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Illustrative imageCoat colour
Merle Miniature Smooth-haired Dachshund
Health riskStandard colour (FCI)
Genetics & coat
Pattern: 
Merle (diluted patches)
Coat colour:Merle
This colour is tied to breeding for harmful extremes
Merle-to-merle pairings can produce deaf or blind puppies. Colour is not quality — breeding for looks at the cost of health harms dogs.
Three questions for the breeder
- Is the second parent proven not to carry merle — with a genetic test, not just a look at the coat?
- Do both parents have a BAER hearing test and a current eye examination on file?
- Have puppies from this or an earlier pairing been born with hearing or vision damage?
Merle Miniature Smooth-haired Dachshund
Merle Miniature Smooth-haired Dachshund: what this coat colour looks like — with a photo, how it sits in the breed standard, and the questions to ask a breeder. Fuller copy appears once it has been reviewed.
Breed standard
Merle is a colour the FCI standard recognises in the Miniature Smooth-haired Dachshund.
Colour is not a mark of quality. A price premium for a ‘rare’ colour is a warning sign.