Double dapples are one of the most controversial Doxie sub-types. So, let’s go over the double dapple dachshund life expectancy, health problems, and other things to consider. We’ll cover exactly what a double dapple dachshund is, why are many people up in arms about it, and why that matters for you.
What Is The Double Dapple Dachshund Life Expectancy?
The dapple weenie dog is one exceedingly adorable animal. This makes it all the more unfortunate that these animals have health issues stemming from their coat colors. Do these health concerns reduce the double dapple dachshund life expectancy, however?
In a word – no, not really. The health problems associated with the double dapple dachshund variant don’t directly reduce these dogs’ life expectancy. They do significantly hamper their quality of life, however, which is why experts and most breeders are making everything possible to dissuade people from getting or breeding double dapples.
What Exactly Is A Double Dapple Dachshund Anyway?
The double dapple dachshund is a sub-type of dachshunds we’ve talked about before. It’s a cross between two dapple (or single dapple) dachshunds, i.e. dachshunds who carry “the dapple gene”. This is a dominant merle gene that gives dachshunds a few distinctive but rare for the breed white coat spots.
Crossing a single dapple dachshund with a non-dapple (or “normal”) dachshund will usually produce another litter of single dapple dachshunds because the merle gene is dominant. And that’s typically fine as single dapple dachshunds don’t have the health problems associated with double dapple dogs. Mixing two double dapple dachshunds is the problem, however, as then the health risks skyrocket.
What Are The Specific Health Problems Associated With Double Dapple Dachshunds?
As with other dog breeds with white coats, the double dapple’s bane is for Congenital deafness and blindness. There are also cases of missing or “micro eyes”. Neither of those directly impact the double dapple dachshund life expectancy, of course. However, they can make your pup’s life much more challenging and frustrating.
We’re not saying that to dissuade anyone from buying or adopting a blind or deaf puppy, of course – on the contrary! Looking after blind or deaf animals is initially a little challenging but ultimately a very doable and extremely rewarding experience. These dogs are fully capable of being fantastic, loving, playful, and interactive pets, and the joy one can get from giving them a great life is incomparable to any other.
However, those two conditions are still quite debilitating, especially if a dog is left all alone on the streets or in a dog shelter. That’s why breeding double dapple dachshunds is so frowned upon – while a loving dog owner can give a blind or deaf dog a great home, there’s just no need to breed such a dog in the first place when you can just as easily breed a healthy animal instead.
Another potential health concern with double dapples is that they are often the result of inbreeding or improper breeding. Because the pool of single dapple dachshund isn’t that large, producing double dapples – whether intentionally or not – often involves the crossing of dogs with certain hereditary conditions that really shouldn’t be passed on to future generations.
Some of those can even affect the double dapple dachshund life expectancy. We typically don’t count those cases as directly related to the double dapple gene, however, as they should rather be attributed to improper breeding practices. But it’s good to remember that these dogs do indeed suffer from such practices more often than other breeds and dachshund sub-types.
How Many Double Dapple Dachshunds Become Blind Or Deaf?
It’s not clear exactly what the risks are as we don’t have broad statistics about many double dapple dachshunds. It’s perfectly possible for double dapples to be born with neither hearing loss nor vision difficulties. However, the cases of vision and hearing impairment are frequent enough for the breeding of such dogs to be discouraged.
So, if your full-grown dapple dachshund has neither sight nor hearing issues, you can pretty much rest assured that the dog is going to be all right. Its unique coat isn’t going to affect its double dapple dachshund life expectancy and the only issues you’ll need to watch out for include the standard dachshund problems such as Intervertebral Disc Disease (IVDD).
So, Single Dapple Dachshunds Are healthy and Safe To Get?
Pretty much, yes. If you want a Doxie puppy with some cute white markings, going for a single dapple pup is a good choice. Alternatively, you can get a piebald dachshund as this sub-type also has white markings without any vision or hearing loss.
However, many experts and breeders still discourage the breeding of even single dapple dachshunds even though they don’t have the problems of double dapples. Why is that?
Simple – because breeding single dapple dachshunds make it more likely to accidentally breed double dapples. Keep in mind that single dapple dachshunds have fewer white markings on their coats compared to their double dapple counterparts. In fact, often a single dapple will have barely any noticeable white spots. So, it’s easy even for a professional breeder to make the mistake of breeding two single dapples, thinking that one or both of them is a standard non-dapple Doxie.
Add the fact that many dachshund owners have no clue what the dapple gene is and are often breeding dogs amongst each other, and you can see why the double dapple sub-type continues to exist even though its breeding is discouraged.
So, despite the dominant nature of the dapple gene, single dapple dachshunds are relatively rare as even their breeding is frowned upon by many breeders and organizations. Still, if you want a single dapple puppy, there’s nothing wrong with getting one. Just make sure you never ever breed it with another single dapple dachshund.
What Are The Double Dapple Dachshund Prices You Can Expect If You Do Decide To Get Such A Puppy?
If, despite everything we outlined above, you still want to buy a double dapple dachshund, what are the prices you can expect to see? On average and in the US, you can find double dapples sold for somewhere between $400 and $1,500. This isn’t really much but we’d still encourage you to get a non-dapple dog instead. Adopting and caring for a double-dapple puppy from a shelter is great and admirable, especially if it’s blind or deaf. However, buying and therefore supporting breeders of double dapple dachshunds is the last thing the breed needs.
Read more about: How Much Are Dapple Dachshund Puppies?
