Everything You Need to Know About a Blue Dachshund

Dachshund dogs come in many different colors. The common ones include black, brown, and red and often occur as either solid colors or as combinations with tan sections. There are rarer colors too which is where you will find the blue dachshund option. They are not the typical shades of blue but instead appear more like dark and metallic grey due to dilution of the black coat color.

The coat coloring of blue is a result of the presence of a recessive gene. To put it in simple terms, the gene dilutes the black spots on the dachshund therefore creating the characteristic greyish color. This colour dilution gene is known as the D locus. It is also the culprit of the Colour Dilution Alopecia (CDA), the more serious case of color dilution in animal coats.

The fact that it is recessive contributes to blue doxies being considered rare. This is because to produce one the parents must either both be blue dachshunds or carriers of the specific gene.

When it comes to coat appearance, they are just like any other doxie. More often than not they have the long and smooth or short and smooth fur types. These are single layer coats and are associated with moderate shedding. Occasionally, the blue weenie may have a wiry coat in which case it is usually a thicker and double layer type.

Something interesting about the blue dachshund is that it is completely incapable of producing pure black pigmentation. This includes on the nails, nose, whiskers and paw pads. These locations also have more blueish-grey tones, which is a significant identifier.

Other than the coat and other regional pigmentation, the blue dachshund is just like any other doxie. They have the same long torso, short legs, weights within the 16 to 30 pound and 15 inches in size limits.