Dachshund Colors, Coat Types, Sizes and Patterns

Red : Dominant color - may range from a dark red with black highlights (a black dorsal stripe and/or black hairs interspersed in the coat) to a clear light red
-does not produce nice coloring when bred with chocolates

Black/Tan : Dominant color to dilutes - only recessive to red
-shiny black with rich reddish-brown markings on the face, feet, chest and under the tail
-breeding black/tans that have smudgy tan markings together over many generations can slowly reduce &/or eliminate the tan points making the resulting offspring appear solid black (this is a fault - this is meant to be two-color)

Blue/Tan : Recessive color - this is a dilute of the black/tan
-both parents must be blue or carry for blue in order to produce blue pups
-this color often experiences poor coat quality due to poor standards of breeding

Chocolate/Tan : Recessive color - both parents must be chocolate or carry for chocolate in order to produce chocolate pups
-this color should not be bred with red as it will produce very poor colors
-color may vary from a deep tan to a milk chocolate
-this is a two-color (must have tan points)

Isabella/Tan : Recessive color - this is a mixture of blue/tan & chocolate/tan
-Isabella may only be obtained when the lines of both parents contain both blue/tan and chocolate/tan
-The initial breeding of a blue/tan and chocolate/tan will most likely produce a black/tan carrying for recessive colors, although not necessarily both blue and chocolate
-Breeding the black/tan back to a blue/tan or chocolate/tan will produce dilutes, not necessarily isabella.
-Breeding an isabella to a blue carrying chocolate should produce both isabella & blue
-Likewise, breeding an isabella to a chocolate carrying blue should produce both isabella & chocolate

Cream : Recessive color - true English creams are only longhair , any smooth cream is not pure and may be the result of breeding clear light reds to eventually produce a "cream" (this is actually a "blond" not a cream) or breeding the cream into the smooth lines

Coat Patterns

Double Dapple : varying amounts of white throughout the body in addition to the dapple pattern
-should only be bred to solids - this will produce all dapples
-should never be bred to another dapple or double dapple
-Double Dapples can have severe birth defects if breeding is done haphazardly - blind, missing or malformed eyes, deaf or partial deafness - breeding for double dapples should only be done with excellent knowledge of the breed as well as the lines involved in the potential breeding

Brindle : Any coat color with black striping throughout the body (the striping can best be seen in tan points on the legs) - this pattern is most commonly seen in reds but may occur with other colors

Sable : Any coat color - the coat color is at the base of the hair fading into black tips -from a distance, sables are often mistaken for black/tan -this pattern is most commonly seen in reds but may occur with other colors

AKC only recognizes one pattern per dog for registration. When patterns are mixed, the pedigree will not necessarily reflect all patterns. As such, patterns may arise in a litter without a "known" cause. For this reason, researching the pedigree thoroughly PRIOR to breeding is necessary in order to better the breed, as opposed to just producing puppies.

Sizes

Miniature : UNDER 11 lbs at 12 months of age

"Tweenie" : although not officially recognized, this nickname is commonly used by dachshund breeders and pertains to dachshunds 11-15 lbs

Standard : OVER 16 lbs

Coat Length

Smooth : short, smooth, & shining - cannot be too long or thick
-tail is tapered but not too thick

Longhair : sleek, glistening, often wavy hair
-longer under the neck & on the forechest, underside of the body, the ears, & legs
-tail forms a veritable flag

Wirehair : With the exception of the jaw, eyebrows, chin, and ears, the whole body should be covered with a short, straight, harsh coat with dense undercoat, beard on chin, eyebrows bushy, but hair on ears almost smooth. Legs and feet well but neatly furnished with harsh coat. The short wire coat is obtained by stripping the coat as needed (usually every 6-8 months). This coat is similar to the Schnauzer coat and is cared for in the same manner.