Piebald Dachshund Information
Piebald is an unusual color pattern that can be found in standard or miniature sized Dachshunds or "Doxies.". They also can be found in short haired, wire-haired and long haired Doxies. The body is mainly white with small splotches of one or two other colors. The color splotches, ideally, should cover no more than 50 percent of the dog's coat color. Except for the color, they are just like any other Dachshunds.
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Variations
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Color splotches can range from being quite large, covering the back and hindquarters for example, to being almost all white with some very minute dots of coloration called "ticking." Colors of the ticking, spots or large patches of color can be black, red, a black and tan combination or splotches known as "dapples". Dapples are usually black spots against a blue background. Piebald Dachshund can have brown eyes or blue eyes. (See Reference 2)
Controversy
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The piebald color pattern is not considered ideal for the breed standard according to the American Kennel Club. Although the AKC allows many color and coat patterns for standard and miniature Dachshunds, piebald is not one of them. The AKC cannot ban a piebald Dachshund from registration, but piebalds are penalized at dog shows. Organizations such as Save the Piebalds.com are pressing the American Kennel Club to add the piebald coloration to the breed standard.
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Name Origin
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The term "piebald" was originally used by horse breeders to describe a white horse with large black patches. If the horse had patches of any other color, then it was called a skewbald. However, Dachshund breeders have not kept to that convention and changed the meaning of "piebald" to mean a white dog with splotches of any color or even two colors. The word piebald is thought to have derived from the magpie bird.
History
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Dachshunds are hounds, which often include piebald patterns or dogs that are mostly white with light ticking. Piebald Dachshunds were considered normal in Europe during the late 1800s, although the pattern was not called "piebald" at the time, but "red and white" or "Black and white" or whatever patch of colors the dog had with white. By 1900, the term "piebald" was used for Dachshund in England.
Fun Facts
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Whatever a dog show judge rules is final, despite the AKC's recommendations to judges. The only way a Dachshund can be disqualified from a ring as if they show coordination problems or deformities of the legs. Several piebald Dachshunds have won classes in America, despite the AKC not considering the color as standard. Piebald Dachshunds are allowed to be shown in Canada and Japan.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit dackel image by Ewe Degiampietro from Fotolia.com
