Dogs with a special look are very popular with many people.
Unfortunately, this very thought leads to many Dog breeds with blue eyes or crazy coat colors to unnatural torment breeding and thus health risks for the dogs.
We present you 12 dog breeds with blue eyes before, tell you if gray dogs with blue eyes are healthy or not and which dog breeds have a gene mutation.
1. Siberian Husky
The Siberian Husky is the prime example of a dog breed with blue eyes.
Which dog should they be a better match for than this Nordic outdoorsman?
According to the FCI, Siberian Huskies are officially allowed to have both brown and blue eyes or two different colored eyes.
For a long time it was unclear why this dog breed has blue eyes. The Siberian Husky doesn’t have either the merle or piebald gene, but it’s still one with the beautiful blue eyes Gene mutation called BET (Blue Eye Trait).
Good to know:
Blue eyes are always based on a mutation – in humans too, by the way. This does not immediately mean that it is harmful to the dog’s health. In dogs with blue eyes, the blue coloration is inherited as a recessive, i.e. weak trait.
However, serious health consequences can occur in dogs with the merle factor and dilute gene, such as blindness, deafness, skin diseases and other mental and physical impairments.
So if you want a dog with blue eyes, please make sure that it is a natural breed characteristic and not a fashion dog bred for that reason.
2. Weimaraner
The elegant one Weimaraner has long since become a popular family and companion dog. Not least because of its noble appearance.
The light blue or amber eyes of the Weimaraner go well with the silver, fawn, or mousy gray coat and are clearly desirable in this breed of dog.
However, one should not forget that the gray dog with blue eyes is an excellent hunter who still likes to live out his passion today!
3. Bob tail
A fuzzy one Bobtail with blue eyes? Yes, there is indeed!
Especially when a bobtail has a lot of white on the front part of the body (especially on the head), the eyes are often less pigmented.
The FCI finds blue eyes acceptable in bobtails.
4.Australian Shepherd
Also the Australian Shepherd are often seen with two blue eyes or one brown eye and one blue eye.
The unusual one goes well with the happy dogs Fur coloring black merle terrific. The merle factor in itself is not dangerous for a dog. Only when both parents carry the merle gene can this pose health risks for the offspring!
In the Australian Shepherd there is next to Merle and double merle also Tri and tweed merle with dark plates.
Responsible for the blue eyes in the Australian Shepherd can also be the normal one white check or the Whitehead allele be. A dog with a lot of white pigment (especially on the face) also tends to have more blue eyes.
5. Dalmatian
The dotted one Dalmatian is probably one of the most famous and recognizable dog breeds in the world. It would be interesting to know how many of the 101 Dalmatians are actually blind and/or deaf, right?
The Dalmatian is extreme white spotting. They are born completely white and only later develop their breed-typical spots.
Officially, blue or multi-colored eyes are undesirable in Dalmatians.
Caution:
The Dalmatian has some breed-typical diseases, which is why responsible breeding is particularly important with this breed of dog!
Dalmatians are prone to congenital deafness. If they have blue eyes, Dalmatians are about three times more likely to be deaf than their brown-eyed counterparts. Other Dalmatian diseases are hyperuricosuria, epilepsy, HD and allergies.
6.Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog
Not only the breed name sounds exciting, but also the character description of this energetic and inquisitive dog.
The Louisiana Catahoula Leopard Dog has a striking fur coloring in many different colors. That too Merle gene is common in this breed of dog and favors not only blue eyes, but also blindness, deafness and other deficits.
Catahoulas are also available without the merle factor and blue eyes. They are considered extremely robust, muscular, athletic, strong and healthy dogs.
7. Border Collie
Border Collies comes in black, white, blue, blue merle, red merle, purple, brindle, sable merle, chocolate brown, liver brown, golden, and red coat colors.
With these special colors, it is not surprising that one or the other blue eye cheats in the faces of our sweet Border Collies.
According to the FCI, however, blue eyes are only desired with a merle pattern.
8. Pembroke Welsh Corgi
Both at Pembroke Welsh Corgi as well as at Welsh Corgi Cardigan Merle is officially registered as a coat pattern in the breed standard by the FCI.
This coat color favors blue eyes as it creates a lack of pigment.
Especially when a dog has a lot of facial whiteness or a so-called split face (semi-white facial mask), blue or different colored eyes can be observed more frequently.
9. Tiger Dachshund
The tiger dachshund unfortunately you don’t see that very often. However, it is one Dog breed with blue eyeswhich has been around for a very long time with the Merle drawing.
Although blue or two-tone eyes are not strictly desirable, they are tolerated by the FCI.
Tiger dachshunds with blue eyes are still a little special.
10. Shetland Sheepdog
Also the Shetland Sheepdog is often seen with one or two blue eyes.
One of the basic colors of the Sheltie is Black Merle. However, due to the dilute gene, this base color is lightened in some dogs and becomes blue merle.
This gene mutation (dilution) often results in dogs with blue eyes.
11. Boston Terriers
Also at boston terrier blue eyes are not uncommon.
The gene mutation that every Boston Terrier carries and which is responsible for its spotting is called piebald.
The facial whiteness in this dog breed is often very pronounced, favoring blue or two-tone eyes.
As smart as the Boston Terrier’s steel blue eyes look, according to the FCI, «eye color blue or any trace of blue» is undesirable in this dog breed.
12. Great Dane
Have you ever had one? German Mastiff seen with blue eyes? Yes? Lucky you!
Catching one of these giants with blue eyes is (almost) a miracle. Since with the Great Dane but definitely Merle and Piebald are represented, they can also have blue eyes.
Unfortunately, dogs with blue eyes are often affected by deafness, blindness, deformities or developmental disorders.
Please please:
The coat and eye color in dogs is a very exciting topic! Please please inform youbefore you get a colorful or blue-eyed dog to see if he has any chance of being healthy. You should never decide on a dog breed purely based on appearance, but always consider the health and character of the breed!