Do Aussiedoodles have blue eyes? First, here’s what you need to know about the Aussiedoodle. The Aussiedoodle is a cross-breed combining the Poodle and Australian Shepherd. It’s one of the famous “designer breeds” that many pet owners now favor.
Mixed breed dogs differ from purebred canines because it’s difficult to predict their exact characteristics. For example, one Aussiedoodle puppy might take more after its Poodle parent while its littermate has more characteristics than the Australian Shepherd.
As well as several coat colors, Aussiedoodles also have a variety of possible eye colors. While Aussiedoodle blue eyes are uncommon, they can be found with certain colored coats.
Before scrolling down this guide, “Do Aussiedoodles Have Blue Eyes,” you can check out these other Aussiedoodle guides from our team at We Love Doodles: Aussiedoodle Puppies For Sale and Best Aussiedoodle Generations.
Can Aussiedoodles Have Blue Eyes?
Some Aussiedoodles have blue eyes, but others have different eye colors. There are many different eye colors an Aussiedoodle may have. As well as blue, other possibilities are green, golden, brown (both light and dark), and amber.
You may even see Aussies with orange or yellow eyes. While Aussiedoodles of any coat color may have blue eyes, this eye color is especially common with merle-coated dogs.
More Aussiedoodle Guides: Australian Labradoodle vs. Aussiedoodle and Aussiepoo vs. Aussiedoodle.
What is a Blue Merle Aussiedoodle?
Like in Australian Shepherds, blue eyes in Aussiedoodles often appear with a merle coat. Blue eyes are genetically linked to the merle coat pattern. A merle coat includes mottling of different intensities. Some areas with color might have dense color, while others are more transparent.
Blue Merle Aussiedoodles are exactly what they sound like. They have a Merle coat with blue tints, gray and tan, and a white base. To get this prized look in the Aussiedoodle, breeders breed a Blue Merle Australian Shepherd with a Poodle. The Poodle should have a white coat. Blue Merle Aussiedoodles tend to have blue eyes.
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Can Non-Merle Aussiedoodles Have Blue Eyes?
Yes, non-merle coat Aussiedoodles can have blue eyes. However, they tend to have one blue eye and the other eye a different color, or the blue of their eyes is marbled. If an Aussiedoodle with a non-merle coat has blue eyes, it may suffer from light sensitivity.
More Aussiedoodle Guides: Are Aussiedoodles Hypoallergenic?
Is It Common for Aussies To Have Blue Eyes?
Whether or not an Aussie will have blue eyes depends on its parents’ eye colors. That means that the Poodle and Australian Shepherd that were bred together to create the puppy should also have blue eyes if you want the offspring to have blue eyes in adulthood. As blue eyes are a recessive gene, both parents must have them for the offspring’s mature eye color to be blue.
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Do Poodles Have Blue Eyes?
Poodles can have blue eyes. This is good news if you want an Aussiedoodle to have blue eyes, as the Poodle parent also needs to have that eye color.
However, the American Kennel Club (AKC) and Poodle Club of America don’t recognize blue eyes as acceptable in show Poodles. Instead, dark brown eyes are considered most desirable and part of the breed standard.
More Aussiedoodle Guides: When is an Aussiedoodle Full Grown?
Do Australian Shepherds Have Blue Eyes?
Some Australian Shepherds have blue eyes. As well as blue eyes, Australian Shepherds may also have amber or brown eyes. Many dogs of this breed have mismatched eyes. Australian Shepherds with merle coats are most likely to have blue eyes.
Aussiedoodle Puppies Have Blue Eyes
Like many other breeds, Aussiedoodle puppies are born with blue eyes. However, in many cases, those eyes will darken as they gain more pigment during development. So, you cannot assume that a blue-eyed Aussiedoodle puppy will retain that eye color.
Do Aussiedoodle Eyes Stay Blue?
In many cases, an Aussiedoodle born with blue eyes will have a different eye color when it gets older. That is true for other dog breeds, too. That is because every puppy, whether or not it will have another eye color when it gets older, will have blue eyes when it’s born.
It’s not always a “true” or “pure” type of blue, but it will usually be visibly blue. If your Aussiedoodle puppy’s eye color changes, the process will start when they’re around one month old. The puppy should have its adult eye color by the time it’s around four months old.
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Blue Eyes Mean Lack of Pigment
Most of us think of blue eyes as eye color, and it certainly looks blue as we perceive them. However, blue eyes are caused by a lack of pigment. There is no such thing as a blue eye pigment. Blue eyes get their blue look by how light interacts with the iris. Blue eyes get their blue appearance by the same mechanism that the sky has a blue color to our vision.
How to Find an Aussiedoodle With Blue Eyes
There’s a quite reliable way that breeders can get Aussiedoodles with blue eyes. They can cross a Blue Merle Australian Shepherd with a white Poodle to achieve this. It doesn’t always work, though. In other words, the puppies might not have blue eyes (or their blue eyes might change later). If you want an Aussiedoodle with blue eyes, you should put your name on a breeder’s waiting list.
First, ask them to let you know if they have a puppy with blue eyes. Then, you can discuss the matter with them and determine whether the puppy’s eyes are likely to change color later on. While you might want an Aussiedoodle with blue eyes, you should know that this eye color can come with health problems.
Blue-Eyed Dog Health Problems
Many dog owners love blue eyes and seek them in their pets. But you should know that certain health problems can be attached to blue eyes in canines. Dogs with blue eyes are at greater risk of hearing and sight problems. A hearing problem that may come along with blue eyes is cochleosaccular deafness.
This kind of deafness is often present in dogs with Merle coats and piebald coats. It’s also seen in dogs with white coats. If a dog has cochleosaccular deafness, the dog may be deaf in just one ear, or they may be deaf in both ears. This kind of deafness is connected to blue eyes because it’s linked to a lack of pigment. Blue eyes are caused when there isn’t enough pigment for darker eyes.
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Related Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s look at the answers to some frequently asked questions.
What dog breeds have blue eyes?
Many dog breeds have blue eyes. But, as we’ve learned here, Aussiedoodle’s blue eyes are caused by a recessive gene. Several dog breeds often have blue eyes.
Examples include:
- Alaskan Klee Kai
- Great Dane
- Dachshund
- Border Collie
- Weimaraner
- Australian Shepherd
- Siberian Husky
What is the Rarest Color of Aussiedoodle?
Of all the potential Aussiedoodle coat colors, color patterns with red occur the least. Examples are the Red Merle and Red Phantom. Like other Merle coat Aussiedoodles, Red Merle and Red Phantom Aussiedoodles may have blue eyes. However, they’re less likely to have blue eyes than Blue Merle dogs.
What is the Temperament of an Aussiedoodle?
The Aussiedoodle combines temperament traits of its parent breeds, the Poodle and the Australian Shepherd. As the Poodle and Australian Shepherd are both extremely intelligent breeds, you can expect your Aussiedoodle to be clever.
However, the Australian Shepherd is a working and herding breed, so it’s especially lively. Don’t get an Aussiedoodle if you don’t have time to devote much of the day to give your dog exercise and interaction. Aussiedoodles will feel the need to have a “job” and will be eager to please.
This is a highly playful and high-energy dog. Their intelligence means they are easy to train, but only if you do it correctly. This is such a brainy dog. It may even try to trick you! But for the most part, Aussiedoodles are sweet-tempered and friendly.
Are Aussiedoodles Easy to Groom?
The exact grooming your Aussiedoodle needs depends on whether they take more after their Poodle or Australian Shepherd parent.
If your Aussiedoodle has more of an Australian Shepherd-type coat, it will have quite a bit of shedding. When you brush your dog, focus the most on taking out loose hairs in the undercoat.
If your dog has more of a Poodle-type coat, then you’ll be pleased by how little your Aussiedoodle sheds. However, you’ll still have to do plenty of brushing, as curly hair gets matted quickly.
Conclusion For “Do Aussiedoodles Have Blue Eyes?”
As we’ve seen here, Aussiedoodles have a variety of eye colors. Some dogs of this designer breed have blue eyes as adults, but others don’t. Even if an Aussiedoodle puppy has blue eyes when born, its eye color may change as it matures.
While Aussiedoodle’s blue eyes are beautiful, be aware a dog with this eye color has more of a risk of deafness. Overall, you shouldn’t choose a puppy based on just one characteristic. Instead, you should research and find all the other characteristics you want.
For more dog guides on eyes, you can check out:
You can see a blue-eyed Aussiedoodle in action by watching “Austin the Apricot Aussiedoodle with Blue Eyes” down below:
Dr. Sabrina Kong graduated from the Royal Veterinary College in England in 2016 and has been working at a small animal clinic in Northern California since then. She grew up in the Bay Area and got her bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. She also became a Certified Canine Rehabilitation Practitioner through a program at the University of Tennessee.
When she isn’t in the clinic taking care of her four-legged patients, she enjoys traveling and trying new foods with her friends and her three-legged dog, Apollo. She adopted Apollo from her clinic when he was a puppy with numerous health issues. Dr. Kong truly cares about taking care of animals.