STITCH ROUND Crochet dachshund amigurumi pattern with color-block body
107 rounds total tick off a two-tone crochet dachshund with saddle markings and floppy ears.
- Skill
- Intermediate
- Rounds
- 72 rounds
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Hook
- 4.0 mm
- Time
- 4-6 hours
Intermediate
What the original page called it. Nothing here is graded a second time.
72 rounds
Each one gets its own line, with a box beside it to tick as you go.
Worsted
What the sample was made in. Any weight works — the size moves with it.
About this pattern
This dachshund comes together in five pieces: a 22-round head, two 13-round ears, a 45-round body, four 14-round legs, and a 13-round tail. Every part starts at a magic ring and builds outward in single crochet, so the round count is the best gauge of progress. Working through the body alone covers nearly half of the total rounds, which gives a clear sense of how the project is paced.
The body carries the most shaping, since the chest starts brown and the color split shifts gradually to form the dachshund's black saddle across the back. Slow down through that color-change stretch and at the paw-to-leg transition on each leg, where brown gives way to black partway up. The ears also deserve care: they taper from a wider base into a rounded drop shape that only reads correctly once folded and sewn in place.
The finished toy measures approximately 14 inches (35 cm) from nose to tail base — a satisfying, substantial size that makes the detail work truly shine. This is rated intermediate difficulty, suited to crocheters who are comfortable with amigurumi basics and ready to level up their color-change game.
- Crochet the head first in black yarn, working from the back forward to the final round.
- Make two ears that taper into a rounded drop shape, ready to fold before sewing.
- Build the body from the chest outward, letting brown shift gradually into the black saddle marking.
- Work the short tail and set every piece aside for assembly.
- Sew ears, legs, and tail to the body, then attach the head and embroider brown eyebrows above the eyes.
What goes wrong
- Losing the brown-to-black split on the body Place a stitch marker at the point where the color change begins so the saddle stays symmetrical on both sides. Check the marker position every few rounds rather than only at the end.
- Ears sewn on before folding Fold each ear into its natural drop shape and pin it to the head before stitching. Sewing a flat ear on first makes it sit stiffly instead of hanging naturally.
- Muzzle and chest coloring don't line up Dry-fit the head against the body before sewing to check that the brown muzzle sits above the brown chest patch. Adjust the head's angle slightly rather than forcing a mismatch closed.
Yarn, hook and the rest
Copied from the source pattern's own materials list.
Plush yarn
- Himalaya Dolphin Baby or YarnArt Dolche — 1 skein black, 1 skein brown
Crochet hook
- US size G-6 / 4.0 mm
Pro Tip
- The designer crochetes quite tightly. If your tension is looser, consider sizing down your hook by half a size to achieve the correct gauge and finished dimensions.
Tools
- Safety eyes and safety nose (or black cotton yarn, e.g. YarnArt Jeans, for embroidered features)
- Tapestry needle and strong thin thread in both brown and black
- Stitch markers
Progress tracker
0 of the 72 rounds on this page are ticked.
The pattern, round by round
Kept in the order and the wording the source used. Tick a round as you finish it; the ticks stay on this device.
HEAD
Begin with BLACK yarn, starting at the back of the head.
Round 1
MR, 6 sc (6)
Round 2
inc × 6 (12)
Round 3
(sc, inc) × 6 (18) [Place stitch marker in last st of this rnd to track stitch count in subsequent rounds]
Round 4
(2 sc, inc) × 6 (24)
Round 5
(3 sc, inc) × 6 (30)
Round 6
30 sc (30)
Round 7
28 sc BLK, 2 sc BRN (30)
Round 8
27 sc BLK, 3 sc BRN (30)
Round 9
1 sc BRN, 25 sc BLK, 4 sc BRN (30)
Round 10
2 sc BRN, 23 sc BLK, 5 sc BRN (30)
Round 11
3 sc BRN, 21 sc BLK, 6 sc BRN (30)
Round 12
4 sc BRN, 2 sc BLK, (sc, dec) × 6 BLK, 1 sc BLK, 5 sc BRN (24)
Round 13
5 sc BRN, 1 sc BLK, dec × 6 BLK, 6 sc BRN (18)
Round 14
5 sc BRN, 2 sc BLK, inc × 3 BLK, 2 sc BLK, 6 sc BRN (21)
Round 15
6 sc BRN, 8 sc BLK, 7 sc BRN (21)
Round 16
(5 sc, dec) × 3 — change colors mid-round so black remains centered on the muzzle at approximately the same level as previous rnd. Black stitches need not align precisely over previous black stitches; slight irregularity adds realism. (18)
If using safety eyes, attach them now, directly in front of the muzzle, as shown in photo.
Round 17
(4 sc, dec) × 3 — change colors as in previous rnd (15)
Round 18
15 sc (15)
Round 19
(3 sc, dec) × 3 (12)
Round 20
12 sc (12)
Round 21
(2 sc, dec) × 3 (9)
Round 22
Along lower muzzle BRN — 1 sc, 1 dec; change to BLK — 4 sc. Continue dec until closed. Attach or embroider nose.
EARS
(Make 2) — BLACK yarn
The ears begin wider at the base and taper gently into a rounded drop shape that folds naturally when sewn.
Round 1
MR, 6 sc (6)
Round 2
inc × 6 (12)
Round 3
(3 sc, inc) × 3 (15)
Round 4
15 sc (15)
Round 5
(3 sc, dec) × 3 (12)
Round 6
12 sc (12)
Round 7
(2 sc, dec) × 3 (9)
Rounds 8–12
9 sc (5 rnds) (9)
Round 13
(sc, dec) × 3 (6)Fold ear flat and join both halves together with sc across. Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing to head.
BODY
Begin with BROWN yarn. The body is crocheted from the chest outward, with the color split gradually shifting to introduce the characteristic black saddle of the dachshund.
Round 1
MR, 6 sc (6)
Round 2
inc × 6 (12)
Round 3
(sc, inc) × 6 (18)
Round 4
(2 sc, inc) × 6 (24)
Round 5
(3 sc, inc) × 6 (30)
Round 6
(4 sc, inc) × 6 (36)
Round 7
(5 sc, inc) × 6 (42)
Round 8
21 sc BRN, 21 sc BLK (42)
Round 9
1 sc BLK, 19 sc BRN, 22 sc BLK (42)
Round 10
2 sc BLK, 17 sc BRN, 23 sc BLK (42)
Round 11
3 sc BLK, 15 sc BRN, 24 sc BLK (42)
Round 12
4 sc BLK; change to BRN — 4 sc, inc, 3 sc, inc, 4 sc; change to BLK — 5 sc, dec, 3 sc, dec, 3 sc, dec, 3 sc, dec, 3 sc (40)
Round 13
5 sc BLK, 13 sc BRN; continue BLK — 10 sc, dec, 4 sc, dec, 4 sc (38)
Round 14
6 sc BLK, 11 sc BRN, 21 sc BLK (38)
Round 15
7 sc BLK; change to BRN — 4 sc, dec, 3 sc; change to BLK — 22 sc (37)
Round 16
7 sc BLK, 3 sc BRN, dec BRN, 3 sc BRN, 22 sc BLK (36)
Round 17
(4 sc, dec) × 6 (30)
Rounds 18–21
6 sc BLK, 6 sc BRN, 18 sc BLK (4 rnds) (30)
Rounds 22–25
7 sc BLK, 6 sc BRN, 17 sc BLK (4 rnds) (30)
Round 26
6 sc BLK, dec BLK, 5 sc BRN, dec BRN, 15 sc BLK (28)
Rounds 27–29
7 sc BLK, 6 sc BRN, 15 sc BLK (3 rnds) (28)
Round 30
8 sc BLK, 3 sc BRN, dec BRN, 1 sc BRN, 14 sc BLK (27)
Rounds 31–33
8 sc BLK, 5 sc BRN, 14 sc BLK (3 rnds) (27)
Round 34
(7 sc, dec) × 3 — color placement: 7 sc BLK, dec BLK, 4 sc BRN, continue rnd in BLK (24)
Round 35
8 sc BLK, 4 sc BRN, 12 sc BLK (24)
Rounds 36–40
9 sc BLK, 4 sc BRN, 11 sc BLK (5 rnds) (24)
Rounds 41–42
10 sc BLK, 3 sc BRN, 11 sc BLK (2 rnds) (24)
Round 43
(2 sc, dec) × 6 (18)
Round 44
(sc, dec) × 6 (12)
Round 45
dec × 6; close opening (0)
LEGS
(Make 4) — Begin with BROWN yarn
The legs are worked paw-first, with a color change to black partway up the leg to mimic the dachshund’s characteristic dark coloring.
Round 1
MR, 6 sc (6)
Round 2
inc × 6 (12)
Round 3
(sc, inc) × 6 (18)
Rounds 4–5
18 sc (2 rnds) (18)
Round 6
dec × 6, 6 sc (12)
Round 7
dec × 3, 6 sc (9)
Round 8
9 sc; change to BLACK at end of rnd (9)
Rounds 9–13
9 sc BLK (5 rnds) (9)
Round 14
(sc, dec) × 3 (6)Stuff the paw end firmly; stuff upper portion lightly. Fold flat and join both halves together with sc across. Using strong thread in matching color, pull taut stitches from top to shape toes. Embroider claws with black yarn.
TAIL
BLACK yarn Short and perky — just like a real dachshund’s tail, this piece is worked as a simple tube.
Round 1
MR, 4 sc (4)
Rounds 2–13
4 sc (12 rnds) (4)Sl st to close. Fasten off, leaving a long tail for sewing.
Join
Step 1Once all pieces are complete, assembly brings the dachshund to life. Take your time with placement — it makes all the difference in the final look.
Step 2Ears: Using strong black thread, sew ears to head. Refer to photos for placement.
Step 3Eyebrows: Embroider eyebrows in brown yarn, 2 rounds above the eyes.
Step 4Head to Body: Sew head to body with strong thread, aligning the brown muzzle coloring with the brown chest coloring.
Step 5Front Legs: Sew front legs firmly to body with strong black thread, approximately below the ears. Legs are fixed and non-poseable.
Step 6Back Legs: Sew back legs at the end of the body.
Step 7Tail: Sew tail at the same location where the body was closed.
Check your count
- HEAD · Round 7: 30 sts
- HEAD · Round 13: 18 sts
- HEAD · Round 19: 12 sts
- HEAD · Round 21: 9 sts
- EARS · Round 3: 15 sts
- EARS · Round 6: 12 sts
Finish
- Weave in every color-change end securely, especially where brown meets black on the body and legs, so no join shows through the finished coat.
- Stuff the head and body firmly before closing, checking that the shape stays even along the length of the body.
- Sew the head to the body with strong thread, lining up the brown muzzle with the brown chest so the coloring reads as one continuous marking.
Bigger or smaller
- Smaller
- Drop to a smaller hook, as the designer's own tight tension suggests, which pulls the stitches in and shrinks the finished dimensions. Keep the yarn the same so stitch definition stays sharp at the smaller scale.
Photographs of this one
Every photograph on this page was taken by whoever published the pattern, and they are printed in the order the source listed them.
FAQs
Asked and answered
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.
How much yarn does this dachshund actually use?
One skein each of black and brown Himalaya Dolphin Baby or YarnArt Dolche covers the whole project. The head, ears, and part of the legs draw on black, while the body and paw sections use brown.
Can the features be embroidered instead of using safety eyes?
Yes, black cotton yarn such as YarnArt Jeans works for embroidered eyes and nose in place of safety hardware. This suits the piece if it is intended for a young child.
Why does the body change color partway through?
The body is worked from the chest outward, and the color split shifts gradually to build the dachshund's black saddle marking across the back. This gradual shift is what gives the finished dog its characteristic two-tone coat.
What if the finished piece comes out looser than expected?
The designer crochets tightly, so a looser tension calls for sizing the hook down by half a size. This tightens the stitches and brings the finished dimensions back in line with the pattern.