Colours of Dachshunds: Black, Blue, and Beyond

Dachshunds are a beloved breed, known for their unique appearance and playful personalities. They come in a variety of colours, each with its own unique characteristics.

Black dachshunds have a glossy, black coat that can range from a deep, rich black to a lighter, more blue-black tone. Their black fur is often accompanied by a black mask on their face.

Dachshunds can also be blue, which means their coat has a dilute black colour. This gives them a lovely silvery-blue coat that's both striking and elegant.

Intriguing read: Blue Dapple Miniature Dachshund

Dachshunds are available in a wide range of colors, including red, black, chocolate, and cream. Their coats can be solid, dappled, or a combination of these patterns.

The most common color for dachshunds is red, which can range from a deep, rich red to a lighter, more golden tone.

Related reading: Red Dapple Dachshund

Black and Blue Dachshunds are a unique and beautiful color combination. They have a greyish-blue coat over most of their bodies, with no black present at all.

The light cream color on their feet, face, and chest is a lovely contrast to their blue coat. It's a beautiful sight to see.

The combination of blue and cream creates a stunning visual effect, making each Black and Blue Dachshund a one-of-a-kind companion.

Intriguing read: Do English Cream Dachshunds Shed

The black coloration in Dachshunds is a beautiful sight to behold. A black Dachshund is actually a Black and Tan Dachshund that's lost its tan coloration due to poor breeding.

You can find black Dachshunds with shiny black fur and dark brown eyes. The noses and nails of these dogs are also black. Their eyes should be a dark brown color.

Some people might think that a Dachshund can be entirely black, but that's not true. There is no all-black coloration of the Dachshund, only the Black and Tan.

The black coloration in Dachshunds is often accompanied by pale cream markings on the face, chest, and feet, as well as under the tail. This is a characteristic of the Black and Cream Dachshund.

If this caught your attention, see: Cream Piebald Dapple Dachshund

Blue and tan Dachshunds have a unique appearance, with a primary body color that's an even steel bluish-gray. This dilute version of the black and tan coloration is a result of genetics.

Their tan markings are often muted or have a bluish overcast, which can give them a distinctive look. This is due to the diluting factors that affect their coat color.

A Blue and Tan Dachshund's eye color is a grayish shade, matching the color of their nose and nails. This helps distinguish them from other Dachshund colors.

Some Blue and Tan Dachshunds may develop color alopecia, causing hair loss or thinning hair. This can be a concern for owners, but it's not a guarantee for every individual pup.

Their coat can be prone to problems, especially in longhaired Dachshunds. However, with proper care, some Blue and Tan Dachshunds can have an outstanding coat.

Curious to learn more? Check out: Blue Dapple Piebald Dachshund

Chocolate Dachshunds are a rich brown color, with some having reddish-brown markings on their face, chest, feet, and under their tail.

Dark eye color is favored, but hazel eyes are frequently seen and are acceptable. Nails and noses are mostly liver-colored.

A Chocolate and Tan Dachshund's nose and nails are brown, not black, and their eyes can vary in color from brown to green or hazel.

Take a look at this: How to Trim a Dachshunds Nails

The Chocolate Dachshund has a rich chocolate-brown coat color.

Dark eye color is favored, but hazel eyes are frequently seen and are acceptable.

Their nose and nails are mostly liver-colored, but can also be brown in some cases.

Chocolate and Tan Dachshunds have a deep chocolate brown body, with tan markings on their feet, face, and chest.

A true Chocolate and Tan Dachshund will never have a black nose, instead having a brown one.

They can have eyes that vary in color from brown to green or hazel.

Chocolate and Cream Dachshunds have a dark chocolate brown body, with cream markings on their feet, face, and chest.

Their nose and nails are black, but can also have brown nails in some cases.

Their eyes can span from light brown to green, and even occasionally turn out to be hazel colored.

A Chocolate and Cream Dachshund will always have smooth or long hair.

Sable is a unique coat color in Dachshunds that can be a bit confusing, but it's actually quite fascinating. The sable pattern is only seen in longhaired Dachshunds.

Sable dogs have hair that's banded at the base near the skin, with red and black coloring at the tip, similar to wild boars. This banding effect creates a distinctive appearance.

In Dachshunds, the term "sable" refers to a reddish color with some black hairs, whereas the red color is without interspersed black hair. This nuance is important to note when breeding or identifying sable-colored Dachshunds.

Genetically, sable-colored Dachshunds can be complex, with multiple loci (A, B, and E) affecting the coat color. The genotype EEBBaa, for example, results in a sable coat color with a black nose.

Here's a breakdown of the genotypes and their corresponding coat colors and nose colors:

Keep in mind that the face and feet of sable Dachshunds typically have the dog's normal self-color, rather than the banded effect seen on the rest of the body.

Patterns are a big part of what makes Dachshunds so cool. They can have different colors mixed together, creating unique and fancy markings.

Dachshunds with extra fur markings are usually called Overlay, Ticking, or Striped. These markings can be a lot of fun to look at and help determine what kind of coat they have.

Some Dachshunds might not even have visible patterns on their coat, but they can still carry the pattern gene and have pups with patterns - it's like a secret surprise!

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The Merle or Dapple pattern in Dachshunds is a result of a semi-dominant gene that causes patches of dilution on the base color.

This pattern can appear with any base color, and the patches may or may not fade as the puppy ages.

Dapple patterns can be combined with other patterns like Piebald, Brindle, or Sable, creating a unique and interesting appearance.

One parent must be a Dapple to produce Dapple puppies, and not all puppies in a litter will be Dapple.

Even if a Dapple parent's patches have faded away, they can still pass on the gene to their offspring.

Brindle is a dominant trait that causes tiger-like stripes in dogs, and it can happen in conjunction with all coats and base colors.

The brindle pattern is characterized by dark stripes, usually black, but can also be blue, isabella, or chocolate.

Only one parent needs to be brindle for a pup to inherit the trait.

The visibility of the stripes depends on the self-color of the dog, with lighter-colored dogs showing stripes all over their body and darker-colored dogs only showing them on the lighter parts.

A Brindle Dachshund can have stripes on its entire body or just on its tan points if it's a tan-pointed variety.

The most everyday brindle combinations are red brindle and black and tan brindle, although the latter is not officially recognized.

Even if a dog has only one or two stripes on its feet, it should still be registered as brindle.

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Two-Coloured Dachshunds can have deep black or deep brown fur, with rust-brown or yellow markings on specific areas of their face, body, and legs.

Their markings can be found on the eyes, muzzle, lower lip, inner edge of their ears, forechest, legs, feet, and even the underside of their tail.

For black Dachshunds with markings, genetic testing can help detect potential carriers of chocolate or red colour, which is important for breeders.

Two-coloured Dachshunds can have a mix of black and brown markings, but the exact pattern can vary greatly from one dog to another.

Double Dapple Dachshunds have patches of another color, usually white, in addition to the normal Dapple patches. This can result in a unique and striking appearance.

They often have blue eyes, which can really make them stand out. This is a result of the Double Dapple pattern.

However, breeding Double Dapple Dachshunds can be problematic, as it can result in deaf or partially deaf puppies. This is a serious consideration for breeders.

Double Dapple breeding should only be taken on by the most experienced Dachshund breeders, due to the potential health risks involved.

Consider reading: Double Dapple Dachshund Breeding

Fawn is a color variation in Dachshunds that's often referred to as Isabella. In Fawn and Tan Dachshunds, the bulk of the dog's body appears as a greyish-brown color.

The fawn color is diluted chocolate, so no chocolate coloration can be present in a Fawn and Tan Dachshund. This means that the dog's body will display a distinct greyish-brown hue.

Fawn Dachshunds can display tan color on their feet, face, eyebrows, and chest, which is similar to the tan color found in Black and Tan Dachshunds. However, the tan color may be a bit lighter in Fawn and Tan Dachshunds.

For a more detailed look at Fawn Dachshunds, check out our related read on Fawn (Isabella) Dachshunds, which includes pictures, facts, and history.

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Dachshunds come in a variety of colours, but some are less common than others.

Red dachshunds, for instance, owe their distinctive colour to the production of a pigment called eumelanin, which is responsible for the red and black colours in their coats.

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The Red Dachshund is a stunning breed that comes in a variety of shades, ranging from deep mahogany red to light golden and all the shades of brown red in between.

Red Dachshunds can have black hairs incorporated in their coats, especially when they're young pups, but this doesn't make them sables - true sables are extremely rare.

A red Dachshund's black overlay might be heavy along the top of the back and on the ears, but it often fades as the dog ages and matures.

All true red Dachshunds will always have black noses, nails, and brown eyes, no matter their hue or coloring.

Red Dachshunds can also have brown dilution genes, resulting in hazel eyes (greenish-brown) and liver-colored noses and nails.

Here's a key to understanding the different red shades:

Some red Dachshunds may appear to be brown, but this is actually just a red Dachshund with less red pigment - they still have a black nose and nails.

Red Dachshunds can have a black overlay, either all over or a stripe down the back or ear fringes and tail fringe, especially on longhairs.

Dilute Red is a recessive gene that produces a light, almost creamy colored coat at birth, which turns more strawberry red as the dog matures. This color is the result of a masking gene, the "e" gene, which covers the black or chocolate hairs on the dog's body.

To produce Dilute Red Dachshunds, both parents must be a Dilute Red or carry the "e" gene. This means that even if one parent is not a Dilute Red, they can still pass on the gene to their offspring.

The "e" gene is a recessive gene, meaning that a dog must inherit two copies of the gene, one from each parent, to express the Dilute Red color.

Here are some key facts about Dilute Red Dachshunds:

As you can see from the table, the genotype of a Dilute Red Dachshund can affect the transmission of coat color to their offspring.

The Wheaten Dachshund is a beautiful color that's often confused with cream. It's a light yellow color, like the color of wheat.

This color is most common in wirehaired Dachshunds. They should have very dark eyes, noses, and nails, regardless of the shade of Wheaten.

The Wheaten coloration can range from an off-white to a yellowish butter color. Lighter coloration is preferred.

In wirehaired Dachshunds, the Wheaten color is the only color that appears. It's a unique and lovely shade that's definitely worth considering if you're thinking of getting a Dachshund.

A different take: Dapple Wirehaired Dachshund