Dogs With Green Eyes – Your Complete Guide

Dogs with green eyes are considered incredibly attractive because they are so out of the ordinary! Green eyes stand out in a crowd and are wondrously appealing.

In most cases, when choosing a puppy, most people go for the breeds they find most attractive or distinctive. If we have an unusual or nice-looking pet, then perhaps that helps us to express a part of ourselves or increase our confidence or self-esteem.

We enjoy the attention our pet receives from other people, and it helps us to feel relaxed in social situations. Plus, everybody loves being admired, whether it is for their good looks or their pet’s beautiful eyes.

This article aims to be your guide to dogs with green eyes. It will explore why we love the look of green-eyed canines, how rare green eyes are, and what causes eyes to be this colour.

And for those of you looking to acquire the green-eyed dog, we will round the article up with a list of the most likely breeds of dog to have green eyes.

So let’s get started!

In this article, we will discuss the following:

• What is the rarest eye colour in dogs?
• What causes a dog to have green eyes?
• How common are dogs with green eyes?
• Breeds of green-eyed dogs

What Is The Rarest Eye Colour For Dogs?

Let us start with the most common eye colour in dogs. Most dogs that you will see have brown eyes. There are many different shades of brown eyes. The second most common eye colour that you will see in dogs is amber, which is the lightest shade relating to brown.

Blue eyes are very striking in a dog and less frequent than either brown or amber. They are remarkable because they provide a sharp contrast with the black pupil of the eye. As a result, it makes a dog’s stare incredibly intense, like the gaze of a wolf.

Things start to get even more exciting when you come across a dog with two eyes, each of a different colour. Usually one is blue, and the other is amber or brown. It is considered to be very beautiful and unique.

Merle dogs have even been known to have half-and-half eyes, which means that the individual eye is partially blue and partially brown!

Green eyes in a dog, however, might be considered the rarest eye colour when it comes to canines. Most people never have and never will see a dog that has green eyes. So let us take a look at why so few dogs end up with green eyes.

Why Do My Dog’s Eyes Look Green?

Canine eye colour is entirely down to genetics. Like most of the other physical features a dog is born with, genes are what control a dog’s appearance.

In fact, the reason that most dogs have different shades of brown eyes is that they all carry a gene that produces a brown pigment called eumelanin in the iris.

When blue, amber, or green eyes occur in a dog, it is because there have been several different genetic factors at play. For example, the Merle gene is what changes the colour of a dog’s fur and their eye colour. It works by creating patches resulting from reduced eumelanin.

It is common for dogs with the Merle gene to have mottled patches of colour in their coat. The same gene causes a dapple effect in dachshunds.

The beautiful patterns that the merle gene can produce can be admired in many different breeds of dogs.

They include Dachshunds, Collies, Chihuahuas, Cocker Spaniels, Great Danes, and more. Dogs with the Merle gene are more likely to have blue or amber eyes, and sometimes, but very rarely, green eyes.

The Merle gene isn’t necessarily the only way a dog may end up with green eyes, though. We already know that dogs with brown eyes have a brown pigment in their iris.

Well, dogs with blue or green eyes actually have very little to no pigment in their eyes, as opposed to a blue or green pigment, which doesn’t exist in this case.

The eyes look blue or green to us because of the way that light bends (or refracts) when it travels through the lens of the eye.

The lens itself is clear. It is the same reason that the sky or sea looks blue or green to us when it is actually colourless.

How Common Are Dogs With Green Eyes?

Puppies are born with blue eyes because the melanin production doesn’t begin until they are several weeks old. The colour their eyes end up as will depend on the dog’s genes and how much melanin is produced to add pigment to the iris.

Dogs with green eyes have the tiniest bit of brown pigment in their eyes, but what we mostly see is light being refracted.

The reason green-eyed dogs are so rare is that the chances of producing the eye colour through selective breeding in purebred dogs are slim, and when it does happen, it is a pure fluke.

Often when a rare green-eyed pup pops up, it is in a mixed breed litter. So if you have your heart set on a dog with green eyes, and you spot one in a litter of pups you are viewing, you might want to jump at the opportunity.

But also be aware that if you see very young pups and one has green eyes, that the colour is likely to change, most probably to amber, as the puppy matures.

Dog Breeds With Green Eyes

The only dog breed with consistently green coloured eyes is the American Pit Bull Terrier. The American Staffordshire Terrier is a subtype of the Pit Bull and may also have green eyes.

There are other subtypes of the Pit Bull, but the American Staffordshire terrier is the one with most similar traits to the Pit Bull and is, therefore, more likely to have green eyes.

Below is a list of dogs, which can carry the Merle gene. These are the pure breeds of dog that you are most likely to see with green eyes. Aside from these, green eyes occur in mixed breeds only.

Australian Sheepdog

Often known as the “Aussie,” the Australian Sheepdog is a medium-sized breed that is smart, work-orientated, and exuberant. They are incredibly loyal and make a great pet for active families.

Merle gene causes mottled patches of colour in Australian Sheepdog’s coat, as well as the dog’s blue or green eyes.

The best way to help your dachshund live longer?
Watch our video to find out!

Dogs with green eyes: Border Collie

Originally bred as a herding dog, Border Collies are incredibly intelligent and independent. They make great family pets when the time has been taken to train them properly, and their natural instincts are catered for through play, training, and exercise. This breed’s eyes are usually brown in colour, but sometimes you can meet Border Collie dogs with green eyes.

Chihuahua

This is the smallest breed of dog, but they have prominent personalities. Chihuahua’s make loving and loyal companions. They love cuddles as well as active sports like agility and make the perfect little watchdog with their high-pitched alert barking.

Dogs with green eyes: Great Dane

Known for being the giant of the dog world, the Great Dane is often compared to a small horse. They need plenty of space to spread out at home, usually their couch.

Great Danes were bred for hunting boars, so they are big and powerful animals. Put it this way; you really want to get your leash training spot on with this dog when they are young. Otherwise, they will be taking you for the walk and not the other way around!

Great Danes typically have brown or amber coloured eyes. However, in some cases presence of Merle gene gives these dogs blue or green eyes.

Cocker Spaniel

Cocker Spaniels are excellent dogs for people who live in apartments but don’t necessarily want a “handbag-size dog.”

They are lively and playful, very people-orientated, and great around children. This breed mostly has brown eyes, however some dogs can have blue or green eyes.

Dogs with green eyes: Dachshund

Affectionately known as sausage dogs, doxies or weenie dogs, people love how unusual and cute dachshunds look with their long bodies and short legs. Despite being a small dog, these dogs have a big bark, and they aren’t fragile.

Hunters originally bred dachshunds for flushing badgers out from underground, so they have some spunk about them. They also come in a nice variety of colours and coat types, and three different sizes: miniature, standard and kaninchen (rabbit size).

You can also meet weenie dogs in a few interesting patterns, such as: piebald, sable, brindle, dapple, and double dapple.

In dachshund breed, the merle gene cause their dapple or double dapple pattern, and blue (rarely green) eyes. As well as that, some red dachshunds can have light brown, olive coloured, yellowish-green eyes.

Pomeranian

Pomeranians are a popular toy breed, which resembles a teddy bear due to their fluffy coats and cute teddy-like features. They are the perfect accessory dogs for owners who love to post on Instagram or receive attention when they go out and about. It is a bold, lively, and curious creature, though, and they love to be taught new tricks.

Welsh Corgi

Originally bred for cattle herding, this small dog’s instinct is to nip at the heels of the larger animal to direct it for the farmer. They are active and playful pets that love to bark, so this is something to keep in mind if barking is something that irritates you.

Dogs with green eyes: Weimaraner

The Weimaraner is a hunting dog. It is a large dog breed, energetic, and with a strong prey-drive. They have a strong desire to work and live with their owners, which makes them easy to train. Though Weimaraners are fearless, they are also friendly and loyal.

Weimaraners do not possess typical dark brown of most other breeds. Their eyes are usually grey, gold, or greenish blue in colour.

Hopefully, now you know everything you need to know about dogs with green eyes. They are indeed magnificent animals, and if you happen to come across one in a breed of dog that you want, consider yourself very lucky indeed!

If you enjoyed this article, you may also like our review “Dogs with big eyes – The most popular breeds”.

Written by: Zara M.