Coat Varieties, Colors and Patterns of the Dachshund - and, color and pattern misnomers explained

Color and pattern misnomers:

Often times you hear people referring to a red dachshund as "brown." In the dachshund breed, it is called red and red can be either very dark, red with a black overlay, clear red or even light red, but, they are only red, and never should be referred to as "brown." Red dogs will always have a black nose as well as black nails. There are red dogs that have liver colored nails and nose, but those are red dilutes that may or may ot carry the chocolate gene. They are not chocolate-reds, they are red dilutes. There is no such color as a chocolate-red.

Another common error people make is referring to a black and tan dapple as a "silver dapple." They are not silver dapples and should be correctly be referred to as a black and tan dapple. The dapple influence will often cause a silver look to the black causing the the silver color and the error in reference to being called a silver dapple. A dog that appears all black but has even one hair that is dapple on it, is a black and tan dapple. It still carries the dapple gene even though visually it may look entirely black except for a dapple hair or small dapple patch. Red dapples often times are confused as a red smooth because their dapple pattern fades as they mature. Some red dapples retain their dapple pattern, but some do not. If they were dappled at birth, they are always a dapple regardless of whether they visually show the pattern at maturity.

Another error on color and pattern is calling a red dog with a black overly a sable. The sable pattern consists of a uniform dark overlay on red dogs. The overlay hairs are double-pigmented, with the tip of each hair much darker than the base color. The pattern usually displays a widow's peak on the head. Nose, nails and eye rims are black. Eyes are dark. The easy way to determine a dog is sable is to separate the hair and look at the hair color at skin level. It will be red and the tips of the hairs will be black. 

Cream dogs never have a red tint to them. They are a buff color and when placed next to a red will be an entirely different shade. Creams always have darkbrown eyes, black noses and a black eye rim. Puppies are born a grey/black color and lighten as they age. They may or may not retain the black hairs on their ears and down their back. Light red dogs, dilute reds or a pale red dog is not a cream. Creams will never have a light nose or light eyes. 

Occasionally a dachshund will be all black. They are black and tans, but due to poor breeding, their tan markings are repressed and do not show. Genetically they are black and tan. The same with a dog that is all chocolate in color. Genetically they are chocolate and tans but their tan markings are hidden.

Piebalds are often confused with double dapples. Piebalds will never have blue eyes, one blue eye or any blue tick in the eye. They only have brown eyes. They will also have a solid colored head (with or without a white blaze) and have symetrical markings on the head. A piebald will always have a white tip on their tail. They will always have a solid color and never have any shading in their color or on their body. Piebalds can have a solid white base or have ticking in their white. There is no such thing as a tri-colored dachshund. These are black and tan piebalds.

A sable will look like a black and tan until you look at it closer. The black hair on the back looks like a heavy overlay, but it is not. They have two toned hair, red at the base and black on the end and will be obvious when the hair is separated at the skin level. A red dog with black overlay has red hairs and black hairs. Their are not two-toned but are single colored. The black hair lays over the back as an overlay but the black is solid black from the base to the tip, as is the red hair. Also, sables have a widows peak.