Huskies are well-known for having strange-colored eyes, especially compared to other dog breeds out there. Curious as to whether huskies have brown eyes?
There are huskies with brown eyes, and it’s actually much more common than most people think. Our odd reaction to it happens since most of us have seen huskies with blue eyes, or even one brown and one blue eye, indeed a unique feature.
Eye color is a fascinating topic, especially when it comes to such a special breed as huskies!
Can huskies have brown eyes?
Yes, absolutely. It is the 2nd most common eye color in huskies. Blue eyes are the most common in huskies — which you probably already guessed. The actual shade of brown will differ depending on the dog. Some have a deep chocolate brown that is easy to distinguish. Others have a light hazel that seems to make their eyes glow gold!
Once in a while, hazel eyes take on a green tint depending on the pigment dispersal throughout the eye! It’s an extraordinary thing to see, especially since green eyes are considered the rarest of pure eye colors in huskies.
What kind of Huskies have brown eyes?
There seems to be a theory floating around that only certain colored huskies can have brown eyes, like white and brown huskies, for example, or other light colors. This same theory states that dark-colored huskies have those stunning bright blues, but this is an old wive’s tale and nothing more!
Fur color and eye color are in no way connected, which means that you can have any combination possible. There are some types more common than others (leading to the theory). You could have a white husky with brown eyes, a black husky with brown eyes, and so on.
What determines eye color on Huskies?
Genetics has a huge role in this; dormant and recessive genes, and all that. If a husky’s parents have brown eyes, he’s more likely to have brown eyes. But there’s more to the story with huskies and eye color.
In huskies, eye color is determined by what’s called the “merle gene.” It is technically a mutation that you won’t find in other dog breeds. Since they have this mutation, they often lack the same pigment in their eyes that different breeds have. This lack of pigment is why blue eyes are so common!
However, huskies take that step further by having brown eyes even though they technically don’t have “enough” melanin for that to be likely. It’s a bit of a mystery for breeders since brown eyes should be rarer in huskies than they are, but it’s a pretty one!
What kind of eye colors are there in huskies?
Eye color is one of the best parts about the husky breed, even amongst experienced breeders and other specialists. The eye color options, in order of popularity, are:
- Blue
- Brown
- Green
- Bi-colored
- Parti-colored eyes
Blue
You already know that this is the most common eye color in huskies. Sometimes a husky can have rich, dark blue eyes. Other times it’s such a light blue that their eyes almost appear white. Many huskies have medium blue in the iris, but their outline is in a rich dark blue. In rare cases, some will have one eye a light blue and the other a dark blue.
Brown
Surprise! Not. Brown eyes are in second place, as you already know, and the color fluctuates much like blue eyes! Many husky parents will find slight color differences in brown eyes from one eye to another, but it depends on the angle and the light source.
Green
Huskies can have green eyes, though this is often rare. The color tends to be a gentle light green — like moss — unlike a deep, rich emerald that humans are known for having. It is often mistaken for blue or a hazel at first glance, and some husky parents may not even realize that their dog has green eyes until a vet or a specialist points it out!
Bi-colored
Do you know how we mentioned that sometimes huskies could have two eyes of different colors? That is is the third option. While many think that this is more common than brown eyes, it’s actually not. The standard term is heterochromia, and it happens in humans sometimes, too.
If your husky has bi-colored eyes, the combination can differ. Most have one brown and one blue. Some have one blue and one green. It’s also possible to have one brown and one green. The most popular is brown and blue, of course.
Parti-colored eyes
Parti-colored eyes are the rarest eye color for huskies, and it’s absolutely the coolest one, especially if you’re a breeder. In this case, your husky would have this eye split at some sort of angle (often half), and one half would be one color, and the other would be another. In the same eye! Most have two particolored eyes.
You may be relieved to know that particolored eyes often match. A husky would have brown and blue in the left eye and brown and blue in the right eye. Sometimes it’ll go (from left to right) brown, blue, blue brown. Other times it’ll be brown blue, brown blue.
The particolored eyes can be brown and blue, blue and green, or brown and green. The most common is, shocker, brown, and blue.
What does eye color mean in Huskies?
Potential husky parents may have thought that blue-eyes huskies are a sign of bad health. It is not the case, though. While blue eyes can sometimes mean bad health in other breeds or with cats, huskies don’t have any connection between eye color and health. It’s just a quirk of their breed!
This feature also includes huskies that have bi-colored or particolored eyes. While they may look like something is wrong and turn some people off, it’s nothing but a myth. Eye color does not determine the health or overall characteristics of your husky!
Do brown eyes mean that huskies are purebred?
No. Huskies that are purebred or mixed breed have equal chances of having blue, brown, and green eyes. There is no connection between a purebred husky and eye color!
How to get a Husky with brown eyes
If you have in mind having a husky with brown eyes, one of the most important things to remember is that there is no such thing as a guarantee! Just because all other puppies at a breeder have brown eyes doesn’t mean that your husky “can’t” have blue eyes!
That being said, you can always talk to your breeder with your concerns. Often, they’ll work with you to try to help you get a good match between colors of fur and eye color as much as they can. Most of this comes from selecting the right parents, as you can imagine.
Keep in mind that puppies are often born with blue-grey eyes. This color will change as they get older. By the time they reach eight weeks old, their color should be showing up. However, it may continue to darken throughout their first year.
It turns out that huskies with brown eyes tend to be pretty fascinating, right? We certainly think so. Know someone who’ll find this as enjoyable as you? Please share this with them and see what they think!
In Conclusion
Huskies can have brown eyes, though blue eyes are the most common. They can also have green eyes, bi-eyes, and particolored eyes. Many combinations make for very unique-looking dogs!
