What is an English Cream Dachshund?
English Cream Dachshunds can be described as being cream colored with some black hair overlay, or no overlay at all. This is controlled by the Chinchilla gene that effects the base coat color red. This gene does not affect black and chocolate pigments unless the dog is recessive red and received two chinchilla genes.
Shaded Cream Bitch with Black overlay on ears and back.
Shaded Cream Puppy: Note how dark it still is even at week 5. This gradually fades till the dog matures at around 8 months old.
Picture of English Cream bitch with litter of shaded cream pups
Dominate Red with two chinchilla genes (shaded cream)
If a puppy is a dominate red and is overwritten with two Chinchilla genes, they will be born nearly a dark mousey brown and as they grow (during the first 12wks) they will lose the dark hairs and they will be replaced with cream hairs. In some English creams a blanket of dark hair will stay on their back, tips of the ears etc… this is called a Shaded English Cream. They typically have black nails, whiskers, paw pads, and noses. English Creams can come in only these coats: Clear Cream, Shaded Cream, Brindle Cream, Black and Cream. Dogs being advertised and anything other cannot be considered “English Cream”.
Shaded Cream Male Note the Black overlay on the ears and tail.
Recessive Red with two chinchilla genes (Clear Cream)
If a puppy is recessive red and is overwritten with two Chinchilla genes, they will be born very light in color. These English Creams are NOT born a dark mousey brown and are not very common. They are born very light and have absolutely no shading on their coat. From birth to adulthood they will have a solid cream coat, black nails, whiskers, paw pads, and nose. These English Creams cannot produce any dark hair pigment due to a gene they carry known as an ee-red gene.
Picture of EE cream bitch with EE cream and black and cream pups
Lately we have been getting an overwhelming number of inquires on clear creams. We do not intentionally breed for this and because we focus on breeding dogs to the United Kingdom standard of perfection they are often rarely produced by our dogs. In order to maintain good shading in English cream lines it is essential that you breed a shaded cream back to a black and cream or brindle and cream dog. Many breeders do not due this and so they produce dogs that are washed out and have very little shading. This is improper and is giving the public the wrong impression that this is the look to strive for. While it is very attractive to have a pure cream dog, the UK developed this breed to have shading on the ears and through parts of its coat. If you want an “English Cream dachshund” then it must have the proper amount of shading in the coat.
History
English Creams were developed in the United Kingdom and the genetics and traits selected make them highly desirable as pets. Not only do English creams boast a cream color, but they have some of the softest coats of any dachshund. All English Creams are longhaired and miniature (at or below 12lbs). It is widely believe that there are improvements on temperament, coat, and general health with English creams. Limited dogs were imported from the UK and Japan to produce the dogs we have here in the United States. The limited number or breeders and bloodlines and desirability are a contributing factor to why there is an increase cost for this breed.
What’s the deal with American Red Dachshund?
The American Cream is an entirely different matter, with a similar appearance. The genetic factors that are responsible for the American cream is the Blue Dilution gene. Dominate red (ayay/ayat) or recessive red (atat/ee) genes. Dogs that possess two alleles for blue dilution (dd) with the case of dominant or recessive red dachshunds. American Cream dachshunds are born very light in color. They can look nearly identical to a clear English Cream dachshund when first born. This however does not hold true and as the dog matures the coat typically will gradually take on more and more of a reddish color. This gene effects the base coat colors red, black and chocolate. It does not affect tan points. The red base coat is diluted to the cream color and any black overlay is diluted to a blue color. I personally think a lot of the ads you see for cream dachshunds are really just dilute red. The easiest way to tell is to ask them to show you the pedigree of both parents, and to see a picture of both parents. Other factors that make it pretty quick to determine fakes are dogs that have short hair. Dogs that are over the miniature classification cannot be considered to breed standard. Dogs who’s build looks like it has been mixed with something else. English creams have a certain look about them and once you’ve seen enough fine specimens, you’ll easily be able to spot dogs that don’t conform.
When looking at pedigrees you want to see that both parents are either carriers for Cream or the chinchilla gene,
Dog above is a Dilute Red and not an English Cream. Face proportions don’t fit the English Cream. Nose is liver colored.
Dog above is cream colored but remember English creams can only be long haired so this is an obvious rule out.
Why buy a English Cream if an Dilute red looks the same?
In my opinion there are very clear differences between English Cream and Dilute reds. It’s important to remember that true UK English Creams were developed under a different breed standard than what USA reds were. With this being said even if the appearance in color is similar to a true cream I feel the other aspects such as coat quality, temperament and build are not the same. This is not to say that dilute reds wouldn’t make just as good pets, but they should not be passed off as something they truly are not.
What we look for when deciding what dogs will be included in our breeding program
Temperament
Pedigree is important, but what good is that if the dog produced has a terrible temperament? It is my belief that good temperament in both the dam and sire are critical in producing quality pets to share your life and home with. I have seen plenty of beautiful dogs that had bad temperaments and people were actively breeding with these dogs and didn’t see an issue with it. Temperament is half genetic and half environment. Just because a dog has poor temperament doesn’t mean that it was strictly inherited. Use observation and common sense to weed out breeders that have poorly socialized dogs from breeders who simply breed dogs with poor temperament. I personally own a few dogs that are strictly pets because their temperament is not suitable to be used for breeding. I’m honest with myself and determining which dogs can be moved onto be used as breeding material.
Confirmation
Confirmation are set standards that are used by major show rings to define the perfect dog from one that is poorly developed. I like to also think of confirmation as the standards that helped develop the breed to begin with. Dachshunds are a type of hound and were developed for hunting badgers. This type of work requires specific characteristics that were selected for over many generations to develop the dogs we see today. Since we no longer use these dogs in this fashion breeders need to be mindful of what standards defined the perfect working dog. A dog that is well put together has good proportions and moves beautifully. A dog that has some sort of weakness will express that when its running, walking or performing field exercises.
Because I only breed English Cream’s I use AKC breed standards. I want to follow the standards that not only produce a beautiful dog but a healthy dog. Dachshunds are prone to specific breed related issues, but much of this can be avoided by a few things. Dogs selected for breeding should be well muscled, not fat, and a pedigree lacking a history of blindness which is a genetic fault in this breed. Back related issues can be a problem brought on, or aggravated by improper handling as well as allowing dogs to get too obese. This breed is strong and enjoys good levels of exercise to keep muscles tone and strong. Many people do not take the time to make sure they are getting the needed exercise to keep lean. Many people spoil and overfeed their dogs which puts pressure on their elongated backs. Neutered or spayed dogs are naturally prone to obesity and care should be taken to either increase exercise, or the amount of calories taken in.
Pedigree
Pedigree is listed last not because it’s not important, but because if the first two qualities are lacking then it doesn’t matter how nice the pedigree is. I have seen dogs that supposedly had “impressive” pedigrees, but the dog does not fit the breed standard well. The most important things to keep in mind is that you can still produce low quality dogs from champion bloodlines. Not every apple that a tree produces will you want to eat and the same goes for dogs produced from show quality lines.
Some of the things that I look for when selecting cream lines to add to my breeding program are as follows:
UK, Canadian, or Japan bloodlines: ultimately all lines should end back on United Kingdom stock
Confirmation: The dog must have the correct stance and when handled should move with smoothness and balance. Their appearance should match the English Cream profile.
Weight: Weight should be at or under 12lbs no exception. Many people make excuses to why they don’t follow this, but there is no excuse for this.
Temperament: Dachshunds can be someone suspicious of strangers. This can make determining temperament from the parent dogs challenging, however dogs with good temperament will settle down and be trusting and seek your attention as a stranger. If they are skittish, aggressive, or afraid of humans do not buy offspring produced by these dogs.
If you came across this website because you are looking to add another dog to your family consider us. To check to see if we have any available puppies or upcoming litters click here https://limberlostexotics.com/english-cream-dachshunds/english-cream-puppies/
Even if you do not buy a puppy from us I urge you to do your research and be able to understand who is a responsible and reputable breeder. Too often people buy from puppy mills out of sympathy for the puppies found in these situations. Purchasing from these types of breeders only gives them the financial motive to continue to breed dogs for monetary reasons. Additionally you may be burdened with a dog that has genetic defects or temperament issues. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions about how to read pedigrees or if you suspect you may be dealing with a puppy mill.