Q. I have a 10-year-old black-and-tan, Smooth Dachshund. I recently added a red, Longhaired Dachshund who is now six months old. He has a beautiful tail full of hair that someone called “feathering.” The hair on his hind end has begun to curl, as has the coat on his chest. The rest of his body hair is flat except for a tuft just around the shoulder area. His ears are covered in curly hair. He is red with a black line in his tail and some black on his ears. Can you give me more information about this coat type?
A. “Feathering” is the term we use in the dog world for the longer fringe of hair found on the ears, the chest, the backs of the legs and the underside of the tail.
The fact that your Longhaired Dachshund’s red coat has black tips makes him a red sable. Sabling refers to the black tipping and is a marking rather than a color since the pattern is found on many breeds, from silver sable German Shepherds to gold sable and mahogany sable Collies and Shelties.
Longhaired Dachshunds often have a wave to their coats. As with humans, the weather, humidity and drying techniques can affect the extent of the waves. Letting a wavy coat air dry naturally can result in curls and cowlicks while using a cream rinse in the dog’s bath, then brushing while blow drying will keep the coat as straight and flat as possible.