Reduced eye size and missing eyes are not that uncommon, either, in double dapples. In brindle dachshunds, dark stripes, like a zebra, are superimposed over the dog's self color. A red brindle will have blackish stripes all over its body, while a black and tan brindle may only show the brindle pattern in its tan markings, because the dark stripes would not be visible against the dog's black coat. One parent must be a brindle in order to produce a brindle puppy. Sable is perhaps the most difficult pattern to describe.
Many people mistakenly call a red dog with a heavy black overlay a sable.
A true red sable is so dark it almost looks like a black and tan from a distance. All body hairs, except on the face and feet, are banded with two colors, the self color occurs closest to the dog's body while the darker color occurs near the hair tip. The face and feet are usually just the dog's self color. Therefore, a red sable will have body hairs which are red near the base and black near the tips, and a red face and red feet. One parent must be a sable to produce a sable pup.