These beautiful dogs with blue eyes are almost always the result of a happy genetic accident that became a desired trait
When you spot a dog with blue eyes, it’s hard not to pause and stare. Those icy peepers are captivating, but they’re also relatively rare—fewer than 5% of adult dogs naturally have them. While this striking trait can pop up as a genetic quirk in many purebred dogs, blue eyes are often the result of careful breeding choices.
“Blue eyes in dogs are like a lot of aesthetic traits,” says Dayna Dreger, PhD, a canine geneticist with the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “They’re striking, and they really stand out. The hypothesis is that it’s a genetic mutation that developed naturally and then became a desired trait.”
To understand more about how and why some dogs inherit blue eyes, we turned to Dreger and fellow canine geneticist Elaine Ostrander, PhD, who leads the canine genetics lab at the NIH. Then, we reached out to Link Welborn, DVM, the chief veterinary officer at Covetrus.
So which dog breeds with blue eyes are most likely to turn heads at the dog park? From huskies to Aussies and beyond, here are the dogs that have blue eyes most often—and what makes their gaze so mesmerizing.
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Siberian husky
Known for its thick coat, high energy and endurance, the Siberian husky is probably the best-known dog with blue eyes. Their blue eyes are especially striking against their white, gray and black coats.
Like the wolves they resemble, huskies are pack animals, meaning they embrace hanging out with other pups. They also need lots of space to run and burn off their energy, so a large yard is a must. These often-stubborn dogs are not prone to deafness (more on that in the FAQs), “but they just decide not to listen,” says Dreger. “It’s a choice.”
English setter
The English setter is a merry medium-sized pup (it tops out at 80 pounds for males and 55 pounds for females) with a unique speckled coat and floppy ears. Though their eyes are typically brown, they can sometimes have blue eyes, notes Dr. Welborn.
A 2019 study by the British Veterinary Association concluded that English setters have a 4.5% chance of being born deaf or hearing-impaired. As is the case with deafness-prone breeds like Dalmatians, English cocker spaniels and bull terriers, hearing impairment is likely related to pigmentation, including eye color, says Dr. Welborn.
It’s clear these blue-eyed setters are adorable, but don’t think yours will win Best in Show. This is one of several breeds for which the American Kennel Club (AKC) breed standard doesn’t allow blue eyes. In this case, it calls for “brown eyes, the darker the better.”
Weimaraner
The Weimaraner is a medium-sized pooch with a sleek, silvery-gray coat that often has a small white spot on the chest and is also among the fastest dog breeds. Its eyes are pale in color too—usually amber or a steel-like blue-gray.
The AKC recommends having this sporting dog’s eyes, hips and thyroid function evaluated. It calls any Weimaraner eye color other than gray, blue-gray or light amber a “very serious defect” that would likely result in the dog being removed from the official breeding population. (Of course, that doesn’t mean a Weimaraner with a different eye color isn’t just as lovable as the rest!)
Dalmatian
Known for its signature white coat with black spots, and for being a firefighter dog, the Dalmatian is a medium to large dog with a muscular build and athletic disposition. Because of its energy, this graceful trotting dog is a perfect companion for avid outdoor enthusiasts. Their loyalty makes them superb watchdogs too.
Dalmatians have either brown or blue eyes, though blue is rarer. Unfortunately, Dalmatians have a higher rate of deafness than any other breed, and it appears that blue-eyed Dalmatians are even more likely to be completely or partially deaf, though Ostrander says that the correlation between blue eyes and deafness still needs further study.
Border collie
This lovable and smart herding pup has a small to medium build and a longer, weather-resistant double coat. While brown eyes are most common in this breed, there are some border collies with blue eyes. They may also have what’s called heterochromia (Latin for “different colors”).
“Congenital heterochromia irides with one solid blue eye is a normal eye color variation, and these dogs have normal vision,” says Dr. Welborn. “However, congenital heterochromia iridis [yes, only one letter difference between the two terms] refers to the same iris having different areas of pigmentation—for example, brown and blue areas in the same eye.”
Ostrander, who has worked with border collies, shares an anecdote: Some border collie owners swear that a blue-eyed dog is even more intimidating to the sheep it’s herding!
Dachshund
German for “badger hound,” the dachshund is a small and spunky German breed that has some serious hunting skills (hence its name). Today, they’re endearingly referred to as “wiener dogs” because of their resemblance to a hot dog: a long torso with four short legs.
Dachshunds can have either long or short hair, and they typically have chocolate-brown eyes. In very rare cases, they can have blue eyes or sometimes just one blue eye and the other brown, especially if they possess the merle gene, which can also lead to a dappled or mottled coat.
Cardigan Welsh corgi
The Cardigan Welsh corgi has a similar build to the dachshund, with a long torso and short legs, though this herding breed is slightly larger at 25 to 38 pounds. These dogs come in several coat colors, including red and blue merle, and they have long and fluffy tails. But don’t confuse a Cardi with a Pembroke Welsh corgi. Famously, the favorite dog breed of Queen Elizabeth II, Pembrokes don’t have long tails.
According to the AKC’s official standard of the Cardigan Welsh corgi, blue eyes (including partially blue eyes) or one dark and one blue eye are permissible in blue merles, but they’re a disqualification in corgis with any other coat color.
Australian shepherd
An adorable member of the herding group, this pup is an especially popular merle dog breed (though not all have merle coloring) with green eyes, blue eyes, brown eyes or heterochromia, two different colored eyes. This energetic Australian dog’s coat is medium length and somewhat coarse, and they have a bobbed tail and an agile, muscular build.
All this makes for a truly striking appearance, and it’s what makes them such natural herders across many climates. Because merle is a dominant trait that causes problems when two copies are present in a dog, breeders need to be especially careful not to breed two merles together and create puppies with so-called double merle, which have a much higher risk of being born blind and deaf.
Great Dane
The majestic and noble-looking Great Dane has a lean, svelte build and iconic oversized ears that you’ll see pointy or adorably flopped over. Despite their size—one of the largest breeds, they weigh between 140 and 175 pounds—Great Danes are gentle giants.
Things get a little interesting when it comes to their eyes. There are many Great Dane puppies with blue eyes, but their eye color typically shifts to amber or brown as they grow older. In rare cases, their eyes may remain blue. Per the AKC Great Dane breed standard, blue eyes are allowed only in merle or harlequin-colored Danes.
Labrador retriever
Labrador retrievers consistently rank among the most popular dog breeds, and for good reason. They have an inherently sweet and loyal disposition, are easy to train and are known for being one of the smartest dogs. This breed comes in three primary colors: yellow, chocolate and black.
As is the case with many pups on this list, they more commonly have brown or amber eyes. Sometimes—often when mixed with other breeds—there may be a chocolate or black dog with blue eyes in this family of pups, though the AKC considers anything but brown or amber as outside the breed standard.
Bull terrier
You’ll know a bull terrier when you see one! It’s a distinguished and unusual-looking pup with a broad and rounded snout, pointy ears and a muscular, medium-sized white body.
Its triangular eyes are often dark brown, but in very rare cases, you may see this white dog with blue eyes. This is more common in the case of a bull terrier being crossbred with a merle dog, and it also disqualifies the pup from shows and AKC-registered breeding.
Catahoula leopard dog
These dogs got their name from their multicolored, spotted coats and short, sleek fur. Merles are common with this breed, and interestingly, Catahoula double-merles have a lower incidence of deafness and blindness compared with double-merles of other breeds.
Catahoulas are known for their distinctive eye color, which can be light shades of amber, green, blue or brown; their eyes are often two colors in combination. This working breed was developed in Louisiana, where it was traditionally a companion to hunters and herders. It still needs a job to do, and a lot of room and time to burn off its energy.
Shetland sheepdog
A relative of the border collie, these medium-sized dogs herd pups. Similar to their cousins, they do best when they have a job, whether it’s practicing agility training, catching a Frisbee or playing endless games of fetch.
Some Shelties have the merle gene, which causes patches of black, sable, white and tan in their coats and may cause them to have blue eyes. However, the AKC breed standard allows blue eyes only in blue merle Shelties—for all others, their careers as runway models are kaput.
FAQs
How rare is it for a dog to have blue eyes?
Some studies suggest that fewer than 5% of all dogs have blue eyes into their adulthood. (Like human babies, many puppies are born with blue eyes that change color over time.)
Certain breeds are more likely to have the gene tied to blue eyes. However, genetic variants aren’t always predictable, despite the efforts of breeders, so blue eyes aren’t guaranteed. “I don’t know of a breed where every dog will have blue eyes,” says Dreger. For example, she says any breed with a merle color pattern—a genetic pattern in a dog’s coat and on its skin that creates spotted patches of pigmentation—could have blue eyes, but that doesn’t mean that it will have blue eyes.
Why do some dogs have blue eyes?
Blue eyes are an incidental effect of other coat color patterns that are desired traits. So in essence, they are just along for the ride in merles and piebald dogs. (The exception may be in the Siberian husky, whose eyes are not associated with either of these patterns.)
When the unwanted mutation pops up in a breed where it’s not desired, it’s essentially eliminated from the breeding chain (by not allowing that dog to reproduce). Ostrander offers up an example: “You’ll never see a Doberman with blue eyes because it doesn’t fit the breed persona.”
Is having blue eyes simply about aesthetics?
A lot of times, it is. Ostrander explains that each purebred, registered dog is part of a closed population. When a new trait pops up, she says, you can use careful breeding to flood the population with that trait pretty quickly. If blue eyes are seen as desirable, they can become an accepted standard for that breed of dog.
“The physical characteristics of modern breeds are aesthetic choices,” adds Dreger. “So the attitude is, ‘Unless blue eyes can be connected to some health problem, then why not?'”
What’s the American Kennel Club’s view on dogs with blue eyes?
To pet owners, blue-eyed dogs are the height of adorable, but they’re not well-received by the AKC. And they’re not always welcomed in the show ring. In fact, most AKC breed standards still view these dogs as genetic variants, unless tied to certain coat colors.
Blue eyes are allowed in any of the merle-colored breeds and some of the spotted breeds. But with rare exceptions, they are considered faults, often to the point of disqualifying a dog from the show ring. That doesn’t mean they’re not enchanting—just that they aren’t going to win Best in Show at Westminster!
Where are you most likely to find dogs with blue eyes?
Ostrander says that blue-eyed dog populations vary greatly depending on location. For example, there are a lot more huskies in the cold climates of the Pacific Northwest than there are in South Florida.
Can dogs with blue eyes see OK?
“To our knowledge,” says Ostrander, “dogs with blue eyes see just as well as other dogs. The blue is just the color of the iris, so it doesn’t affect the cornea or other parts of the eye.” However, the blue iris actually lets more light through it, and under bright conditions, it may make it harder to adjust to the glare. It could even damage the retina, so you may want to shield your blue-eyed dog from bright sunlight.
Are blue-eyed dogs more likely to be deaf?
Dreger explains that because Dalmatians, especially those with blue eyes, have a greater tendency to be deaf or partially deaf, the idea was extrapolated to other breeds. But while Dalmatians do have a significantly higher risk of deafness than other breeds, researchers have yet to identify a definitive cause and can’t confirm that blue eyes equal deafness.
In other breeds, the presence of the merle gene, which can cause blue eyes, is also a risk factor for deafness and vision problems. This happens when two dogs with the merle gene reproduce and create double merle puppies, which are more likely (but not always) to be born deaf, blind or both. But again, that means that the double merle can cause deafness and blue eyes in dogs, not that blue eyes equate to deafness.
Another factor is the piebald mutation, which causes a lack of pigmentation, including of the eyes, and is also linked to deafness. (Note that piebald and albino syndrome are not the same; albino animals will suffer from impaired vision or blindness, but there’s no known correlation between albinism and hearing impairment.)
Albino dogs do, in fact, have blue eyes, and they may be a case of people breeding because they like their looks (albino Dobermans are probably the best-known example). However, no breed club condones breeding albino dogs.
About the experts
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At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. For this piece on dogs with blue eyes, Elizabeth Heath tapped her experience as a journalist covering dog behavior and health, and then Caroline Coile, PhD, an award-winning journalist specializing in canine breeds, health and science, gave it a rigorous review to ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers. We relied on reputable primary sources, including two canine geneticists and a veterinarian, as well as our writer’s personal experience. We verified all facts and data and backed them with credible sourcing, and we will revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Elaine Ostrander, PhD, canine geneticist who leads the Cancer Genetics and Comparative Genomics Branch of the National Human Genome Research Institute; phone interview, Feb. 16, 2024
- Dayna Dreger, PhD, staff scientist with the National Human Genome Research Institute; phone interview, Feb. 16, 2024
- Link Welborn, DVM, chief veterinary officer at Covetrus and past president of the American Animal Hospital Association; email interview 2022
- Vet Record: “Congenital sensorineural deafness in English setters in the United Kingdom: prevalence and association with phenotype and sex”
- Louisiana State University: “Genetics of Deafness in Dogs”
