Australian Shepherd Puppy Blue Eyes

Aussie shepherd puppy blue eyes


The Australian shepherd is an intelligent, active, and athletic medium-sized dog. Originally bred for herding, they possess alertness, stamina, and in herding, independence with the ability to perform this task with confidence, the way they were born to do.

They are excellent sheepherders and even better with cattle. This type of in-bred attitude, nature, and skill also makes them excellent competitors in the world of agility competitions.

No one remembered to tell the Aussie that they aren’t just one of the most hard-working, tough-as-nails breeds out there.

They have good looks too! The Australian shepherd is quite the stunner with its handsome appearance. The shepherd comes with a luxurious double coat and an undercoat that is dense for insulation and also a wavy long topcoat which often is unique in both color and pattern.

Let’s not forget about those gorgeous eyes which are “the windows to the world.” This is certainly true for blue-eyed Australian shepherds, but do all shepherds have blue eyes?

This post will answer that question and give you information on Australian shepherd puppy blue eyes.

Also, included is information on how to determine whether Australian shepherd puppies have blue eyes as well as do they keep their blue eyes.

Australian Shepherd Puppy Blue Eyes
Image by Hetty van der Zanden from Pixabay

For your dog’s vitamin supplement, food, toys, or other dogs product please visit the Health Extension website.

Do All Australian Shepherds Have Blue Eyes?

The answer to the above question can be yes or no. Yes; Australian shepherd puppies all have blue eyes which you will notice when their eyes open at one to two weeks of age but not all Aussie eyes stay blue.

Around five to eight weeks of age, the color may begin to change color, darken or stay the same.

The blue shade may vary and the eyes may have grey, brown, or green specks. Unfortunately, you will be taking your pup home around eight weeks and if you had your heart set on a blue-eyed Aussie, you may not know the final color and shade until 12 to 16 weeks of age. In rare cases, color can change for up to six months.

A lighter blue may be darker blue/grey by then. The final eye color can range from dark brown, light brown, amber, orange, gold, green, and the coveted icy blue. There is no guarantee as to what color eyes your Australian shepherd will develop.

To check your Australian shepherd puppies’ health status or their DNA checks, please visit the Embark vet website for all the help you may need.

How To Determine if Your Australian Shepherd Puppy Will Have Blue Eyes

As posted above, there is no guarantee of your Australian shepherd puppy has blue eyes. First, you must understand the genetic side of the color spectrum that determines eye color and even coat color to up your chances at least a bit, of possibly taking home a puppy with blue eyes.


The determining factor in the eye and coat color for Australian shepherds is the merle gene. This is a genetic mutation that creates the light blue eye color.

In the iris, this gene causes the absence of pigment. Below is some information about merle dogs, how it occurs, types of merles, and how it affects the eye and coat color.

Merle

Merle is a mutation of genes that can affect your Australian shepherd’s skin and fur, making the coat marbled, mottled or spotty with a background that is solid. No two Australian shepherds will look the same and will be unique in their own way.


Due to this gene mutation, Aussie’s eyes are also quite distinctive. They can be the cool blue that they are well known for or the many shades and colors listed above.

They can even have heterochromia, which isn’t a disease, but just means that your pup has two different colored eyes. One may be blue; the other, brown.

The merle gene is not found in all Australian shepherds and it isn’t found in a large percentage of Aussies either. Other breeds can also have this same merle gene, such as border collies, Alaskan malamutes, and Siberian huskies.

how to determine if your australian shepherd puppy will have blue eyes
Image by pixabay.com

How Merle Occurs

Merle Australian shepherd puppies are created by mating an Aussie without the merle gene with one that has the merle gene.

The trait of this gene mutation is semi-dominant, meaning that chances are extremely high of having merle puppies in the litter, but not a guarantee.

There will most likely be some merle puppies in the litter but it may not be all of them. Generally, the merle gene is more dominant over non-merle and likely will create at least half a liter of merle puppies.

Unfortunately, if you have your heart set on blue eyes, having the merle gene still does not guarantee blue eyes.

Merles don’t always have blue eyes and may have one of the other shades or colors. It is also not totally out of the question for non-merle dogs to have blue eyes.


Types of Merle


In Australian shepherds, there are red and blue merles. Both red and blue can be solid merles, which doesn’t sound right if they have little to no mottling but they still carry the gene.

Other Aussies can be red merle or blue merle and have a variety of white or copper markings and/or patches with that marbling appearance. These dogs may have those pure light blue eyes and they may not.


Another merle Australian shepherd is the cryptic merle, known as the “ghost” merle because they show little to no signs of being merle.

They may have hidden patches of white fur, but what makes them merle when tested, is the presence of that merle gene.

Caution, Double Merles

An Australian shepherd is considered a double merle when both parents carry the merle gene mutation. Two merle Australian shepherds should never be bred.

Their offspring almost always have or develop health conditions and they are often born deaf or blind at birth or lose their hearing and sight soon after.


Double merle parents can produce a very rare all-white Australian shepherd, but again, health issues can be present.

Genetic Testing

Because unhealthy Australian shepherds can be produced when two merles breed, a responsible breeder will participate in genetic testing on all of their breeding dogs.

While in some merle Aussies, having the merle gene is evident in the appearance of their coat and eye color, in others that carry the gene, their outward looks may not show a clue.

Just assuming they don’t carry the gene mutation by appearance is like playing Russian roulette. Use a reputable breeder when picking your Australian shepherd.

Remember, when seeking out an Australian shepherd puppy to bring home, use a responsible breeder that uses genetic testing on their dogs and keeps good records.

Two merle dogs should not be bred together, but do keep in mind that merle Australian shepherds are healthier than other merle breeds and because they carry this gene does not make it a disease.

Those blue eyes are not guaranteed in an Australian shepherd but if you do your homework, you may get lucky!

Blue eyes or not, the Australian shepherd is not only an impressive-looking breed they are intelligent, fun-loving, and exuberant and make an all-around great family dog!