Dapple Dachshund Puppies for Sale

Dapple Dachshund puppies for sale right now: five dapples, all long-coated, all raised in our family home, all $1,000. Three chocolate dapples and two blue dapple boys, ten to eleven weeks old and ready to go.

Dapple is the mottled, marbled pattern people also call merle, and in some listings “speckled”. No two dapples are marked alike — the pattern is laid down individually, which is most of the appeal.

Dapple Dachshund puppies available now

Forster — chocolate dapple girl, 10 weeks

Warm chocolate base broken by lighter mottling across the back and shoulders, tan points above the eyes and down the legs, and two pale blue eyes. Liver-brown nose rather than black, which is what a chocolate-based coat gives you. Long coat, ear feathering already through. $1,000.

Lindy — chocolate dapple girl, 10 weeks

The most heavily marked dapple of the four. A cream and silver base scattered with chocolate speckling across the face, ears, back and legs, two clear blue eyes and a liver-pink nose. Long coat. An unusually intricate pattern even by dapple standards. $1,000.

Pit — blue dapple boy, 10 weeks

Blue is the dilution of black, which is why Pit reads as soft grey-silver and carries a slate nose instead of a black one. The dapple runs darker through his back and ears over a silver undercoat, with cream points above the eyes, on the muzzle, chest and feet. Long coat, chest fringe coming in. $1,000.

Pope — blue & tan dapple boy, 10 weeks

Pit’s littermate and the warmer of the two. A soft cream and tan base under darker blue-grey dapple patching — rings around both eyes, a patch over one ear, a broader sweep across the shoulder. Grey nose, pale green eyes, thick long coat. A blue dapple carrying this much tan is uncommon. $1,000.

Heist — chocolate dapple boy, 11 weeks

The most heavily white-marked of the five. A broad white blaze up the face between two blue eyes, one solid chocolate ear and one broken with white, and chocolate across the back and head that is marbled rather than flat. His mother is not a dapple, so he carries a single dapple gene rather than two — the pairing that causes deafness and blindness was never on the table. Long coat, liver-pink nose. $1,000.

Want to see one on a live video call before deciding? Ask us — we do that before you pay anything.

What a dapple actually is

Dapple is a pattern, not a colour. It lays lighter patches over whatever base colour the dog already carries, which is why a chocolate dapple and a blue dapple look so different from each other. The same gene is called merle in other breeds.

It is a dominant pattern, so a dapple puppy has at least one dapple parent. Blue eyes, or one blue eye, often come with it.

The one question to ask any dapple breeder

Dapple bred to dapple can produce double dapple puppies, which carry substantially raised rates of deafness and blindness. It is the single genuine welfare issue attached to this pattern, and it is entirely avoidable by not pairing two dapples.

So ask any breeder, including us: were both parents dapple? A breeder who cannot answer that clearly is not one to buy from. Our full guide to dapple Dachshund genetics and health explains how the pattern works, how to tell dapple from piebald, and what is and is not a dapple-related health problem.

What the $1,000 includes

Veterinary examination by a licensed vet before the puppy leaves, age-appropriate vaccinations, worming, our one-year health guarantee covering genetic defects, and the paperwork for your own vet. Our puppies can be registered.

Delivery is quoted separately on distance and method, and we tell you the figure before you commit rather than adding it after a deposit. Read the full health guarantee and how delivery works before paying anything.

Dapple, silver dapple, speckled — the naming

These mostly describe the same thing. Silver dapple usually means a blue dapple, where the diluted black reads as silver. Speckled Dachshund is an informal way of describing the same mottling. Merle is the standard term in most other breeds. What matters for the dog is the parentage, not which word a listing uses.

Frequently asked questions

How much do dapple Dachshund puppies cost?
Ours are $1,000, the same as every other puppy we sell. We do not charge a premium for the pattern.

Are dapple Dachshunds less healthy?
A single dapple is no less healthy than any other Dachshund. Double dapple — two dapple parents — is the problem, and it is avoidable.

Do dapple Dachshunds always have blue eyes?
No. Blue eyes, or one blue eye, are common with the pattern but not universal.

Will the pattern change as the puppy grows?
The markings stay, but they often look less stark as the adult coat comes through, particularly on long coats.

Do you ship dapple puppies nationwide?
Yes, across the United States, with delivery quoted separately.

What is the difference between dapple and piebald?
Piebald is white patching from a recessive gene and carries none of the double-dapple risk. The two can appear together. The genetics guide covers how to tell them apart.

Other puppies available

If none of the five above is right, see every Dachshund puppy we have available — long-haired, black and tan, cream, piebald and blue — or read what a Dachshund costs over its lifetime. Questions welcome: get in touch.