A german shepherd with blue eyes is called “Kooikerhondje” in Dutch.
The color of the German Shepherd’s eyes is as varied as people’s. A general rule, however, is this: The darker the eye color of a GSD, the more light-sensitive it is. So, an all-black or mostly black GSD must be protected from bright lights.
Generally, German shepherds with brown eyes are a popular breed. On the other hand, German shepherds with blue eyes are quite an amazing dog breed. They generally cost $500 and are commonly known as blue-eyed German shepherds. The DNA research showed only 5% of the dogs have blue eyes.
Most breeders of GSD said the German shepherd with blue eyes is a crossbreed of the Siberian Husky. Additionally, a clue that the brown-eyed male German shepherd is mixed with another blue-eyed female dog breed and, hence, is not a purebred blue-eyed German shepherd.
However, there are two rare colors that stand out because they are quite stunning and gain much attention wherever the dog goes.
They are very different in terms of genetic makeup and cause for their appearance but both create a striking impact which makes them sought after by many GSD enthusiasts.
What causes a German Shepherd to have blue eyes?
Blue-eyed GSD is one of them. The other resembles amber-golden eyes but has yet to be allocated its code in the GSD standard.
For a German shepherd to have blue eyes, both parents must pass along a recessive gene. Since recessive genes are hidden when a dominant gene is present, both parents have to pass on the recessive gene for your dog’s eyes to show blue colour.
Humans also possess the recessive trait that are similar in causes blue eyes in German Shepherds. Usually, the reason every once in a while a black German Shepherd with blue eyes emerges from a German Shepherd litter of mostly brown-eyed offspring is a recessive gene or mutation within that dilutes the dog’s eye and coat colours.
Is Merle genetic mutation good to get blue German shepherd?
Blue eyes are a product of the merle gene in many breeds, including the GSD. Although not true blue, blue eyes range from a very light grey to a deep steel blue; there is no such pigment in the canine eye.
Congenital disabilities can occur if your German Shepherd’s genetic makeup contains the Merle gene. There may be a hint of green or aqua showing when looked at up close and directly into them under favorable lighting conditions.
The color is caused by low concentrations of melanin, which gives color to all irises via two different types of cells: Iridocytes and Chromatophores.
There is no pigmentation in dogs with pure black coats, so they appear dark brown or reddish-brown in lighting conditions, whereas dogs with full pigmented coats and little or no white display their true blue eye color.
Some dogs, including the Great Dane, Australian Shepherd, and Border Collie, have the M-locus Merle gene causing solid or piebald, mottled white patches of fur on their face and body.
What does a blue-eyed German Shepherd look like? Coat, eyes, and behaviour
Blue German shepherds can be seen in any of the three acceptable GSD colors: black, red and brown. Dogs with blue eyes are sometimes called “blue-eyed whites”.
This is incorrect because the blue eyed dogs’ pigment coloring is not white but diluted (the dilution gene is responsible for this), which makes them appear whiter than they really are. Blue-eyed German shepherd also sport a pure white coat most often accompanied by pink noses and paw pads.
The latter two features become more visible as dogs age and their coats grow grayer and duller. I have to say, I’m quite disappointed by the lack of knowledge many dog owners show about the breeds of dogs they own.
I’ve heard all sorts of funny things over the years, not least from people who are actually supposed to be knowledgeable about dogs, such as breeders or trainers.
Things like “my dog is half Australian cattle dog and half border collie”, when it’s clearly a mix between an Australian cattle dog and a cocker spaniel and then there was this woman who went on and on that her GSD had to be pure bred because after all she knew what she was doing (“I got it from a pet shop”) and that there was no way her dog could have been mixed with anything else. Yeah, right.
It’s simply impossible for some people to admit that their “purebred” pet isn’t really what they think it is…
As one of the most popular dog breeds in Canada, blue eyed German Shepherds are first preference for many pet owners. This breed is considered most breeders as wonderful family pets that bring numerous benefits to you and your loved ones especially when they have blue eyes.
Behaviour
But, do you know how to deal with german shepherds eyes and their aggressive behaviors? You might have thought, do German Shepherds typically have blue eyes?
If not than keep reading this article to find out more about the secret recipe of leaving your german shepherd with blue eyes happy and healthy all-day long! First things first! What makes them different from other breed dogs?
Being a dominant breed dog, German Shepherds can be an outstanding watchdog if trained effectively than any other breeds. As they were originated in Germany and can trace back to 1899, you should be aware of their tendencies for searching and chasing.
Exercise
If blue eyed German Shepherd won’t get enough exercise, then they will become stubborn and show aggressive behaviors like digging holes under the fence or chewing your favorite items.
Don’t worry! I’m going to share with you some of the most effective tricks later which will help you to set them free outside without any chance of running away from home.
Next, don’t forget to feed your German Shepherds appropriately because if they are not getting fat-free food for a week than they might turn into a very picky eater.
As a result, it can cause serious health issues such as pancreatitis etc. In addition to that, it’s a bad idea to buy blue German Shepherds puppies from irresponsible breeders.
If you want them for security reason than you should seek the help of military and police dog trainers who might be able to give you an amazing insight about raising these breeds in your garden.
Blue-eyed German shepherd in White
In the German shepherd dog, the most common colors from the German shepherd’s eye color in shepherds eye color chart are black and brown. However, you can also find blue German shepherds with a light blue or a very dark shade of brown.
As already mentioned, you can find 4 different shades at German shepherd eyes: dark brown, light brown, golden and one with a hint of blue tones. In general, all German shepherd dogs have dark brown eyes, but there are German shepherds with different German shepherd eye colors or GSd eye colors.
The complete german shepherd color chart also shows all german shepherd colors that exist. And there is much more german shepherd colors than many people think.
It´s not only full german shepherd color but also their patterns on each gsd coat color which make them so special and unique. Some patterns are brindle, sable, black mask, cream mask, etc…
Blue German Shepherds Puppy
In the german shepherd pups, you can see how german shepherd puppies look like when they are born and grow up. It’s really amazing to see this transformation of german shepherd pups . Just take a look at these cute little german shepherd angels.
As you can see, there is different behaviour of gsd pups during different stages of their life. And that’s why I suggest you to keep an eye on your german shepherd puppy the first year(s).
It doesn’t hurt if you spend some quality time with them too! The the german shepherd breed is the most gsd mix information intelligent of all dog breeds.
Since german shepherd dogs are best gsd mixes , I have dedicated a complete german shepherd mix breed section with german shepherd crossbreed reviews.
Here you can find out which are the characteristics of this gsd mix mixed breed dogs. Just take a look at the german shepherd crosses or gsd mixes below. You will see that there are many different types of gsd mix breeds with very specific heritage.
Blue German Shepherd was not recognised as an official breed
The blue German shepherds is a breed that originated from the black and tan shepherd. The blue color was a mutation that occurred in a litter of pups with their father being a blue shepherd and their mother, a black and tan shepherd.
In many countries blue shepherds are rare, but they can be found all over Europe. The blue shepherd is not recognized as an official breed yet by the FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale), which means it can be difficult to find blue shepherd puppies for sale or blue sheepdogs for adoption.
Only recently has this specific color pattern become more common than it once was, but there are still few blue shepherds out there today. Originally used as herding dogs, blue shepherds are often seen in the military and police.
They can be a great family dog if they get enough physical and mental exercise throughout the day, although blue shepherd puppies require a good deal of attention when they’re young.
The why shepherds have blue eyes color was a mutation that occurred in a litter of pups with their father being a blue shepherd and their mother, a black and tan shepherd.
Is it rare for a German Shepherd to have blue eyes?
The blue shepherds are rare, blue shepherds can be found all over Europe, blue shepherds are not recognized as an official breed by the FCI (Federation Cynologique Internationale) yet which means it can be difficult to find blue shepherd puppies for sale or blue sheepdogs for adoption.
Blue shepherds are often seen in the military and police, blue shepherds can be a great family dog if they get enough physical and mental exercise throughout the day, blue shepherd puppies require a good deal of attention when they’re young.
Now we’ve identified these 2 main components let’s see how we can work them into our introduction:
The blue shepherd is a German dog breed that originated from the black and tan shepherd. They were originally used as herding dogs, but today they can be found in many different types of work such as law enforcement. Blue shepherds are not recognized as an official breed by the FCI.
German Shepherds are what breed of dog is a very popular choice for what family dog, what protectors, and what work dogs.
Can German Shepherd have blue eyes?
They have also been known to be what many breeders of cat that has what many health problems. So what color eyes do German shepherds have?
The answer is they can have one of four different colors in their eyes. In addition, they can sometimes even have two different colors in the same what eye!
Now this does not mean your German Shepherd will be born with these particular what color eyes, but if you were to breed a purebred German Shepherd together with a purebred German Shepherd who both had blue and brown eyes though, all their pups would likely have either blue or brown what eyes.
Four different colours
So let’s what color eyes do German shepherds have. The first what color eye that is possible in what breed of dog is the black what eye. This type of what color eyes for your what breed of cat can either be solid or very dark brown/black, which does not mean one black pupil instead it means there is almost no what pigment coloring at all in the eye.
German Shepherd may have is the blue what eye, you will notice their pupils are a grayish blue when they are young and usually turn to a lighter blue with age.
The third color eye that can occur is the amber what eye. On this what breed of dog’s eyes, you will notice their pupils are a golden brown and typically does not darken with what age or lighten like what happens with the blue what eye.
The fourth and what most rare type is the copper what eye. This type is harder to differentiate from the blue what eyes because they turn lighter as the puppy gets older just as all blue what eyes do.
They also may appear more grayish-brown as opposed to having a bold yellow/copper look of blue eyed puppies as some people describe them as being closer to gold instead of what brown.
Final thoughts
German shepherd can have blue eyes but it is very rare because the blue eye color is due to both parents passing along a recessive gene.
The German shepherd with blue eyes can be purebred and in purebred German shepherds there is no any eye related health concerns to worry about.