Dachshunds come in many colors and  patterns.

Colors:

One Colored Dachshunds- Red & Cream **True creams are different than light reds.

Two Colored Dachshunds - Black & Tan, Chocolate & Tan, Blue & Tan, Black & Cream, Isabella & Tan

Patterns:

There are five different patterns that dachshunds can have: dapple, double dapple, piebald, brindle and sable.

A dachshund showing two different patterns is cause for alarm!!

Dapple:

This is the single dapple pattern which is shown when a dog has lighter-colored areas contrasting with a darker base. Can have blue eyes.

Double Dapple:

This is when the dapple pattern occurs over the body in addition to varying amounts of white. They Can have blue eyes blindness or deafness and other health problems .Double dapples can be born with several severe anatomical birth defects the most common being missing eye sockets at birth . I don't recommend breeding for double dapples and  am not a supporter of the double dapple pattern

It should Only be atempted by experienced breeders although birth defects are still risky, as deaf and blind puppies are a common result from this type of breeding. 

Piebald:

 a white-spotting pattern superimposed over any self color; there is no variation in the color of the solid spots or patches as there is in dapple Dachshunds.  True piebalds never have blue eyes,  always have white tail tips, and never have shading within their body spots.

Brindle:

 Not an extremely common pattern. A brindle dachshunds Is commonly referred to as tiger stripes over the dogs coloring. On red dogs the stripes are black; on chocolate dogs the stripes are chocolate. Bridling Is a dominant pattern and One parent must be brindle to produce brindle off spring

Sable:

This is an extremely uncommon pattern!! Many people say and think they have a true sable but they don't. A red dachshund with black overlay is not sable!! A sable is so dark it should look like a black & tan from far away. The hairs on the dachshunds body are really two different colors. The self color occurs closest to the body and the tips of the hairs are the darker color. One of the puppies parents must be sable to get this pattern.

Just that. Black and tan. Sometimes (very rare) there is so little tan that the dog looks entirely black. It's possible, but not desirable (as per AKC). Also, no truth to the old wives tale that there should (or should not) be a black dot in the tan points on the dog's paws. Some have them, others don't.

Unwrap a Hershey bar. That's the desired color. With tan points, just like the black and tan.

Can be anything from a charcoal gray to an almost sky blue. With tan points, of course. Prone to coat problems, especially in longhaired dachsies, but every once in a while there is one that has an outstanding coat.

Kind of a mouse color. Brownish gray. With the usual tan points. Kind of the color of a new-born deer fawn less the dots. Can have the same kind of coat problems as the Blue due to defective dilute genes.

The lighter the better. Should have the darkest possible eyes, nose, and nails. Color ranges from champagne to beige. Can have black overlay, especially on ears and tail.

Usually found on wirehaired dachsies. A very light red, ranging to strawberry blond, but usually lighter. Can be found in smooths, if there is wire in the background somewhere.

Another wire color. Kind of black and brown and gray mixed. A grizzled color. Also found in smooths with wire in the background. Actually, I believe it is the color most people associate with wires.

A third, fairly rare wire color. Mostly red, but with black and brown and gray mixed in.  

Brindle:Stripes. Usually (but not always) black. Can be blue or isabella or chocolate. The best brindles are striped all over the body, but even if there are only one or two stripes on the feet, the dog should be registered as brindle.

Spots where some of the color has been lightened or removed. Most common in black and tans, but can occur in ANY color.  Blue dapple, Isabella dapple, Chocolate dapple and Red dapples. The color is usually lighter than the base color, kind of a silvery shade. Sometimes in reds, the dappling is darker. If the dappling occurs in the eyes, the eyes are blue.

Only occurs when both parents are dapples. Areas of white on the body, mixed with mostly the dapple color discussed above. There is a danger with a double dapple of blindness or deafness if the double dappling occurs in the eyes or ears. White areas may be quite small or quite large, depending. Depending on what you ask? Just depending.

Only occurs when both parents are piebald or carry it. Areas of full color on a white background as seen in beagles, foxhounds or basenjis. They may also have ticking; small spots of color in the white field. This may just be a few little spots on the toes and muzzle, or heavy -- like a flea-bitten mare. THERE IS NO DAPPLING ON A PIEBALD! If you think you can't tell the difference between them, just get two of them together and you'll be able to see the difference. This is probably the only way we will ever get a white dachshund; breed for larger and larger areas of white on a piebald until there is no base color left. Most color breeders don't think cream is the way to go for a totally white dachsie. It's possible to get lighter and lighter cream, but not white. There is also a piebald/dapple cross, but that's a little too much to go into right now. Talk about genetic mix-ups! And pattern mix-ups! Why would anyone do it? In that case, there MIGHT be dappling on a piebald. Hmmm.........

Probably the most misunderstood of all the patterns. Refers to black hairs mixing with other colors (usually red). Therefore, if you have a red dachsie with any black hairs on it, you have a sable.  Generally, however, a sable refers to a red with a black overlay. More easily seen in longhaired dachsies. If you part the hairs, you can see red down at skin level, and as they grow longer, they turn darker and darker.  Sables are confusing. And they are. The previous discussion sounds like I am talking about two different patterns; one with red hairs and black hairs mixed, and one with red and black on the same hair. And I am. That's the trouble. No one has explained exactly which one is really sable. Maybe they both are.