You’ve probably come across a blue-eyed puppy, which is common with Aussiedoodles. This begs the question: “do all Aussiedoodles have blue eyes?” Let’s take a deeper look at this question.
As a general rule, not all Aussiedoodles have blue eyes. Inheriting the Australian Shepherd’s Merle genes increases their chances of having blue eyes. However, while some Aussiedoodles are born with blue eyes, others might have both green and blue eyes. On average, eye color in Aussiedoodles can vary between blue, gray, green, marble, brown, or amber.
Do you intend to buy a blue-eyed Aussiedoodle? This article will shed more light on the blue-colored eyes in Aussiedoodles.
What Influences Eye Color in Aussiedoodles?
There’s a close link between eye color and coat color in the dog world, both of which are influenced by genetic factors. Dogs with a dominant Merle gene, especially from the Australian Shepherd, are more predisposed to have blue eyes. These genes might also affect coloring on the dog’s nose and paw pads.
Does the term ‘Merle’ sound unfamiliar to you?
Well, the term ‘Merle’ refers to a gene that is responsible for color modification. For example, they can change a dog’s coat color from black or red to various patterns of solid color or change the same color to lighter shades.
The Merle gene works by causing a random dilution of pigments around the puppy’s nose, coat, or eyes, which increases the puppy’s chances of developing blue eyes. Possible indications of Merle gene presence in Aussiedoodles include a pink nose or white patches all over the dog’s fur.
According to Wikipedia, While the Aussiedoodle is the most common, other dog breeds that can carry the Merle gene include:
- Border Collie
- Hungarian Mudi
- Shetland Sheepdog
- Catahoula Leopard Dog
- Beauceron
- Old English Sheepdog
- Great Dane
- Bergamasco
- The Great Pyrenees
However, the presence of Merle genes is not a guarantee to blue eyes.
Other Factors Influencing the Development of Blue Eyes?
Apart from the Merle genes, several other factors influence the development of blue eyes in Aussiedoodle puppies. These include:
White-Patched Fur on the Face– this results in the inability to produce coloring pigments around the dog’s face, a situation that affects the skin, nose, and eyes. In addition, it increases the chances of developing blue eyes.
Heterochromia – refers to a condition leading to two differently colored eyes, affecting dogs, cats, horses, and humans. One of the eyes will be blue. The condition might be an indication of serious health issues like glaucoma.
Unique Breed Genes- some dog breeds have unique genes other than the Merle genes, which causes the eyes to turn blue. Special breeds are Border Collies and Siberian huskies. Such dog breeds do not exhibit any pigment loss, neither are they affected by conditions related to Merle genes.
Albinism– also referred to as C-series, albino dogs tend to lose lots of pigment all over their body. This results in a pink nose and blue eyes.
Recessive Genes– blue eyes can develop in any breed, even if the mother had no blue eyes. However, this is a rare occurrence that mostly affects mixed breeds involving a shepherd or husky.
Do the Blue Eyes in Aussiedoodles Stay Forever?
The blue eyes in Aussiedoodle puppies can either change or remain blue forever. How can you know if the eye color will vary or stay the same? Continue reading to find out!
Newly-born puppies do not open their eyes for the first two weeks after birth. When they finally do, the eye color tends to be pale blue but can also look grayish. The light eye color is due to the lack of melanin in the iris, which tends to change as the puppy grows older.
When the puppy is around three weeks old, its eyes will gradually start to darken. This gives you an idea of the ultimate eye color. The same applies to the parent’s eye color. However, if a Merle Australian Shepherd was used for breeding, the puppy’s eye color will most likely remain blue.
By the time your Aussiedoodle puppy turns ten weeks old, its eye color will not change from there. This period may extend to up to 16 weeks in some cases.
Please note that while a dog can keep blue eyes forever, its default eye color is brown. The lack of change in eye color has been discussed in great detail above.
Are There Any Health Concerns Related to Blue-Eyed Aussiedoodles?
There’s no doubt that a blue-eyed puppy looks stunningly beautiful. This may lead to breeding processes to produce blue-eyed puppies, which is perfectly fine as long as the breeder is knowledgeable and experienced.
However, a double Merle dog (the result of breeding Merle on Merle) can lead to negative health outcomes. This is due to the puppy’s tendency to inherit genes from both parents, resulting in a white coat unusual for the Aussiedoodle breed.
If you’re in the process of buying a puppy, don’t shy away from asking the relevant questions concerning the breeding process used. If Merle on Merle breeding was involved, you should avoid buying from that breeder.
The same applies to breeders; they should avoid double breeding practices. However, you should note that double breeding does not necessarily mean that the puppy will pick genes from both parents.
There is a 25% chance of such an occurrence. However, most puppies will be born healthy and according to the breeder’s goals.
Double Merle dogs are associate with a significant lack of pigmentation resulting in health issues like:
1. Blindness and Deafness
Blue eyes do not make a puppy blind, deaf, or result in other genetic health conditions. Instead, the varying pigmentation may be caused by factors not related to the dog’s health.
However, a double Merle dog tends to exhibit higher chances of blindness, deafness, and other health complications.
2. Eye Disease
The varying pigmentation in blue-eyed Aussiedoodles can lead to possible eye infections, including Cataracts or Glaucoma. However, your veterinarian may help to treat some of these eye infections.
How Much Is a Blue-Eyed Aussiedoodle Puppy?
Just like any other product on sale, the price of a blue-eyed Aussiedoodlen will vary based on several factors. As such, it would be impossible to give a standard fee for these puppies.
In relation to other breeds, however, Aussiedoodles are a bit expensive. The major reason for their high prices comes down to their coat color, which is rare to find in other dogs. As a general rule, the scarcer a coat color is, the more expensive the puppy.
As such, you should expect to pay more when looking for a puppy with specific coat color.
Other factors that might add up to the cost of Aussiedoodles include:
- The total number of breeds available in a specific location
- The demand of the breed at the time of buying
- The breeder’s experience and reputation
Even so, their stunning beauty covers up for the high price.
Final Thoughts
The blue eyes in Aussiedoodles are mostly inherited from the Australian Shepherd. However, blue eyes do not necessarily have to include a Merle coat. Certain genes can result in blue-colored eyes irrespective of the breed.
Aussiedoodles can also have their two eyes differently colored; a situation referred to as heterochromia. You’ll hardly miss heterochromia puppies in any litter.
Lastly, you should avoid Merle on Merle (double) breeding to ensure that the puppies have good health.