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12 Dachshund Colors, Patterns, & Markings (With Pictures)

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By Nicole Cosgrove

group of dachshunds sitting on log

Dachshunds are instantly recognizable by their long bodies and stubby legs. But aside from their basic body shape, their differences in colors, patterns and fur can make for drastically looking dogs that are all the same breed.

When you’re imagining adding a Dachshund to your family, you might have a particular image of your future dog in mind. But how do you go about finding the dog with the look you’re after? First, you have to narrow down the options, so you actually know what it is you’re looking for.

Let’s explore the different varieties of colors and patterns that Dachshunds come in to help you find the right mix for your family.

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Standard Dachshund Colors

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The 12 Dachshund Colors

Dachshunds can either be solid-colored or bi-colored, which is a two-tone combination color. Any colors that appear on a Dachshund outside of these main hues are not actually the dog’s color, but a pattern overlaid on their main color. There are 12 main Dachshund coat colors.

1. Red Dachshund

red dachshund
Image Credit: Ian Lindsay, Pixabay

Dachshunds can come in a variety of red hues, all of which are simply considered to be Red. Though sometimes a Dachshund may appear to be brown, this is actually incorrect since brown isn’t a color that Dachshunds come in. Instead, this is simply a Red Dachshund with less red pigment.

An easy way to distinguish a Red Dachshund is by their black nose and nails. If the Dachshund doesn’t have a black nose and nails, then it’s not a true Red. It might be a dilute Red or even carry the chocolate gene, but this won’t make them chocolate-red. They are simply referred to as Red Dilutes.


2. Cream Dachshund

cream dachshund
Image Credit: skeeze, Pixabay

Cream-colored Dachshunds will always have dark brown eyes with black noses and black rims around the eyes. They’ll never have a red tint to them. If a cream-appearing Dachshund has a nose that’s not black or a slight red tint, then it’s actually a Red Dilute and not a Cream Dachshund at all.

Cream Dachshunds are born a darker shade of grey or black. Their color will lighten with age, eventually turning into the Cream color they’ll sport as adults. They might still have black hair on their ears and back, but they might lose them with age as well.


3. Black and Tan Dachshund

black and tan dachshund
Image Credit: congerdesign, Pixabay

Black and Tan is one of the iconic Dachshund colorations. They’re mainly black with dark tan on their paws, chests, snout, and even on their eyebrows. Dachshunds with this color are available in all coats (which we will discuss at length later).

Sometimes, you’ll find a Dachshund that appears all black. In reality, it’s a Black and Tan Dachshund that’s lost its tan coloration due to poor breeding. There is no all-black coloration of the Dachshund, only the Black and Tan.


4. Black and Cream Dachshund

dachshund
Image Credit: ArtTower, Pixabay

You can only find Black and Cream Dachshunds with smooth or longhaired coats. They appear to be black all over with very light patches on their feet, face, chest, and eyebrows. They may even have cream on the underside of their tail.

This color variation looks very similar to the Black and Tan Dachshund. The only notable difference is that the patches on the Black and Cream Dachshunds are much lighter in color than the tan patches on a Black and Tan Dachshund.


5. Blue and Cream Dachshund

Blue and Cream Dachshunds look similar to Black and Cream, minus the black. Instead, they are covered in a greyish-blue color over most of their bodies. They’ll have no black present at all. Feet, face, and chest will all be a light cream color, just like a Black and Cream-colored Dachshund.


6. Chocolate and Tan Dachshund

chocolate and tan dachshund
Image Credit: Pablo Villalon, Pixabay

The main body of a Chocolate and Tan Dachshund will be a deep chocolate brown. Their feet, face, and chest will be the same tan color that’s present in a Black and Tan Dachshund.

If it’s a true Chocolate and Tan, your Dachshund will never have a black nose. Instead, it will have a brown nose and brown nails as well. Interestingly, they can have eyes that vary in color from brown to the occasional green or hazel.


7. Chocolate and Cream Dachshund

You’ll only find Chocolate and Cream Dachshunds with smooth or long hair. They’ll have the typical cream feet, face, and chest, with a dark chocolate brown covering the rest of their body.

This coloration also includes a brown nose and brown nails as well. Their eyes can span from light brown to green, and even occasionally turn out to be hazel colored.


8. Blue and Tan Dachshund

blue and tan dachshund
Image Credit: LoggaWiggler, Pixabay

Blue and Tan Dachshunds have a similar appearance to Black and Tan ones, except that instead of black, their main coloration looks grey. It’s actually a blue/grey that looks like gunmetal. They’ll have the same tan patches on their feet, chest, snout, and eyebrows as a Black and Tan Dachshund.

A Blue and Tan Dachshund cannot have any black on it, not even on the nose or eyes. Instead, they’ll have grey eyes, a grey nose, and even grey nails. This helps to distinguish a Blue and Tan Dachshund from any other colorations.


9. Fawn and Tan Dachshund

In Dachshunds, fawn is often referred to as Isabella, so a Fawn and Tan Dachshund is also called Isabella and Tan. Fawn is diluted chocolate, so to be a Fawn and Tan, no chocolate coloration can be present.

With this coloration, the bulk of the dog’s body will appear to be a greyish-brown color; fawn. The feet, face, eyebrows, and chest can display the same tan color that appears in a Black and Tan Dachshund, though the color may be a bit lighter in the fawn and tan variety.


10. Fawn and Cream Dachshund

This coloration can be present on a Dachshund with any type of coat, but it can’t have any chocolate present since fawn is a dilute of chocolate. Dachshunds with this color will look like a washed-out Chocolate and Cream dog. The nose, feet, chest, and eyebrows will be cream-colored, and the eyes and nails will be grey.


11. Wheaten Dachshund

The Wheaten coloration only appears in wirehaired Dachshunds. This color ranges from an off-white to a yellowish butter color. Lighter coloration is preferred, but they should have very dark eyes, nose, and nails.


12. Wild Boar Dachshund

Dachshunds with the Wild Boar coloration almost appear to be patterned, but it’s actually a color variation. This coloration only comes in wirehaired and occasionally smooth Dachshunds, but never a longhaired.

From a distance, a Wild Boar Dachshund will mostly appear to be a Black and Tan. Up close, you’ll see that each hair appears to be banded with several shades of gray, brown, and black. They’ll have the common tan feet, chest, and face of black and tan Dachshunds.

Wild Boar is often mistakenly used to describe Dachshunds that are red with black hairs on their neck and back, but that’s incorrect. You can really only tell if a Dachshund has true Wild Boar coloration after the pup is 6 months old. Most will actually lose their black overlay and become red adults with no pattern.

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The 5 Dachshund Patterns

We’ve covered all of the main Dachshund colorations. But you might have seen Dachshunds that appeared to color outside of the ones we’ve listed so far. No, your eyes aren’t playing tricks on you. But what you may have seen isn’t considered a different color variation. Instead, it was a pattern.

Patterns can make Dachshunds appear to be three or even more colors. There are five distinct Dachshund patterns, and each one can appear over any color variation, allowing for as diverse of Dachshunds as you can imagine.

When discussing patterned Dachshunds, you’ll refer first to the color and second to the pattern. For instance, you might have a Black and Cream Dapple, a Red Piebald, or a Cream Brindle.

1. Dapple Dachshund

dapple dachshund
Image Credit: mjimages, Pixabay

Dapple Dachshunds have patches of a lighter color that seem to be randomly thrown in with their main self-color. This can give the dog a very mottled look, especially when mixed over certain base colors.

When a Dachshund has Dapple patterning over the face, they might end up with blue eyes or eyes that have blue speckles. This could be in just one eye or both.

If a Dachshund has even a single Dapple patch, it’s considered to be a Dapple Dachshund. Even if the dappling fades away with age, it’s still a Dapple Dachshund.

To produce a Dapple Dachshund, at least one parent must be Dapple, even if their Dappling faded away as they aged. You can’t get Dapple offspring from two solid-colored Dachshunds.


2. Double Dapple Dachshund

Double Dapple sounds like a candy, but it’s actually a pattern that can result from breeding two Dapple Dachshunds. With a Double Dapple Dachshund (try saying that three times fast), the dog will have the normal Dapple patches, plus patches of another color, usually white.

This pattern often produces points of white instead of tan, cream, or whatever color the Dachshund should have had based on its self-color. They’ll often have blue eyes as well, which can really make them stand out.

However, breeding a Double Dapple Dachshund can often result in deaf or partially deaf puppies, as well as puppies with small or missing eyes. Because of this, Double Dapple breeding should only be taken on by the most experienced Dachshund breeders.


3. Brindle Dachshund

Brindle Dachshunds have dark stripes all over. Depending on their self-color, these stripes may be visible everywhere, or only on the lighter-colored parts. For instance, a Black and Tan Brindle Dachshund might only have visible stripes on the tan portions since the black is too dark for stripes to show up against. But on a lighter-colored Brindle Dachshund like a Cream, you’ll see the darker stripes covering the dog’s entire body.


4. Sable Dachshund

Sable Dachshunds have two bands of color on each hair, except for the hairs on their face and feet. Each hair will have the dog’s self-color at the base with darker coloration near the tip. The face and feet are typically the dog’s normal self-color.

Red Dachshunds with a black overlay are often mistaken for Sable Reds. In truth, a Sable Red is so dark that it looks just like a Black and Tan Dachshund from a distance because the Red coloration at the base of its hair is covered by the darker Sable coloration at the tips.


5. Piebald Dachshund

Piebald Dachshunds have white patterning on top of their main coloration. Unlike Dapple Dachshunds, the patches can’t have any variation in color; they’re just white. A Piebald Dachshund will never have any blue in their eyes. Instead, their eyes must be very dark.

One distinguishing feature of a Piebald Dachshund is the white tip of its tail, which is always present in a Piebald. But they could have any amount of white on their body. They might just have small patches of white on their points, or they might be almost entirely white everywhere. All of these are considered Piebald.

Though a Piebald Dachshund might appear to have three colors, it’s not a tri-colored Dachshund. It’s simply a Piebald Dachshund with a two-tone self-color.

  • Read about all the different types of Dachshunds here

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The 3 Types of Dachshund Coats

As mentioned, the coat of your Dachshund is the type of hair that it has. There are three main types of coats that Dachshunds can have.

1. Smooth Dachshund

dachshund on grass
Image Credit: James Player, Shutterstock

Smooth-coated Dachshunds have very short hair that’s close to the body. It appears to shine, particularly in the sunlight. The Smooth-haired Dachshund is soft to the touch. Its hair doesn’t need trimming since it doesn’t grow out. They’ll need just basic brushing to remove dead skin and hair.


2. Longhaired Dachshund

english cream dachshund
Image credit: Hannamariah, Shutterstock

As the name suggests, Longhaired Dachshunds have a long coat of thick hair. It hangs down around their stubby legs, and it’s also long and shaggy at the ears. Many people think this coat makes the Dachshund look regal. You can expect a Longhaired Dachshund to require a bit more grooming to keep their long coats looking luxurious.


3. Wirehaired Dachshund

wire haired dachshund puppy
Image Credit: Ermolaev Alexander, Shutterstock

Wirehaired Dachshunds have a short coat with some long tufts of fur around the chin, giving them a bearded look. Their coat isn’t as short as the smooth Dachshund, and it’s not as shiny or soft either. This coat is tough compared to the other types of Dachshund coats, and it will need a thick, rough brush to groom it properly. On the plus side, Wirehaired Dachshunds hardly shed at all.

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Dachshund Coat Colors and Patterns

Now that you know all about the different Dachshund coat colors, patterns, and coats, it’s good to go over the difference between their defining characteristics once more.

Color is the main hue of any given Dachshund’s coat. Dachshunds have one main self-color, though it can be a combination of two colors, such as black and tan. Other Dachshunds have just a solid color, such as cream. Even if a pattern is overlaid on the main color, each Dachshund will still have just one main self-color or solid color.

When other colors are overlaid on the main color, it’s referred to as the pattern. Patterns can cause a Dachshund to appear multi-hued, but they still have just one main self-color. There are several variations of patterns that can give a Dachshund a very unique look. Once paired with their self-color, this can result in a dachshund that appears to be three or more colors.

Coat refers to the type of hair that your Dachshund has. It doesn’t have any direct effect on the coloration or pattern of your Dachshund.

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Conclusion

If you peruse the photos of Dachshunds online, it may seem that they come in an almost infinite array of colors. While they do come in many colors and patterns, they’re certainly not infinite. Dachshunds come in 12 main colors, with five types of possible patterns, in three different coat lengths. When combined, this can make for some drastically different-looking Dachshunds. But at the end of the day, they’re all the same lovable, iconic wiener dogs that so many people love.

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Featured Image Credit: Liliya Kulianionak, Shutterstock

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