English Creams
The English Cream Dachshund is one of the most elegant and demure dachshunds’ varieties. It has a stunning cream coat, sometimes with black overlay, called shading. The English Cream Dachshund has one of the softest coats ever found in the Dachshund breed.
This article takes a closer look at this fascinating dachshund variety and considers its temperament; alongside highlighting ways you can tell your dog is a true English Cream dachshund. It also emphasizes the differences between several variations of the English Cream Dachshund, including Shaded Cream and Clear Cream (ee Cream); as well as explains what an American Cream Dachshund is.
What is an English Cream Dachsund?
An English Cream Dachshund is quite a rare find. It is considered by many to be one of the most prized choices of all Dachshund varieties. The focal point of these particular dogs is undoubtedly their coat. It comes in a few stunning shades of cream; from a very light, almost white cream to a rich golden cream. It might also show some shading; in this case, these dogs are called Shaded Creams. The Chinchilla gene is responsible for the cream color in English Cream Dachshunds. This color is rather appealing and pleasing on the eye.
This luxurious creamy looking coat is perhaps one of the smoothest found in the dachshund family. Often likened to that of a bunny rabbit, the English Cream Dachshund coat is always soft to the touch. Some people make the fundamental mistake of believing that these types of dachshunds are in fact, a different breed altogether. However, these beauties are clearly a part of a Dachshund breed. Although the color and the texture of their coat may make them seem unique and stand out from the rest of the dachshund world; they are still pretty much standard wiener dogs. True English Cream dachshund will be very dark in color at birth. After some time, usually two to three months, the light color will appear from the undercoat, gradually outstripping the initial dark tone.
English Creams or just Creams?
A true English Cream dachshund should have an imported British Cream in their ancestry. After many of these dogs being bred worldwide, many generations of the Cream Dachshunds have no relationship in regards to England. For this reason, you may from time to time, hear them referred to as just Cream. This is especially so in the United States where this Dachshund variety is very favorable. So far, true English Creams only exist in the miniature longhair variety in the United States, and they do have quite a few British dachshunds in their pedigree. In the US, you will often see dachshund puppies on sale advertised as English Creams. However, unless it’s from a reputable breeder who can provide the relevant pedigree, you are at risk of buying other Cream varieties. For instance, you can encounter so-called American cream – a very light red dachshund.
Temperament
Though there isn’t any scientific research to prove it as such, the owners of the English Cream dachshund will openly admit that these dogs are known to be the most laid back among dachshunds. Apparently, this is a particular trait of the English Cream variety. These little dachshund dogs are known for their pleasant temperament. Those, who already own English Cream Dachshunds, will lay claim to their sweet and mild-mannered nature.
Though the dachshund, in general, has always had a good reputation in the way of its fantastic all-around temperament, they can at times offer a more stubborn streak. It is primarily due to a sense of independence that filters throughout dachshund’s blood. Nonetheless, the English Cream dachshund rarely shows such tendencies and is perhaps one of the most loyal of four-legged companions. Their pleasant laid back personality makes English Creams stand out from the rest.
Also considered to be one of the calmest when it comes to the dachshund world, English Creams will quickly settle down in the new environment. These dachshunds are also known to be very trusting of people. They love trying to capture human’s attention as much as possible throughout the day!
Many choose the English Cream Dachshund as an excellent companion for other dogs in the home, predominately as the calmer pack leader. They are also ideal for those homes with many family members and especially those with younger children, because of their overall placid nature.
Shaded Creams
Shaded Cream variety is the English Cream dachshund that shows some shading – black hair at the tips of the ears and tail. The shading aspect gives them a lot of variety in their appearance. The overlay consists of black hair mixed with a primary blonde color. In many adult Shaded Cream Dachshunds, the appearance of black hair is usually confined to those areas such as the tip of the tail and tips of the ears giving them a more distinguished look.
People often confuse the Shaded Cream with the Sable pattern in dachshunds. It looks similar but produced by different genes. Sable is a pattern that gives the black tips on the hairs all over the coat; on the other side, Shaded Cream usually only gives the black shading on the tip of the tail and the tip of the ears.
Over recent years, the Shaded Cream Dachshunds have increased in popularity though still not quite to the extent of the English Cream without shading. The pigment in the Shaded Cream type often gives them deeper eye color, fantastic looking eyeliner, and other beautiful and neat pigmented features. As pure English Creams, Shaded Cream Dachshunds can appear almost black at birth. This coloring extends to their nails and whiskers which will usually also be dark. This dark fur will then fade, and the cream color will start to come through when the dachshund gets older. Some dachshunds may retain a little of this black coloring (English Shaded Creams), whereas some may not (English Creams).
Clear Creams
Clear Cream Dachshund (ee English Cream Dachshund)
The Clear Cream Dachshund has seen an increase in demand in recent years. It is most likely due to the people’s preference for a cream dachshund without the shading. Clear Cream dachshunds are in fact pure English Creams. However, the difference is that they are born very light in color and became darker with age. On the contrary, typical English Creams are born darker and lighten as time goes by. The Clear Cream Dachshunds are regularly referred to simply as Clear. They are genetically incapable of producing any black hair. Though the demand has grown for this type of dachshund, it is a difficult task to find a good representation of this Clear Cream Dachshund. It is becoming increasingly difficult for breeders to remove the dark pigment and therefore challenging to find the pups that haven’t lost that pigment feature.
American Creams
English Cream Dachshund vs American Cream Dachshund
The American Cream Dachshund displays a similar appearance to that of an authentic English Cream. However, the American Cream is substantially different from the English Cream with a similar appearance. The light color in American Creams is obtained by a different gene resulting in a very light Red Dilute coat.
American Cream Dachshunds are very light in color when newborn. However, as they begin to mature, so too does their coat, gradually taking on a more reddish color. Over time, this redness becomes quite prominent. The key factor is that there is no red coloration in true English Cream Dachshunds. All, even very light dogs, that have a red undertone to their coat are in fact Reds, not Creams.
IF THE PUPPY'S COAT HAS A RED UNDERTONE, IT IS IN FACT A LIGHT RED DACHSHUND WHICH IS SOMETIMES CALLED AMERICAN CREAM.
American Cream dachshunds also include Smooth haired (short haired) Creams. In the American Cream Dachshund, there are three possible genetic factors responsible. These are the Recessive Red Gene, the Dominant Red Gene, and the Blue Dilution Gene. These genes actively work to affect the dachshund’s base coat colors, namely reds, blacks, and chocolates. The genes affect the base coat which becomes diluted over time to resemble the lighter cream color.
How Can You Tell If Your Puppy is a True English Cream?
A true English Cream Dachshund will more than likely be the higher priced dachshund variety. It is, however, worth remembering that the surge in cost for the English Cream dachshund is also related to a limited number of readily available breeders of such a specific dachshund variety. The scarcity of the dogs with a reputable pedigree used for breeding is also a reason for the high price of English Cream dachshund puppies. A vast number of professionals and others that are very familiar with the Dachshund breed will tell you that authentic English Creams just have that certain look about them.
Ultimately, many breeders of the English Cream Dachshund will state that the coat of a puppy, regardless of its type, will not be fully developed until they are two years of age.
Article by: Maria Vesna, June 19, 2019
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