There are three coat lengths in dachshunds: wirehair, smooth, and long
Wirehair is completely dominant over both other coat types, followed by smooth and longhair is completely recessive.
Most colors and patterns can appear on any coat length in either size.

There are two sizes: Standard and Miniature
Standard dachshunds weighs 16-32 pounds at one year of age.
Miniature dachshunds weighs 11 pounds or less at one year of age.
Dachshunds that fall between the weight ranges are typically just oversized miniatures, and are often called by the slang term “tweenies”.

These are red longhair dachshunds. Red is the most dominant color and can occur in any of the coats.
These are our retired ladies Ivey and Brie!

This is a red smooth. 
This one is called a “shaded red” because of the black overlay on his back. 
This is Felix, one of our handsome retired studs!

This is also a red smooth.
This one is called a “clear red” because it has no black overlay or shading.
Clear red is dominant over all of the tan-pointed colors, but recessive to shaded red. 
This is Spicy, one of our retired ladies!

This is a black and tan smooth.
Black and tan is the most dominant tan-pointed color and can occur in any of the three coats.
This is Freyr, one of our retired handsome dachshund studs!

This is a red wirehair and a black and tan wirehair.

This is a chocolate and tan smooth.
Chocolate is recessive and can occur in any of the three coats.

This is a longhair chocolate and tan.
This is Penny, one of our retired ladies!

This is a chocolate & tan longhair puppy with green eyes. You can often find chocolate dachshunds with green or even yellow eyes. The dachshund standard states “the eyes are of medium size, almond-shaped and dark-rimmed, with an energetic, pleasant expression; not piercing; very dark in color,” however, so dark eyes are preferred.

This is a blue and tan smooth puppy. Blue is a dilution of black and tan caused by a recessive gene. This color can occur in any of the three coats.

This is an isabella and tan. Isabella is a dilution of chocolate and tan caused by the same recessive gene as blue. This color can occur in any of the three coats.

This is a wild boar wirehair. Although the mode of genetic inheritance is the same as with a pattern and can be seen with any base color (for example, red as is seen in the picture to the left), wild boar is considered a color by the AKC.
This color is seen in wirehair and occasionally in smooth coat dachshunds. Each of the individual hairs in this coat color is banded at the base near the skin with the base color and black at the tip. A red wild boar like this picture can appear black and tan from a distance.

This is a red sable longhair. Sable is a pattern. (Red is the color, sable is the pattern.)
Sable is only seen in longhaired dachshunds. As with wild boar, each of the individual hairs is banded at the base near the skin with red and black at the tip. Although it is wrong to call any color “rare”, a true sable is the only coat color not seen in abundance in dachshunds. Can appear black and tan from a distance.

THIS IS NOT A SABLE. This is a shaded red with a heavy black overlay. 
As a general rule, a true (red) sable will look black and tan from a distance. If the individual hairs are not banded, it is not a sable. A dog with interspersed black hairs on a red coat is a RED dog with no pattern.

This is not a dachshund….
Just seeing if you’re paying attention!

This is a wheaten wirehair.
Wheaten is a color specific to the wirehair coat. It is a result of a dilution of the red coat color. Same as cream in longhairs and smooths.

This is a cream longhair, also called “English cream”. 
Cream is thought to be a result of the same dilution as wheaten, and is seen in longhair and occasionally smooth coats. Creams, like the reds, can be either shaded or clear, depending on which set of red genes is present. Shaded creams are born very dark at birth and lighten as they age. The dilution affects the red color in the coat. Most cream dogs have English imports in the first 4-5 generations of the pedigree, thus the name “English cream”. 

If a dog carries one copy of the dilution gene, it is sometimes called by the slang term “blush”, but is still registered as a red dog. If a dog has any red coloration, it is NOT cream. See below.
This is Alice, a daughter of Ivey and Thor from our “Twilight” litter.

This is also a longhair cream. Sometimes called “clear cream”, “pale cream”, or “ee cream”, these dachshunds are born light colored at birth and will stay light colored as adults. The additional recessive “e” gene that causes this coat color prevents any black or chocolate hairs from expressing in the coat, which is what differentiates them from the “shaded” creams. 
This is Thor, one of our retired handsome dachshund studs!

These are longhaired red dilute or clear red dachshunds. These dogs were a very light color at birth, and as they aged, the coat got darker…more and more red. 
These dogs are sometimes (incorrectly) called “American cream” and registered as cream dogs because they are light colored at birth. They should always be registered as red.
The top picture is Jake, an Ivey and Thor son from our “Twilight” litter.

This is a black and cream longhair. The recessive dilution gene does not affect the black (or chocolate) in a dachshund’s coat, only the red or in this case, the tan points, leaving them a beautiful light cream color. 
This is Lucien, a son of our Brie and Thor from the “Peanuts” litter.

These two dachshund puppies are red piebald smooths. Piebald is a pattern. 
Piebald causes large areas of white that may or may not have tiny speckles of color called “ticking”. The puppy on the right is a piebald without much ticking; the puppy on the left is a piebald with lots of ticking. The colored areas on a piebald dog are solid, not mottled. Piebald is caused by a recessive gene, so both parents must either be piebald or carry the gene to produce piebald puppies. Although they are not always, piebalds are often symmetrically marked, left and right. Piebalds do not have blue eyes and they do not have the genetic problems associated with double-dapples (see below).The piebald pattern can occur in conjunction with any coat and base color.

This is a red piebald wirehair.
Recently, the Dachshund Club of America (DCA) voted to specifically include the piebald pattern in the dachshund standard. Although piebald had never been a disqualification, this specific inclusion of the piebald pattern in the standard gives breeders a clear decision on the acceptability of the pattern.

This is a red smooth brindle. Brindle is a pattern.
Brindle is the same gene that causes this coloration in other breeds such as the bulldog. Brindle causes black tiger-like stripes on the red, tan or cream areas of the dog.
This is our angel, Velvet, who has crossed the rainbow bridge.

This is a longhair cream brindle. Brindle can occur in conjunction with any coat and base color. In tan pointed dogs, the stripes will only appear on the tan points. 
Brindle is a dominant trait. Only one parent needs to be brindle to produce brindle puppies and a dog cannot carry the brindle gene without being brindle. 
This is our angel, Symbol, who has crossed the rainbow bridge.

This is a longhair black and tan dapple. Dapple is a pattern. 
The dapple pattern in dachshunds comes from a semi-dominant gene causing the base or self color of the dog to exhibit patches of dilution. Dapples can occur with any base color and the patches may or may not fade as a puppy matures. One parent must be dapple to produce dapple puppies and not all puppies in a litter will be dappled.

This is a longhair isabella and tan dapple puppy. Puppies may have dappling all over their coat, or only one small patch that can be overlooked if puppies are not examined carefully when they are young.

This is a chocolate & tan dapple smooth with one blue eye. If a patch of dappling occurs on a puppy’s eye, that eye will be blue. In most cases, if a dog has one (or two) blue eye(s), the dog is dapple.

This is a red double-dapple smooth. When two dapple Dachshunds are bred, it is possible for a puppy to inherit the dapple gene from both parents, resulting in a double-dapple. Double-dapples will usually have large areas of white in addition to the patches of dilution. These puppies can be partially deaf, completely deaf, have reduced vision, completely blind, or even be born with underdeveloped or missing eyes. Many internal health issues can also be present in double-dapple dachshunds. Notice these dogs are usually, though not always, asymmetrically marked. 
Extreme care must be taken to avoid accidental double dapple breedings and genetic testing should be used before breeding if there is any question on whether a dog may be dapple…or s/he should be bred only to a none-dappled mate. There is no excuse for deliberately breeding for this pattern with all the defects and health risks associate with it.

This is a black and tan double-dapple smooth. 
Double-dapple is not an acceptable pattern in the dachshund standard.
Anyone adopting one of these special dachshunds from a shelter or rescue should be prepared for the dog to possibly have health concerns beyond even what is visible. 
NEVER purchase a double dachshund puppy from a irresponsible breeder, as your money will only encourage them to produce more of these poor dogs. 
More information on double-dapple dachshunds

This is a longhair shaded red dachshund puppy with two patterns…dapple and brindle. 
Because registrations do not allow for registering two patterns, it is impossible to register this dog correctly. It is also very hard sometimes to visually determine if the dog has more than one pattern. Most reputable breeders will not mix patterns……

EXCEPT with piebald and brindle. This is a smooth red piebald brindle. 
Some piebald breeders routinely breed with a second pattern and brindle piebald dachshunds can be easily identified visually.

It is can be hard to differentiate between a double-dapple and a dapple piebald. A close study of the pedigree or genetic testing is sometimes needed. It’s a give-away, however, if the white areas show any ticking; ticking is only seen in piebalds.

It can be impossible to tell a double-dapple from a double-dapple piebald visually, and genetic testing would be necessary if there is any question after reviewing the dog’s pedigree. 
This dog is most likely a red double-dapple piebald smooth because of the uneven areas of white, underdeveloped eyes, and areas of ticking. 
Again, RUN AWAY from any breeder who is deliberately breeding for double-dapples. It is WRONG to purposefully produce puppies with health concerns.

There are many genetic and phenotypic variations within these colors and patterns presented on this page. We would be glad to help you determine the color, coat, or pattern of your dachshund if you have questions! Just  e-mail us a picture jenny@jennyspups.net and we will help you figure it out.