Siberian Husky Eye Color Causes

Siberian huskies are sled dogs known for their striking fur coats and eye colors. The eyes can range from shades of blue and brown to tones of yellow and amber. Sometimes a dog can have differently colored eyes. The reason behind these eye-color oddities is genetics. Some huskies have genes that control their eye color alone, while others' eye colors are determined by genes that control the coloration of their entire body.

  1. Blue Eyes

    • Blue eyes in Siberian huskies are caused by a dominant gene that is inherited separately from the gene that controls coat color. Blue eyes can be seen on huskies with any color of fur. The shades of blue that a husky can inherit range from a striking whitish-blue to clear-sky blue. The dramatic effects of the blue color are most visible on dogs with darker coats.

    Brown Eyes

    • The shade of brown eyes in Siberian huskies can range from pale brown to nearly orange to almost black. The shade is controlled by "modifiers" that affect the gene that determines brown eyes. Modifiers also determine differences in fur length and coat color. Sometimes the merle gene affects brown-eye coloration. The gene causes a dog to have one blue eye and one brown eye, which is known as having a wall eye. A husky also can have spots of blue within a brown eye, called a split eye. The blue coloration in both cases is the result of a partial loss of brown pigmentation caused by the merle gene.

    Yellow Eyes

    • Some Siberian huskies have yellow eyes with a blue or gray tint. This coloration is the result of an inherited gene that dilutes certain colors of the dog's body. This gene effects the eyes as well as the fur. Colored areas that would typically contain black pigmentation are a dark-gray color. Areas that would contain reddish-yellow pigmentation lose their red tones. This dilution gene controls both of these pigmentations. The result can be seen in gray huskies with yellow eyes.

    Amber Eyes

    • Amber eyes are the result of having inherited a gene that affects pigmentation throughout the body. A Siberian husky with amber eyes possesses a gene that replaces black pigment with a chocolate brown or reddish color as it occurs on the body. In turn, what would normally be dark-brown eyes appear a lighter gold and orange color. Dogs with amber eyes also can be affected by the merle gene and have blue wall eyes or split eyes.