There are several gene series that determine the
color, pattern, and coat of your dachshund puppy.
Each gene series is divided into a group of alleles.
For example, the 'A' (Agouti) gene series helps determine a puppy's basic coat color.
There are three alleles in the 'A' series:
ay, aw, at ... each resulting in a different color.
Every dachshund has TWO alleles from each gene series:
one inherited from their sire and one inherited from their dam.
The combination of alleles that a puppy inherits from their parents
determines their color, pattern, and coat.
Just like humans, this is what makes every puppy unique.
Some alleles are dominant,
which means that allele will overpower a recessive allele.
A dominant allele will be visible on the puppy.
That means the puppy will 'show' the allele's trait.
Dominant alleles cannot be 'carried'.
If a puppy has even one allele for any dominant trait,
the trait will show on the puppy.
If a puppy doesn't show a dominant trait,
they don't have it, and cannot carry it recessively.
Some alleles are recessive,
which means that allele's trait will only be visible
if the puppy inherits TWO of that recessive allele.
A recessive allele that is overpowered by a dominant allele
will not be visible on the puppy.
That means the puppy will 'carry' for the allele's trait.
If a puppy carries a recessive trait, they can produce
offspring who show that recessive trait if bred to
another dog who also carries or shows the recessive trait.
Some alleles are incompletely dominant,
which means that allele's trait can be effected
by a recessive allele, but not overpowered.
Some alleles are incompletely recessive,
which means that allele's trait can effect
a dominant or other recessive allele, but not overpower it.
A puppy only has two alleles for each gene series.
They inherit one allele from their sire & one allele from their dam.
The traits a puppy shows and carries for each gene series
is determined by the two alleles they inherited.
A purebred puppy can't have 3/4 (75%) of any trait.
They either have 0/2 (0%, none of it), 1/2 (50%, half of it), or 2/2 (100%, all of it).
A dachshund won't be 3/4 piebald, or 3/4 chocolate... recessive traits...
If they show any recessive trait,
they must have two alleles (100%) for that trait.
If they don't show a recessive trait,
they could carry (50%) the trait, or may have none (0%) of it.
A dachshund won't be 3/4 dapple, or 3/4 wirehair... dominant traits...
If they show any dominant trait,
they have two alleles (100%) for that trait, or may have only one allele (50%) for it.
If they don't show a dominant trait,
they don't have the trait at all (0%), and do not carry it.
For a dominant trait to show,
a puppy only needs one allele for that trait,
passed either from the sire or the dam.
For a recessive trait to show,
a puppy must have two alleles for that trait,
passed from both the sire and the dam.
There are 10 different gene series that we'll address.
Each series has multiple alleles... from 2 up to 4 each.
In total, we'll address 25 different alleles from these 10 gene series.
Of the 10 gene series we'll discuss, every dachshund
will have 10 pairs of alleles... two alleles for each gene series.
Further on, we will list these gene series and their alleles for you,
and describe each one in as much detail as possible.
* * * * * * * * * *
Before we get into the chart, we'll give you a small example of
how two dogs pass their alleles to their puppies.
(We'll number each parent's alleles only to make this easier.)
Let's suppose the sire is red (ay), but carries for tan points (at), black (B), & chocolate (b).
Two of his 10 allele pairs would look like this:
(1)ay(2)at (3)B(4)b
Let's suppose the dam is black & tan (atat B), but carries for chocolate (b).
Two of her 10 allele pairs would look like this:
(5)at(6)at (7)B(8)b
From the sire, a puppy must inherit either (1)ay or (2)at.
From the dam, a puppy must inherit either (5)at or (6)at.
So for the first allele pair, the 'A' (Agouti) gene series, a puppy could inherit:
(1)ay(5)at
(1)ay(6)at
(2)at(5)at
(2)at(6)at
From the sire, a puppy must inherit either (3)B or (4)b.
From the dam, a puppy must inherit either (7)B or (8)b.
So for the second allele pair, the 'B' (Brown) gene series, a puppy could inherit:
(3)B(7)B
(3)B(8)b
(4)b(7)B
(4)b(8)b
There are 16 different combinations of alleles that
a puppy could inherit in this instance:
(1)ay(5)at (3)B(7)B
(1)ay(5)at (3)B(8)b
(1)ay(5)at (4)b(7)B
(1)ay(5)at (4)b(8)b
(1)ay(6)at (3)B(7)B
(1)ay(6)at (3)B(8)b
(1)ay(6)at (4)b(7)B
(1)ay(6)at (4)b(8)b
(2)at(5)at (3)B(7)B
(2)at(5)at (3)B(8)b
(2)at(5)at (4)b(7)B
(2)at(5)at (4)b(8)b
(2)at(6)at (3)B(7)B
(2)at(6)at (3)B(8)b
(2)at(6)at (4)b(7)B
(2)at(6)at (4)b(8)b
A lot of these possible combinations are duplicates.
That's because we're only using two allele possibilities
for each gene series. There are more alleles than this in some
series. Using more alleles, each combination could be different.
Also, by using more gene series, the number of possible combinations
increases exponentially... using 3 gene series, there are 64 possibilities;
using 4 gene series, there are 256; 5 gene series, there are 1,024;
6 gene series, 4,096; 7 gene series, 16,384; 8 gene series, 65,536;
9 gene series, 262,144; and if you use all 10 gene series,
there are 1,048,576 possible combinations !
Thankfully, you don't have to do all 10 gene series
at once to get to the information you're looking for.
By this using this method, two or three series at a time, you can see not only
what traits a puppy could inherit, but you can also see
the likelyhood of a puppy inheriting a certain trait.
Here's how our example of 16 possible combinations pans out:
Our sire is red, carrying tan points, black, & chocolate... ayat Bb
Our dam is black & tan, carrying chocolate... atat Bb
| ayat BB occurs 2 out of 16 times This means a puppy has a 12.5% chance of being red, carrying tan points & black. |
| ayat Bb occurs 4 out of 16 times This means a puppy has a 25% chance of being red, carrying tan points, black, & chocolate. |
| ayat bb occurs 2 out of 16 times This means a puppy has a 12.5% chance of being red, carrying tan points & chocolate. |
| atat BB occurs 2 out of 16 times This means a puppy has a 12.5% chance of being black & tan, carrying nothing else. |
| atat Bb occurs 4 out of 16 times This means a puppy has a 25% chance of being black & tan, carrying chocolate. |
| atat bb occurs 2 out of 16 times This means a puppy has a 12.5% chance of being chocolate & tan, carrying nothing else. |
As far as outward (showing) color, litters from these two parents would produce:
50% red puppies, all carrying tan points, carrying black and/or chocolate
37.5% black & tan puppies, possibly carrying chocolate
12.5% chocolate & tan puppies
In other words, a litter of 8 puppies from these two parents would hypothetically be:
1 RED puppy ... who carries tan points & black (no chocolate)
2 RED puppies ... who carry tan points, black, & chocolate
1 RED puppy ... who carries tan points & chocolate (no black)
1 BLACK & TAN puppy ... who carries nothing else (no chocolate)
2 BLACK & TAN puppies ... who carry chocolate
1 CHOCOLATE & TAN puppy ... who carries nothing else (no black)
In this hypothetical litter, you would have
4 RED puppies, 3 BLACK & TAN puppies, & 1 CHOCOLATE & TAN puppy.
If you were breeding for chocolate & tan puppies,
this wouldn't be the ideal set of parents to choose.
Your chance of getting chocolate & tan puppies is very low.
You must remember that these percentages work on the law of averages.
Take a pair of dice and roll them 3 times in a row.
Did you roll any double fives? Maybe... maybe not.
Now, roll them 10 times in a row.
Your chance of rolling double fives increases, but it's not guaranteed.
However, there's a very tiny chance you could roll double fives every time!
Now, if one of the dice had a "five" on all 6 sides, your chances get better.
The same reasoning is true of a litter of puppies.
If you bred our hypothetical parents, depending on the size of the litter,
you could get all red puppies, or
only red puppies and black & tan puppies, or
all chocolate & tan puppies.
* * * * * * * * * *
In the dachshund breed, there are only four base coat colors:
red, black, chocolate, and wild boar/sable.
All other colors are only varying shades of one of these four colors,
which have been effected by dilution, patterns, or graying.
A blue & tan (sometimes called gray & tan) is a diluted black & tan.
An isabella & tan (sometimes called fawn & tan) is a diluted chocolate & tan.
A cream is a diluted red, although a different type of dilution from blue & isabella.
Any coat color can be solid or patterned, and can appear on any coat type.
Dominant red (ay) is dominant to every other color.
Wild boar/sable (aw) is dominant to every other color except dominant red.
Tan-pointed colors (at) are recessive to dominant red and wild boar/sable.
Recessive red (atat ee), also called clear red, is the most dominant tan-pointed color.
While the e allele is recessive to all other "E" (Extension) series alleles,
two recessive red alleles (ee) will be dominant over every other tan-pointed color.
Black & tan (atat BB , atat Bb) is dominant to every other tan-pointed color except recessive red.
Chocolate & tan (atat bb) is recessive to every other color.
The DCA & AKC recognize wild boar as a color.
However, they classify sable as a marking.
Wild boar dogs have individual hair strands that are banded
with three or more different colors... cream, red, gray, black.
Wild boar dogs often appear to have dark 'saddles' on their backs.
The wild boar coloration appears primarily in wirehair, but has been seen on smooth coats.
Sable dogs have individual hair strands that are two different colors...
a base color (usually red) at the root progressing to black at the tip.
Red sable dogs will appear black or black & tan at a distance.
A sable dog with red roots would be registered as a "red sable", with
red being the color and sable being the marking.
The sable coloration has only been seen in longhair.
A true longhair sable dog can have any base color,
just like a brindle, dapple, or piebald.
There are solid colored dachshunds, with or without tan points,
but there are also different patterns.
In the dachshund breed, there are only three base patterns:
brindle, dapple, and piebald.
The piebald pattern can occur, with or without ticking,
in conjunction with brindling or dappling.
Brindle (ebr) & dapple (M) are dominant traits.
One allele for brindle will cause a dog to show brindle,
regardless of the other "E" (Extension) series allele (E or e).
One allele for dapple will cause a dog to show dapple,
even if the other "M" (Merle) series allele is for no dappling (m).
Two alleles for dapple (MM) will cause a double dapple.
Piebald (si , sp , sw) is a recessive trait.
Two alleles for piebald are required to show piebald.
In piebalds, ticking (T) is a dominant trait.
Solid red occurs without tan points. This includes the creams.
Wild boar/sable can occur with or without tan points.
All other solid colors occur with tan points.
Any pattern can occur with or without tan points, depending on the base coat color.
Some breeders believe that a dog without tan points is some shade of red.
They believe chocolates, dark chocolates, blacks, blues, isabellas, & creams,
who do not show tan points, are really red dogs whose shade of red has been
altered by some form of dilution or some unidentified gene/allele.
Other breeders believe there is an unidentified gene/allele that actually
prevents the tan points from showing on a genetically tan-pointed dog.
Still others believe that some gene/allele causes the tan points to be
rendered as some shade of the base coat color, not as tan, and that sometimes
the points are so close in color to the base color that they can't be seen.
Currently there is not a definite genetic answer for this phenomenon.
There are solids ... solids with tan points ...
brindles ... dapples ... double dapples ... piebalds ... ticked piebalds ...
brindled piebalds ... dappled piebalds ... double dappled piebalds ...
ticked brindled piebalds ... ticked dappled piebalds ... & ticked double dappled piebalds.
Any pattern can appear on any coat color or coat type.
In the dachshund breed, there are only three coat types:
wirehair, smooth, and longhair.
Any coat type can be solid or patterned, and can appear in any coat color.
Wirehair (xW) is dominant to every other coat.
Smooth (xS) is recessive to wirehair, but dominant to longhair.
Longhair (xL) is recessive to wirehair and smooth.
With four base colors, solids with or without tan points, three base patterns,
three coat types, various forms of color dilution and pattern combination,
the dachshund has one of the greatest varieties of color/pattern/coat
of any canine breed. It seems as if they come in every color under the
sun, in almost any pattern. In any case, dachshunds are beautiful!
* * * * * * * * * *
All that information may sound very confusing,
but it's really not that bad once you get the hang of it.
First, we'll give you some examples to think about...
His genetic profile might look like this: ayay BB CC DD EE gg mm SS tt xSxL In this profile, the puppy is: dominant red (ayay), carries black (BB), full color (CC), full pigmentation (DD), normal extension (EE), no graying (gg), no dappling (mm), solid color (SS), no ticking (tt), shows smooth coat, carries longhair (xSxL) This puppy could produce offspring who show any of the following traits, depending on the mate: red solid, dappled, brindled wirehaired, smooth, longhaired | His genetic profile might look like this: atat Bb CC Dd EE gg mm SS tt xLxL In this profile, the puppy is: tan-pointed (atat), shows black, carries chocolate (Bb), full color (CC), shows full pigmentation, carries blue dilution (Dd), normal extension (EE), no graying (gg), no dappling (mm), solid color (SS), no ticking (tt), longhaired coat (xLxL) This puppy could produce offspring who show any of the following traits, depending on the mate: red, wild boar/sable (w/wo tan pts) black & tan, chocolate & tan dilute red, blue & tan, isabella & tan solid, dappled, brindled wirehaired, smooth, longhaired |
His genetic profile might look like this: atat bb CC DD Ee gg Mm SS tt xSxS In this profile, the puppy is: tan-pointed (atat), chocolate (bb), full color (CC), full pigmentation (DD), shows normal extension, carries recessive red (Ee), no graying (gg), dappled (Mm), solid color (SS), no ticking (tt), smooth coat (xSxS) This puppy could produce offspring who show any of the following traits, depending on the mate: red, wild boar (w/wo tan pts) black & tan, chocolate & tan, clear red solid, dappled, double dappled, brindled wirehaired, smooth | His genetic profile might look like this: ayat Bb CC DD EE gg mm spsp Tt xLxL In this profile, the puppy is: shows dominant red, carries tan points (ayat), carries black & chocolate (Bb), full color (CC), full pigmentation (DD), normal extension (EE), no graying (gg), no dappling (mm), piebald spotting (spsp), ticking (Tt), longhaired coat (xLxL) This puppy could produce offspring who show any of the following traits, depending on the mate: red, wild boar/sable (w/wo tan pts) black & tan, chocolate & tan solid, dappled, brindled, piebald dappled piebald, brindled piebald, ticked piebald ticked dappled piebald, ticked brindled piebald wirehaired, smooth, longhaired |
Later on, we hope you'll be able to come back to these examples
and figure out for yourself what traits a mate would have to have
for each of these dogs to be able to produce puppies
with the different colors, patterns, & coats we've listed...
and why some of these dogs can never produce puppies who show
certain colors, patterns, or coats.
* * * * * * * * * *
Of course, the list of recessive alleles that two dogs may pass
to their offspring is seemingly endless. Since most of these
recessive alleles will not be visible on a puppy, you must do
a little research into your puppy's background to determine
what recessives they definitely carry, and which ones they might possibly carry.
For some recessive alleles, you can determine what recessives your puppy carries by
looking at the parents. If one parent is chocolate & tan (atat bb), then the puppy
will either show or carry for tan points (at) & chocolate (b). If one parent is
longhaired (xLxL), then the puppy will either show or carry for longhair (xL).
If a parent shows a recessive trait, they must have two alleles for that trait.
So, that's the only thing they can pass to their puppies.
For other recessive alleles, the parents may not show the recessive trait.
They may only carry the trait. In this case, you can't know for sure that the
recessive trait was passed to the puppy unless it shows.
If you have to go back to the puppy's grandparents to find a trait,
it's not a certainty that the allele was passed
to your puppy's parents or to your puppy.
Even if you know for sure that a puppy's parents carry
a certain recessive trait, it's not a sure thing that the
trait was passed to your puppy, unless the puppy shows the trait,
or has offspring who show the trait.
An example is Marbles, a longhaired chocolate & tan dapple.
His dam is also a longhaired chocolate & tan dapple.
His grandsire (dam's sire) is a smooth isabella & tan.
Marbles' grandsire definitely passed blue dilution (d) to Marbles' dam.
Being isabella, he has to have double blue dilution (dd), so
the only thing he can pass to his puppies is blue dilution.
Marbles' dam doesn't show blue dilution... she's chocolate, not isabella.
This means she only has one blue dilution allele, passed from her sire.
The other half of her "D" gene series is for full pigmentation (D),
passed to her from her dam. Marbles' dam only carries blue dilution (Dd).
We don't know if she passed D or d to Marbles. There's a 50% chance either way.
We can't know for sure if Marbles carries the blue dilution allele,
necessary to produce blue & tan, isabella & tan, & dilute red,
until he sires a litter with a female who shows or carries blue dilution.
If Marbles sires blue & tan, isabella & tan, or dilute red puppies,
then we can say for sure that he carries the blue dilution allele.
* * * * * * * * * *
Before we're through here, we hope you can say you know more
about color/pattern/coat inheritance than you did before.
If someone tells you that a smooth puppy from two smooth parents
carries for longhair because his grandsire was longhaired...
...or tells you that a solid puppy from two solid parents
carries for piebald because his dam carries for piebald...
...or tells you that a black & tan puppy from two black & tan parents
carries for chocolate because his granddam was chocolate...
you'll know that it is only a possibilty, not a certainty.
If someone tells you that a smooth puppy from a wirehaired parent
carries for wirehair because his parent is wirehaired...
...or someone tells you that a solid puppy from a dappled parent
carries for dappling because his parent is dappled...
...or someone tells you that a solid puppy from a brindled parent
carries for brinding because his parent is brindled...
you'll know that it's just not possible.
OK... now for the chart showing the gene series
and the alleles associated with each series.
* * * * * * * * * *
A (Agouti) series - COLOR
COMPLETELY DOMINANT to all series, cannot be carried as recessive |
RECESSIVE to ay INCOMPLETELY DOMINANT to at, on awat tan points will show Wild boar is multiple colors on one hair strand, varying shades of cream to red to gray to black, most commonly seen in wirehair, has been rarely seen in smooth. Sable is two colors on one hair strand, a base color root progressing to a black (dark) tip, has only been seen in longhair. |
RECESSIVE to ay, ee INCOMPLETELY RECESSIVE to aw, on awat tan points will show on atat coat color is determined by A, B, or E series |
DOMINANT cannot be carried as recessive except to: dominant red (ay), wild boar/sable (aw), clear red (ee) |
RECESSIVE to B |
INCOMPLETELY DOMINANT to cch, Ccch results in partial chinchilla dilution |
INCOMPLETELY RECESSIVE to C, Ccch results in partial chinchilla dilution has no effect on black or chocolate pigment effects dominant(ay) & clear (ee) red, tan points (at) source of: true English cream (black nose & nails, can have black on coat), these are dominant red (ayay ... ayaw ... ayat), double chinchilla dilution (cchcch) clear cream (black nose & nails, no black on coat), this is recessive red (atat ee), double chinchilla dilution (cchcch) black & cream (black nose & nails, only tan points effected), this is black & tan (atat BB ... atat Bb), double chinchilla dilution (cchcch) chocolate & cream (liver nose & nails, only tan points effected), this is chocolate & tan (atat bb), double chinchilla dilution (cchcch) wheaten (wirehair ONLY) (black nose & nails, can have black on coat), these are dominant red (ayay ... ayaw ... ayat), or recessive red (atat ee), double chinchilla dilution (cchcch) |
D (Blue Dilution) series - COLOR
DOMINANT, cannot be carried as recessive |
RECESSIVE to D has no effect on tan points effects dominant (ay) & clear (ee) red, black (B), chocolate (b) source of: blue & tan (diluted black, atat BB dd ... atat Bb dd) isabella & tan (diluted chocolate, atat bb dd), dilute red (ayay dd ... ayaw dd ... ayat dd) clear dilute red (atat dd ee) A blue & tan dog, whether solid or patterned, will not have any black hair on their body. An isabella & tan dog, whether solid or patterned, will not have any chocolate hair on their body. |
E (Extension) series - PATTERN/COLOR
DOMINANT, cannot be carried as recessive can act with piebald and/or dappling on the same dog *UPDATE* Healthgene in Canada claims to have proven that the allele responsible for brindle is NOT on the "E"xtension gene series. Could there be a "K" (Dominant Black) gene series, as some geneticists theorize, where the brindle allele is located? |
RECESSIVE to ebr DOMINANT to e |
RECESSIVE to ebr & E DOMINANT to atat BB ... atat Bb ... atat bb has no effect on dominant red (ay) source of: clear red (no black on coat, atat ee) |
INCOMPLETELY DOMINANT to g, Gg results in partial graying |
INCOMPLETELY RECESSIVE to G, Gg results in partial graying |
DOMINANT, cannot be carried as recessive can act with piebald and/or brindling on the same dog can have two dark eyes, one dark eye & one blue eye, or two blue eyes dark eyes can have blue spots (dappled eyes) only dappled dogs can have blue or dappled eyes source of: dapple (Mm) and double dapple (MM) |
RECESSIVE to M |
S (White Spotting) series - PATTERN
DOMINANT, cannot be carried as recessive can express only very minor white markings on toes, chest, & tail tip |
RECESSIVE to S INCOMPLETELY RECESSIVE to all other S series alleles obvious white confined to neck, collar, chest, underbody, legs, & tail tip no white crosses the back between the withers & tail |
RECESSIVE to S INCOMPLETELY RECESSIVE to all other S series alleles more than 50% white that often crosses the back looks like large spots on a white background |
RECESSIVE to S INCOMPLETELY RECESSIVE to all other S series alleles color only on head, possibly very few small spots on body & near tail |
DOMINANT in piebalds, cannot be carried as recessive tiny spots of color intermingled with the white areas acts only on piebald (probably because it only effects white areas) some say a dog who carries two alleles for ticking (TT) will show more intense ticking than a dog who carries only one allele for ticking (Tt) |
RECESSIVE to T |
DOMINANT, cannot be carried as recessive |
RECESSIVE to xW DOMINANT to xL |
RECESSIVE to xW & xS |
* * * * * * * * * *
Here is a recap of the dominant alleles
that absolutely cannot be carried
as a recessive allele:
dominant red (Agouti series, ay)
full pigmentation (Blue Dilution series, D)
brindle (Extension series, ebr)
dapple (Merle series, M)
solid color (White Spotting series, S)
ticking in piebalds (Ticking series, T)
wirehair (Coat series, xW)
If a dog has ONE of any of these alleles,
the dog will visibly show the trait.
The dominant allele for black (Brown series, B)
in tan-pointed dogs usually cannot
be carried a recessive allele.
One exception is in the case of dominant red,
in which the ay allele is dominant to the at allele.
Another exception is in the case of wild boar/sable,
in which the aw allele is incompletely dominant to the at allele.
The final exception is in the case of recessive red,
in which the ee allele pair is dominant to the atat allele pair.
In all other instances, one B allele will cause a dog to show black.
The incompletely dominant alleles cannot be carried,
as they will always show, but their trait's appearance
may be effected to some degree by a recessive allele.
An example might be solid color (C) vs chinchilla dilution (cch).
A dominant red (ayay ... ayaw ... ayat) dog
who carries one allele for chinchilla dilution (Ccch)
may be a lighter shade of red than a dog
who doesn't carry any chinchilla dilution (CC).
However, this dog will be obviously red,
not the cream color of the double chinchilla diluted (cchcch) dogs.
A black & tan (atat BB ... atat Bb) dog
who carries one allele for chinchilla dilution (Ccch)
may have tan points in a lighter shade of tan than a dog
who doesn't carry any chinchilla dilution (CC).
However, this dog will be obviously tan-pointed,
not having the cream color points of the double chinchilla diluted (cchcch) dogs.
*Thank you www.lildachs.com for the genetic information!*
*Also check out www.eridox.com for more genetic information.*
