Dapple Dachshund Breed History and Facts

There’s no dog quite like the dapple dachshund. They’re infamously stubborn, more opinionated than they are tall, and they love nothing better than to curl up on or next to you. 

They’re as charming as they are funny-looking, and throughout history, dapple dachshunds have been the beloved dog of various famous people ranging from Kaiser Wilhelm to E. B. White. 

What Is A Dapple Dachshund?

A Dapple Dachshund is a Dachshund that has a unique “dapple” colored pattern on its coat. The coat is a different color and sometimes a different consistency compared to the standard Dachshund. Dapple Dachshunds are known for their dapple blue fur color that can be combined with gray, black, brown, tan, or other colors. The breed is known for its cloudy color spots and patterns on the fur. The parents of a Dapple Dachshund can both be Dapple Dachshunds or just one of them can be a Dapple while the other is a standard Dachshund.

Dapple Dachshund Breed History 

The name dachshund means badger dog. Unlikely as it seems, these long-backed, short-legged dogs originally were bred to help estate owners hunt badgers. 

While not called Dachshunds, medieval European paintings are rife with sausage-shaped dogs haring after badgers. 

Around the 16th century, the dachshund came to Germany, and it’s here that the breed recognized as the dapple dachshund emerges. They remain bigger than the modern dapple dachshund, but they are still small dogs whose mission is to scent, dig up and bark furiously at badgers until their humans arrive. 

By the 18th century, the dachshund arrived in Britain and North America, where coat patterns like the dapple dachshund emerged. 

Dachshunds briefly fell out of popularity during the World Wars, and many breeders combated this by renaming the dapple dachshund. They took its German breed name and translated it, and for a while, the sausage or wiener dog was known to patriotic Brits and Americans as the badger dog. 

Characteristics of the Dapple Dachshund 

Because of the dapple dachshund’s history as a badger hunter, there’s a method to the madness behind their funny shape. 

Long Backs 

The dapple dachshund’s long back came about because hunters wanted dogs that were long and skinny enough to slip down badger sets. Likewise, their elongated noses help them scent out those badgers in the first place. 

Paws for Digging

Dapple dachshunds also have paddle-like paws to help them dig. Today this typically means doom and destruction for your potted plants and herbaceous borders. Originally, the theory was that dapple dachshunds could use those paddled paws to dig their way into badger warrens. 

Deep-Chested

The other classic characteristic of the dapple dachshund is its barrel chest. Their sausage shape often goes hand in hand with a deep, prominent chest, and it’s not uncommon for the sternum on your dapple dachshund to stick out as much as one inch. 

The reason? No one ever thought dachshunds, even at standard size, could single-handedly overcome a badger. Instead, they bred dapple dachshunds with strong lungs and a vociferous bark. Hence, the prominent barrel chest. 

This characteristic survives in many modern dapple dachshunds, and while they no longer hunt badgers, it’s a safe bet you will never be burgled. For a dog perhaps four inches tall, they have the bark of a Great Dane. 

Dapple Coats

But the thing that makes dapple dachshunds dapple is their coat. The coat is mottled, and in single-dapple dachshunds, their base color often shows through their coat. For instance, a black and tan dachshund might present with dapple blue. 

How Dapple Dachshunds Get Their Spots

Dapple dachshunds get their spots through the merle gene. It creates the dilute or dapple patches you see on dapple or piebald dogs. It’s also the gene responsible for unusual coloring in dog eyes, like the Australian Shepherd’s notorious blue eye color. 

Dappling is also dominant, so if one parent presents with the Merle gene, there’s a strong likelihood their puppies will be dapple, too. 

That said, there’s no way to predict the dapple design, as this is random. 

Double Dapple Dachshunds 

You only need one parent with dappling to produce dapple dachshund puppies. If both parents are dapple dachshunds, the result is a coat pattern called double dapple. 

Like dapple dachshunds, the presentation of the dappling is random, but a double dapple dachshund commonly presents with bands of white similar to those in a collie. These can appear on or around the neck, throat, or stomach.

It’s also usual for double dapple dachshunds to have blue eyes. 

Facts About Dapple Dachshunds

There’s more to a dapple dachshund than its color. Here are some other facts about the dapple dachshund. 

Dapple Dachshunds and Potential Health Problems 

Charming as the dapple dachshund is, certain health problems come with the breed. 

Some of these, like IVDD and obesity, aren’t coat-specific. All dachshunds love their food, and they all have delicate, wonky backs, making these health problems inevitable. 

However, other health issues are specific to the dapple and double dapple dachshund. This is because, in addition to their unusual spine, dapple dachshunds have unusual genes. This puts them at risk for additional health problems, like:

• Skin cancer 
• Blindness 
• Deafness 
• Progressive renal atrophy 

It’s also possible for dapple dachshunds to be born missing an eye or ear. 

Dapple Dachshunds Are Vocal 

We talked about the barrel-chested design of the dachshund. This persists in modern dapple dachshunds, even though you’re unlikely to send them barking into badger dens. 

But the dapple dachshund makes up for this by barking at anything and everything. Cars, children on bicycles, squirrels—dachshunds are an extremely talkative breed, and they have opinions on almost everything.

Dapple Dachshunds Can Be Tricky to Train

Because they’re so opinionated, the dapple dachshund is also challenging to train. Often, they get misrepresented as unintelligent dogs. However, dachshunds are incredibly clever, and with the right motivation, can be trained to do everything any other dog breed would do. 

They also often think they know better than you. And that intellect, combined with more stubbornness in the tip of the dapple dachshund tail than in your left ring finger, means that you need to put time, effort, and incredible patience into training a dachshund. 

Dapple Dachshunds Love Their People 

Here’s what E. B. White has to say on dachshunds. He’s not wrong. When they’re not trying to run your house, all they want to do is spend time with you. Whether you’re traversing an English moor or sitting in front of the tv, your dapple dachshund wants you to include them. 

Is A Dapple Dachshund Rare?

Dapple Dachshund or Double Dachshund puppies are considered rare compared to the standard Dachshund because the colorway is much less common. A Dachshund puppy with two Dapple Dachshund parents is even rarer because the genetics will be 100% Dapple compared to just one parent having this colorway. It can be difficult to find a Dapple puppy because of how few breeders there are and how difficult it can be to find them.

What Is The Temperament of A Dapple Dachshund?

A Dapple Dachshund is known to be a fun-loving family dog that likes to relax with its family and friends. The breed is known for its loyalty and easygoing nature. The breed is not aggressive and gets along well with other dogs as well as children and adults. The breed is known to bark slightly more often compared to other breeds which makes them a good option for those who are looking for a dog to alert them of potential intruders even though the breed isn’t a guard dog. Dapple Dachshunds make incredible family dogs and will love to play and cuddle with you and your family.

Are Dapple Dachshund’s High Maintenance?

Dachshunds are known to be easy to care for and are known to be great family dogs. They love to play and go for walks but don’t require a large amount of daily exercise because of their small size. They get along well with other dogs, children, and even strangers because of their loving personalities. Dapple Dachshunds with long fur will require more grooming and bathing compared to short-haired Dachshunds but this process is still easy and quick.

Final Thoughts on Dapple Dachshunds 

Dapple dachshunds are sweet, stubborn dogs who love nothing more than having attention lavished on them. 

They have tremendous character and even stronger opinions. They’re not the most placid dog breed. But if you want an inveterate clown with a loyal personality, the dapple dachshund is for you. Just don’t expect to get your way too often. The dapple dachshund feels strongly about that, too.