The information below consists of the following topics:

• Red <Dilute Red, Clear Red>

• Black <Black/Tan, Black/Cream>

• Cream <English Cream, American Cream, Dilute Cream, Shaded Cream>

• Wheaten

• WildBoar

• Chocolate

• Chocolate/Tan<Chocolate/Cream>

• Blue/Tan

• Isabella(Fawn)/Tan

• Double Dapple

• Dapple Piebald

Dachshunds come in three different coats; longhair, smooth, and wirehair, and come in a wide variety of colors and patterns. The official AKC standard of the dachshund is vague about some colors and patterns, and only tries to describe the most "predominant" ones. This does not mean that other colors and patterns are not allowed, there's just no room to describe all of them and there is no disqualification for color. This is an attempt to merely describe the colors, patterns, and color terminology which can be so confusing to those just starting out in our wonderful breed.

Let's start with what the AKC dachshund standard calls ‘base' colors. This term is rather misleading and should be more appropriately called ‘self' color. The self colors in dachshunds are red, cream, black / tan, black / cream,  chocolate / tan,  blue / tan,  Isabella (fawn) / tan, and wild boar.

Red & Black Appear in all Coats!

• Red -  (can appear in all coats.) The most common of  all the dachshund colors. A red dachshund can be any shade of red from blonde to a deep dark mahogany -- all of which is just red.  It should have  black eyes, black nose, and black nails.  For a red to produce black/tans it must carry the tan point gene.  A red that does not carry the tan point gene cannot ever produce anything but red puppies.

• Dilute Red - Also known as E red is a red dachshund with a liver color noise and nails -- basically red.  A 'liver-nose' which means its nose and nails would be the same color as the chocolate and tan.

• Clear Red -  Some people call it Strawberry Cream, Strawberry Blond and/or Creamy Red.   it is still just a red that may or may not carry for the cream color.  A Clear Red is a light red dachshund with a black  nose and nails.

• Black - A black dachshund will be black all over without any tan points.  It will have black eyes, black nose, and black nails. This is not the result of continuous breeding of black/tan to black/tan.  Black breeds true and appears to breed dominant over the black/tan. The black is simply the 'B' gene lacking the tan point gene.

• Black/Tan - A black and tan dachshund is shiny black with rich reddish-brown markings on his face, chest, all four feet, and under the tail.  Noses and nails are black, and the eyes should be dark brown. Tan markings which are very predominant and/or pale red in color are not desirable, nor are smudgy markings with a lot of black in them which makes the dog appear solid black from a distance.
  
  Black and cream dachshunds are identical to black and tan dachshunds except that the markings on the face, chest, feet, and under the tail are pure, pale cream instead of reddish-brown or tan.

• CHOCOLATE/TAN- (can appear in all coats): A chocolate and tan will be from milk chocolate brown to a dark chocolate brown with tan points (tan on feet, over eyes, on face around muzzle, on chest, under tail). It will have a brown to light brown nose and nails. A true chocolate/tan will NEVER have a black nose. It will have brown to light brown eyes and on occasion green to hazel eyes. This is a recessive color it must be showing or carried in both parents to appear.
   

• CHOCOLATE- (can appear in all coats): A chocolate will be a dark chocolate brown all over without any tan points. It will have a brown to light brown eyes, nose, and nails. This is a recessive color it must be showing or carried in both parents to appear but breeds dominant to chocolate/tan.
   

• Cream - True cream dogs do not have any reddish tint to their coats whatsoever. They are a pure, pale, creamy buff color with dark brown eyes, and black noses and eye liners. (nails may be black or brown). They may have varying amounts of black hairs interspersed in their coats.  Pale, cream-looking dogs with reddish tints to their coats (with or without brownish or pink noses and nails) that are advertised as creams are really just red dilutes.  AKC does not recognize such colors as cinnamon, blonde or creamy chocolate. These are color names made up by unknowing breeders who want to make a large profit on their poorly pigmented dogs.
  
  True creams are usually born grayish black and gradually lighten to cream as they mature. A puppy who is born cream-colored is normally nothing more than either a very dilute red (with greenish eyes and brown nails), or an e-red which will darken to clear orange red with dark eyes, brown nails and a putty gray nose.  So far, true creams only exist in the miniature longhair variety in the U.S., and they all have extensive English/British lines in their pedigrees.   Dogs with a lot of British  in its background may not be a true cream if it's nose and eye rims are not black or if it has any red shading in its coat.   There are no such things as "English" creams or "American" creams according to the AKC.  The AKC only registers as "cream".

• Isabella/tan is a dilute version of chocolate/tan. The dog's main body color is a silvery-fawn color and  has tan markings in the same areas as black/tan dogs. The tan markings may be very pale and hard to see due to the dilution factors.  Eye color in Isabella/tan dachshunds is usually a pale grayish-green, and nose and nails are pale pinkish-chocolate. These dogs almost invariably have coat and skin problems as adults.

• ISABELLA/TAN- (fawn/TAN) (can appear in all coats): An ISABELLA AND TAN CAN NOT HAVE ANY CHOCOLATE ON IT. An Isabella and tan is a diluted chocolate and tan. It will appear to be a washed out chocolate and tan.  Its color should resemble a Weimaraner but with tan points.  It will have gray eyes, gray nose, and gray nails. This is a recessive color it must be showing or carried in both parents to appear. They have a tendency to have color mutant alopecia.
   

Double Dapple

We do not breed for the Double Dapple Pattern. This is because of the possible deaf/blind problems with the offspring of dapple breedings. The double dapple pattern appears with various color patches including white.
 

Dapple Piebald

The American Kennel Club (AKC) will not register more than one pattern. It must be remembered that conformation and temperament are much more important than how many patterns a dog has. It is highly irresponsible for any person calling himself/herself a ‘breeder' to just breed for ‘exotic' colors or pattern combinations.

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