Over the last few years, we have seen quite an increase in request for dapple-patterned Dachshunds. This is driven in part by social media. At Porth Kennels, we are committed to transparent, responsible breeding practices that prioritize health and well-being of our Miniature Dachshunds. We love the unique, mottled look of a dapple Dachshund, but there are important health considerations when breeding this pattern. While single dapples are healthy and beautiful when produced responsibly, breeding two dapple-patterned dogs together carries known health risks.

Double Dapple Syndrome occurs when two dapple Dachshunds are bred together. While not every pup in the litter is affected, this combination carries risks of vision and/or hearing problems, such as partial or complete blindness, deafness, or smaller/missing eyes. This is something completely avoidable by practicing safe breeding practices.

Single dapple-patterned Dachshunds are beautiful and live full, healthy lives. We can safely produce single dapple pups by breeding one dapple parent to a solid parent (non-dapple genes). We are very conservative with our breeding of dapples to ensure we produce happy, healthy pups. This means we may have fewer dapples overall, but better to be safe than sorry.

Again, single dapples do not have health risks!!! Don't let this scare you!!! It is only when the gene is "doubled" that health concerns may occur.

Last updated: June 5, 2026.