What's in a dachshund's colour?

Ever wondered what the coat on your dachshund means? and Im not talking about the Gucci jacket he is wearing on his regular walks but the DNA in his tiny body!

This month and following Crufts 2013, there is huge talk at Kennel Club about views on colours listed in Breed Standards and those available on lists for Registration.

Here are Ian's views from The Breed Council, who is asking the KC for changes to both the Breed Standard and Registration Lists.

"Our Breed Standard describes those colours which are considered undesirable in the show ring: “Pied, tricolour and the dilute colours isabella and blue are highly undesirable. ” This amendment was made in 2012.

In Dachshunds, registration is not refused on the grounds of colour except in the case of Double-Dapple (merle to merle matings) where there are health risks associated with the merle gene.

The Council has taken the view that lists of colours for Registration should reflect as accurately as possible the actual colours likely to be found in the breed. This is important so that when anyone looks at a pedigree it is clear what colours are present so that undesirable mating combinations can be avoided. For example, we were recently made aware of a litter of Double Dapple puppies that were produced because the breeder was unaware that her bitch was a Red Dapple.

Currently, anyone registering a Dachshund of a colour not included in the Registration Lists has to register it as “Colour not recognised by KC”. We are happy to hear from anyone who wishes to make a case for amending the lists of Registration Colours.

Helen Geeson's presentation on the genetics of Dachshund coats and colours is available here.