1. What is a pattern? How is it different then a color?
The self, or solid, colors in dachshunds are red, cream, black and tan,
black and cream, chocolate and tan, blue and tan, and isabella (fawn)
and tan. All dachshunds have one, and only one, self color.
The patterns found in dachshunds are dapple, double dapple, brindle,
sable, and piebald. Any pattern can be superimposed over any self, or
solid, color; for instance, black and tan dapple, red brindle, chocolate
and tan piebald. The color is named first, followed by the pattern, if
any.
2. what does the dapple pattern look like?
In dapple dachshunds, patches of lighter color are intermingled with
patches of the self color, sometimes with a patch of white hair on the
chests. For instance, black and tan dapples, often incorrectly called
silver dapples, have patches of silvery colored hair mixed in with areas
of black hair, giving the dog an overall mottled appearance. If the
dapple pattern should occur across the face, one or both eyes may have
blue speckles or may be entirely blue. In chocolate and tan dapples,
areas of yellowish hair occur along with patches of chocolate hair. Red
dapples are very often hard to distinguish, because the pattern of
lighter red patches is often not very distinct.
One parent must have the dapple pattern in order to produce a dapple
puppy. Two solid, self-colored dogs cannot produce a dapple. A
dachshund is considered to be a dapple if it has even one tiny dappled
patch on it. Sometimes this dappled patch is only noticeable when it is
a puppy, usually on the ears or belly, and often fades away with age.
This dog should still be registered as a dapple, because it will produce
some dapple puppies when bred to a dog with no pattern present.
3. What is a double dapple?
When two dapples are bred together,they may produce a double dapple
puppy. Double dapples usually have large areas of white on their bodies
in addition to the self colored, and dappled patches. For instance, a
blue and tan double dapple with have patches of steel blue and silver on
a white background. Double dapples' eyes may be completely blue, and
they may have white blazes on their heads, white tail tips, and
extensive white on their feet, bellies, and sides. Only experienced
breeders should attempt double dapple breeding, as deaf and partially
deaf puppies may result from this breeding. Reduced eye size and
missing eyes are not that uncommon, either, in double dapples.
4. What is a brindle?
In brindle dachshunds, dark stripes, like a zebra, are superimposed over
the dog's self color. A red brindle will have blackish stripes all over
its body, while a black and tan brindle may only show the brindle
pattern in its tan markings, because the dark stripes would not be
visible against the dog's black coat. One parent must be a brindle in
order to produce a brindle puppy.
5. How can I determine if a dachshund has the sable pattern?
Sable is perhaps the most difficult pattern to describe. Many people
mistakenly call a red dog with a heavy black overlay a sable. This is
incorrect; the dog should be registered as red with no pattern. A true
red sable is so dark it almost looks like a black and tan from a
distance. All body hairs, except on the face and feet, are banded with
two colors, the self color occurs closest to the dog's body while the
darker color occurs near the hair tip. The face and feet are usually
just the dog's self color. Therefore, a red sable will have body hairs
which are red near the base and black near the tips, and a red face and
red feet. One parent must be a sable to produce a sable pup.
6. What does the piebald pattern look like and how is it different from
the dapple pattern?
Piebald is simply a white-spotting pattern superimposed over any self
color; there is no variation in the color of the solid spots or patches
as there is in dapple dachshunds. True piebalds never have blue eyes
and always have white tail tips. The amount of white on a piebald is
variable, ranging from a full or partial white collar, white chest,
belly, and feet, and a white tail tip ( often called "Irish spotting"),
to an almost pure white dog with a patch of color on the head and base
of the tail. For instance, black and tan piebalds have solid black
body patches on a white background, but they may have tan markings, or
spots, where tan markings would normally occur on a self-colored dog,
such as the face, feet, and under the tail. It is incorrect to refer to
black and tan piebalds as tricolors. Red piebalds have solid red spots,
sometimes with intermingled black hairs, on a white background. When
ticking is present, tiny dots of color appear on the white areas,
varying in amounts from a few single dots to an abundance of dots which
run together to form a roaning effect. Both parents must be piebald, or
carry the piebald gene, to produce a piebald pup.
