their colors, patterns, markings, and coat type have a lot to say about the dog’s personality. If you want to know what kind of personality fits each of the dog types, keep reading!

Coat Types of the Dachshund

Long-Haired Dachshund

The long-haired Dachshund (Read more about this) is one that looks stylish and trendy and will be similar to the short-haired Dachshund except for the fact that the hair is long all over their body. The long-haired Dachshund will have long hair on its tail, ears, legs, and body.

When choosing a long-haired Dachshund, you will find that they come in the colors:

• English Cream (Details)
• Black
• Isabella
• Red
• Black and Tan
• Chocolate and Tan

They also will have the Solid, Dapple, and the Piebald patterns if you are looking for a long-haired and patterned Dachshund.

Short-Haired Dachshund

The short-haired Dachshund will look like the popular wiener dog. It will have short hair, short legs, and a long body. Most of the short-haired Dachshunds have long ears that look almost like the dogs of a hound dog.

When choosing a short-haired Dachshund, you will find that they come in the colors:

• Black and tan
• Chocolate and tan
• Red
• Isabella
• Brindle
• Blue
• English Cream

They also will have the Solid, Dapple, and the Piebald patterns if you are looking for a short-haired and patterned Dachshund.

Wire-Haired Dachshund

The Wire-haired Dachshund looks similar to the long-haired and the short-haired breed of Dachshunds except that it looks closer to a terrier dog. It has coarse hair and will have a big beard and big eyebrows. This is similar to what the Schnauzer would look like.

Even though some have a rough coat, there are soft-coated Wire Dachshunds that have a softer coat and longer hair, but this will cause the dog to shed more than normal.

One of the Wire-haired Dachshunds is called the Pin-wired which means that they have shorter hair, a shorter beard, and shorter eyebrows. This kind of Dachshund comes from a parent that has short hair and one that has wire hair.

When choosing a long-haired Dachshund, you will find that they come in the colors:

• Chocolate and tan
• Black and tan
• Brindle
• Red

They also will have the Solid and Dapple patterns if you are looking for a long-haired and patterned Dachshund.

Dachshund Color Genetics

Understanding Dachshund color genetics can be difficult. A dog will have one chromosome from each parent which means that they have 39 pairs of chromosomes.

The chromosomes are genes that come with chains that are coded with instructions on the characteristics that the dog will have.

The genes that the Dachshund have will be what determines what color and what type of coat that your Dachshund will have. When there are different combinations of genes between the parent breed, this can cause there to be different colors in your Dachshund.

Genes and Coat Type

There are three types of coats for the Dachshund and most of the dogs will have 2 copies of their coat type genes, but some dogs will carry more than one type of gene.

The wire coat is the one that is most dominant over all of the coats and even if the dog has one “w” gene for wire, it will be wire but it can have “recessive smooth” or “recessive long” which will completely change the coat type.

In long-haired Dachshunds, smooth is the most dominant and if the dog has one “s” for smooth and one “l” for long, the dog will be a smooth coat but if it has the long gene, it can pass on the “recessive long”

The long gene is recessive to the wire-haired and the smooth-haired Dachshund and if the dog has long hair, it will have to have 2 copies of the “l” gene which will make it “LL” and means that it has two long-haired parents and will only make long-haired Dachshunds.

Recessive Coat Type

If a recessive smooth or a recessive long is made in one litter, it will only be able to have the coat type for that gene type.

Dachshund Colors and Patterns

Dachshunds can be many colors and the color genetics in the Dachshund can be very confusing because of the different varieties of colors that go with the genes.

It is hard to understand the different colors and patterns to be able to predict what color your Dachshund will be. This means that it will be hard to determine what colors, patterns, and health problems that your Dachshund will have.

The color of the coat is what color that your Dachshund will be. These will be basic colors and there are six basic colors that a Dachshund has including:

• Cream
• Red
• Black and tan.
• Chocolate and cream.
• Chocolate and Tan.

The Dachshund has seven different gene pairs that will control what color that the dog will be. There are some genes that also affect the pattern or the colors of the dog that are not known.

Genes can be in more than one form or Alleles, and these depend on what genes that your dog gets from the parent breed, and this will decide the color of the Dachshund.

One Colored Dachshund

The two main one-colored Dachshunds are red and cream. There are other one-colored Dachshunds including blue and white.

Red Dachshunds

The red color Dachshund will be a brownish or red color and some of them will have a yellow shade. Red is a dominate color and the Dachshund only has to have one red gene in order to be red. The red gene is often referred to as “A” gene.

If the dog has two A genes, then it will only have red puppies. The dogs that have only one A gene will be red, but they can have puppies that are different colors.

There is an “ee red” color that means that the dog will not have any black hairs on its body including whiskers, but this dog will still have black noses and nails. The “ee” happens when the dog has two black or tan parents.

Cream Dachshunds

The cream Dachshund will be blonde with no red tints at all on the fur. The cream gene is a recessive gene, and it means that all dogs can carry this gene without being cream-colored.

The color cream is often seen on miniature long-haired Dachshunds but is sometimes seen on other dogs. The cream gene is often known as the “c” gene. If a dog is cream and black, black is the base color, and the dog will have 2 of the c genes.

Blue Dachshunds

 

Blue-colored Dachshunds are diluted-colored dogs and they have a dilution of black that makes them look blue. Some of the dogs with blue often have tan coloring on their feet, tail, and noses.

To get a blue-colored Dachshund, the breeder has to have a recessive gene parent that has black coloring in the coat.

This is not a natural color and breeding diluted colors can cause health issues. Many kennel clubs state that blue coloring is not desired and even though it is fun and trendy, it should be really considered before making that choice because of the potential health issues.

White Dachshunds

White Dachshunds are very rare and very popular. A white Dachshund will be all white, but it is not a recognized color for the American Kennel Club.

The white color comes from two base colors and is from recessive genes. Both parents have to carry the white recessive gene in order for the dog to be white.

White Dachshunds and Health Problems

Since the white color is so rare, it can have many issues. Lighter pigmented dogs have more health problems than other colored dogs.

This dog can have sicknesses such as:

• Blindness
• Deafness

Getting a rare colored Dachshund can cause your dog to have many health issues so make sure that you choose carefully when bringing a rare colored dog into your family.

Albino Dachshunds

Some see an Albino Dachshund and believe that it is white or cream, but the Albinism of the Dachshund happens because it is lacking pigmentation in its skin.

If you have an Albino Dachshund, the paws, tail, and around the eyes will look pink and it will most likely have blue eyes. This color dog is at risk for skin cancer and for sunburn.

Two Colored Dachshunds

Two colored Dachshunds are a combination of two colors with a base color and then markings. The colors can be tan, chocolate, or cream which is mainly on the body, and then there can be markings that are on the chest, ears, or legs.

Black and Tan Dachshunds

Black and tan is the most common combination of the two-colored Dachshund breed. This color combination happens with recessive genes and is normally only seen on short and smooth-haired Dachshunds.

With the black and tan colors, black is the most dominant color and the tan color will usually only be on the paws and the face and maybe a few spots.

Black and Cream Dachshunds

Black and cream is one of the most wanted color combinations. This is mostly seen on long and smooth coats.

The black fur will be on the head, back, and torso, and the cream will be on the face, feet, and chest.

Chocolate and Cream Dachshunds

This is one of the most favorite colors of those looking for a Dachshund. The main color of this color combination is normally a dark brown color, and this covers the head, ears, body, and tail.

The cream color will be whitish, blonde, or cream and it is found on the nose, eyes, tail, and paws.

Chocolate and Tan Dachshunds

The chocolate and tan coloring is a beautiful coloring. The chocolate color is the dominate color and is found on most of the body of the dog.

The tan will be found on the ears, paws, and chest and many with this coloring will have spots found over the eyes.

Wild or Chocolate Boar Dachshunds

Wild or Chocolate Boar is a color combination that is a two-color combination. This is a blend that will go from reddish-brown or light tan to an almost all-black color. This sometimes includes bands of hairs that have different colors on each of the hairs and is called agouti.

The Wild or Chocolate Boar is not found on short or long-haired Dachshunds and is only found on wire-haired Dachshunds.

Blue and Cream Dachshunds

Blue and cream is a diluted color and happens when the black fades and it has a bluish tint. This has to have a recessive gene that is diluted in order to have this pattern.

The blue will be mostly on the torso, head, and tail and cream will be on the paws and the chest area.

Blue and Tan Dachshunds

The blue and tan color is a rare combination of colors. This is a color that is faded on most of the Dachshunds body.

Most of the blue color is found on the body, face, and chest, and the tan color is found on the paws, face, and some parts of the chest.

Diluted Colors

Diluted colors mean that there is a dilution gene. This gene will change the black to blue and the chocolate to Isabella colors. Diluted Dachshunds are rare but there are some that have the blue coloring.

The dilution gene is a recessive gene, and it is called “dd” which will make the diluted color. If a dog is a red dog and has the “dd” gene, it will just make the color not as bright.

There are two diluted color types including:

• Isabella and Fawn or Diluted Red
• Blue and Grey or Diluted Chocolate

Isabella and Fawn Diluted Dachshunds

The Isabella name in the diluted colors is another name for the fawn color of the coat. Sometimes this color is called just Fawn.

The fawn color is one that is a recessive gene and both parents have to have this in order for it to be a color dilution with a chocolate base.

This color can happen on all three coat types and comes in three different varieties including:

• Solid colored Isabella which means it has a chocolate color all over the body and no cream or tan because the fawn gene makes the cream and tan non-existent.
• Isabella and Tan which is once again the recessive gene of the parents. This is when there is chocolate and tan color all over the dog.
• Isabella and Cream which is a coat that is the recessive genes and is a chocolate and cream color.

The color of the nose, nails, and eyes will be gray in this diluted color and the markings will be over the eyes, on the face, ears, paws, legs, breast, lips, and tail.

Blue and Grey Diluted Dachshunds

The blue and grey diluted color is one where the recessive genes make the black a lighter colored black to the point where it looks grey or blue. This can even look almost purplish or metallic in color.

The color of the ears, eyes, and nails will normally be grey but might look black because of the color of the coat.

The base color of the blue and grey diluted coat color is a black base.

Health Issues with Diluted Colors

Dachshunds with diluted colors will often have Color Dilution Alopecia which means the hair will fall out or will be very thin. This can also lead to skin infections and skin cancer. Other dogs experience baldness and weakened skin.

If the dog makes it to adulthood without any sickness, chances are that it will be sickness-free of Alopecia forever.

Patterns of Dachshund

A pattern is Dapple, Sable, Brindle, and Piebald. These patterns can affect what color the Dachshund is going to be.

Dapple Dachshunds

The Dapple pattern Dachshund happens when the Merle gene “m” is present. This is the same gene that causes Merle Collie and Harlequin in the Great Dane breed.

The Dapple pattern causes there to be patchy coat colors. This can affect the base color that happens in the cream colors and the red colors. This usually is only seen in puppies and cannot often be seen in adult dogs.

This pattern can affect the blue in the eyes. The Dapple gene is the dominate gene and if one of the parents has the dapple gene, it will be a Dapple dog.

Double Dapple Dachshunds

The Double Dapple is one that has a “MM”, and this kind of pattern can cause health problems such as smaller or even missing eyes and deafness.

Health Problems of Dapples

A breeder should never put two Dapples together because it can make a Double Dapple puppy. There is a 25% chance of this happening. Double Dapple puppies have many health problems such as hearing and sight problems, sometimes even deafness and blindness.

A Dapple should only be bred with creams or red dogs so that they will not produce a Double Dapple. Any red genes such as “ee red” or “ee” genes can be bred with a Dapple but a Dapple should not be bred with a Red because they can make a Phantom or Cryptic pattern which can cause later generations to be Double Dapples.

Sable Dachshunds

Sable is a Dachshund pattern that is not often seen in short-haired or in long-haired Dachshunds but is more seen in wire-haired Dachshunds. This pattern is often called Wild Boar and the dog only has to have one copy of the Sable gene in order to have Sable puppies.

A recessive short-haired breed that is from two wire-haired parents will most likely have a Sable coloring pattern.

A real Sable will have two color patterns with the dog’s bae color being close to the skin and will normally have black tipping and will be darker. If the dog is long-haired, the Sable pattern will look black and tan but will have large patches of tan close to the face and on the face. The undercoat will be red and cream.

Many Sable patterns will have a Widow’s Peak on the head. The Sable should not be confused with the red color because many heavily shaded red Dachshunds are confused as Sables when they aren’t.

Brindle Dachshunds

In order for a parent to produce a Brindle, one of the parents has to be a Brindle. The Brindle is often called the Tiger Striped Brindle and is not the same word that describes wire-haired Dachshunds, but wire-haired Dachshunds can also form Brindles.

The Brindle gene is called the K gene and you only have to have one copy of this gene in order for your Dachshund to have stripes. It can have stripes that are red, cream, or tan and they can appear on any part of the body.

The pattern will not be able to be seen on black areas and if they are tan or black with cream stripes, they are hard to see on the black coloring.

Chocolate or chocolate and tan dog that has cream or red will have stripes that are chocolate or liver color and not black in color.

Health Problems of Brindle

There are no health problems that are known in the Brindle pattern of the Dachshund. A dog that has 2 copies of the K gene will always have Brindle pups.

Piebald Dachshunds

The Piebald pattern is not as known as other patterns and is not considered an acceptable pattern, but many people have imported Piebald’s around the world.

Piebald is caused by the “sp” gene which is a recessive gene. Piebalds have to have one copy of the gene from each of the parents to have this pattern. There are even cream and chocolate Dapple Brindle Piebalds that exist.

Some Piebalds have spotting which is similar to what Cocker Spaniels have.

Health Problems of Piebald Dachshunds

There are no real known health problems that are associated with Piebald patterned Dachshunds but those with all whiteheads are known to have more deafness than those that do not have all whiteheads.

Comparison of Dapple Vs. Piebald Dachshund

Dapple Dachshunds	Piebald Dachshunds
Can have one or two blue eyes.	Have whiter on their bodies than Dapples.
Have patches of white.	Have no known health issues.
Caused by m gene	This is a recessive gene.
Can cause Merle Collie in Great Dane Breed.	Caused by the sp gene.
Causes patchy coloring.	Spotting similar to the Cocker Spaniel.
Is not often noticed in adult dogs.	Not an accepted pattern.
Can affect the blue color in the eyes.	Have been imported around the world.
This is a dominate gene.	Can be dark-colored patches of white specks.

READ MORE: Piebald Dachshund – Breed Info, Temperament, Health, Costs, and Pictures

Brindle Piebald Dachshunds

This dog has a combination of the piebald and the brindle gene. This is a very rare pattern and will have both stripes and markings on a white coat.

Even though the dog will have stripes, they are not as easy to see as the ones on the Brindle.

Dachshund Markings

There are different markings that a Dachshund can have such as:

• Ticking means freckles or spots that are found on the patterns.
• Striped which is a marking that looks like tiger stripes.

Sometimes the markings will be a solid design, or it can be a design that is more subtle and can be an overlay of the color. Markings are also called patterns and can be over any base color.

What is the Rarest Dachshund Color?

The Dachshund has 25 different coat colors based on a variety of categories and other things. The rarest of all of the colors of Dachshunds is pure black. This will happen when there is a rare recessive gene.

To have a solid black Dachshund, you have to have two parents that are both solid blacks. In order to be considered solid black, the dog must have no markings or no tan on the body at all.

Other rare Dachshund colors include:

• Chocolate
• Blue
• English Cream
• White

How Can the Color of Your Dachshund Effect Your Puppies Health?

There are reasons that breeders are strict on the colors that a Dachshund might be, and this is because the different colors and the rare markings can cause the offspring to have health conditions that will affect the dog for life.

The rare color variations are trendy, but the puppies are often prone to having diseases such as pigment diseases.

Kennel Club Accepted Coat Colors for Dachshunds

There are accepted colors for the kennel clubs including the American Kennel Club, Canadian Kennel Club, United Kennel Club, and the Federation Cynologique Internationale club including:

Important Asked Questions

Does a Dachshund puppy change colors as it gets older?

Yes. Dachshund puppies can change colors as they get older. As puppies get older, they often get darker or lighter with age.

Does the color of the Dachshund affect how it behaves?

No. The color of the dog does not affect how it behaves but the type of coat that the Dachshund has can affect its behavior.

Does the color of the Dachshund affect its health?

Yes. The color of the dog can affect the health of the Dachshund. A dog that is a rare color might have health issues that are dangerous such as blindness and deafness.

Does the Dachshund’s eye color change with age?

Yes. The Dachshund puppy will have an eye color that normally starts as a chocolate color. When the dog turns 12 to 16 weeks of age, its eye color will change, and it will become the permanent eye color.

Do Dachshunds ever have blue eyes?

Yes. Even though most dogs have green, brown, or amber eyes, sometimes even two different colors of eyes, they can have blue eyes. Blue-eyed dogs are considered undesirable and rare.

Final Words

Choosing a Dachshund dog might be the best choice for you and your family. If you want a dog that is loyal, fun, and energetic, the Dachshund could be a perfect breed for you.

When choosing a Dachshund, know that there are many different colors, coat types, markings, and patterns that you can choose from. You can even choose what color eyes you want your Dachshund to have.

Some important things to remember are that the color and markings of the dog that you choose are based on genetics and so it is important to know what the parent breed is like when making this choice.

Choosing a rare color dog can lead to health issues and problems with your Dachshund so make sure that you are aware of all of the health issues that your Dachshund can have.