Dachshund Coat Colours

Like most dog breeds, miniature dachshunds tend to change colour as they grow. A dapple dachshund, for example, will often fade or darken drastically in colour their first few years of life. From the time they are born to the time they are 9 weeks old and ready to leave to their new homes, miniature dachshunds’ colour may change so drastically that you no longer recognise them. Whether they lighten, darken, or fade will depend entirely on what genetic colour they are. 

Shaded creams, for example, tend to be born a dark shade of brown and then get lighter as they get older. In some cases, they can turn pale yellow or even white with some dark brown, grey, or red shading. An ee red dachshund will also drastically change colours. Sometimes, ee red dachshunds (especially piebald ones) will be born completely white and then turn tan or red as they age. 

Dapples are especially prone to changing colours in drastic ways. Some silver dapples are born with lots of silver and black dappling pattern, and then as they age, it darkens and expands, causing a once very silver dapple to look almost Black and Tan as an adult. Whenever this happens to red dogs, they can become hidden dapples as their dappling pattern fades completely by the time they are grown. This is why it is so important to be aware of what dachshunds look like whenever they are newborns. A dapple dachshund will usually be the most dappled as a newborn. 

Whenever it comes to piebald dachshunds with ticking, colour can change drastically. As a puppy, a miniature dachshund may look like a typical piebald, but as they grow, they can develop small spots of colour over their white piebald markings, called ticking. In some cases, this ticking can become so large as the dog ages that the dachshund’s piebald markings are barely noticeable at all. 

Do not be shocked if when your miniature dachshund puppy grows out of their puppy colours and into their adult ones, they look much different from what they looked like as a puppy. Expect their colour and patterns to continue to change as they get older. 

Below you will find some examples of colour change in dachshunds. Images provided by Julie Manary, Amanda Nola, and Lauren Mazzouli.