Sizes
- The miniature dachshund weighs 11 pounds or
less at maturity; a standard dachshund weighs 16 to 32 pounds
- and, for the wires and long-hairs, maybe even more. So what is
the dog that weighs something between 11 and 16 pounds? While not
officially recognized as an official size, such dachshunds are referred
to as “tweenies.”
Coats
- Both dachshund sizes come in three coat types -
smooth, long-haired, and wirehaired.
The smooth is the original dachshund.
Long-haired dachshunds were developed by crossing the smooth dachshund
with spaniels; the standard long-hairs tend to be somewhat larger than
the smooths, and their temperaments may be calmer and more focused on
their humans. Wirehairs were developed by crossing smooth dachshunds
with the Dandie Dinmont terrier, and probably other terriers as well.
Colors and Patterns
- The “classic” dachshund colors are red (actually a
reddish-brown) and the same black-and-tan that is characteristic of
Doberman pinschers and Rottweilers. The most common wirehair color is a
grayish-brown called wild boar. However, breeding programs have created
numerous other coat colors - including chocolate,
blue, blue-and-tan, cream, and Isabella (a fawn shade).
The word "color" refers to the solid, or
base, color of the coat. A dachshund may have only a coat color, or it
may have a pattern superimposed on the color. Patterns in dachshund
coats include dapple (light or diluted markings over the color), brindle
(black streaks over the color), and piebald (large areas of white over
the color). "Dapple" is called "merle" in other breeds, and "piebald" is
called "parti-color." Some genetic problems -- such as deafness -- have
arisen as a result of irresponsible breeding for white-patterned coats.
What color is my dachshund?
Need to know the difference between a black-and-tan dapple and
black-and-tan double dapple? Check out
this page. You will find definitions and photos of the variations in
dachshund coat patterns. You probably had no idea there were that many
different dachsies colors!
