Blue-eyed Weimaraner!
Even the sound of that is like a dream. The large hunting dog with big ears is a great companion. They are loyal, sturdy, and versatile. But we’ve been noticing a lot of enthusiasm when it comes to their eyes and the color of it.
So, it is blue or gray or green?
Do Weimaraner’s eyes stay blue?
As much as we love the bright blue eye color that Weimaraner breeds have when they are born, sadly they do not retain this blue eye color as they grow older. After 3 to 6 months, their eye colors change to amber, grayish blue or greenish-blue. This is linked to heightened melanin production.
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There is a lot of interests surrounding the eye color of Weimaraner dogs as they distinctly change from their puppy days to older years. Apart from melanin production, this phenomenon is also hereditary and is common among all dogs of the breed.
When do Weimaraners’ eyes change color?
Almost all Weimaraner puppies are born with eyes that are light blue in color. However, as these blue eyed, and gorgeous pets grow older, their eye color changes from the initial blue that they were born with.
Their first change in eye color occurs when they are 2 to 3 months old. While some puppies have a lighter shade of blue before the change, some have a very bright hue of blue.
Approximately, when they are 3 months old, their eyes become a deeper shade. For some, this deeper shade of blue resembles turquoise, with a hint of greenish shade.
After a few months, when the Weimaraners breed turns 1 year old, their eyes turn somewhat gray. In few Weimaraner dogs, a greyish blue color can be noticed when older. In most puppies, however, this color becomes permanent when they are about 6 months old.
Do all Weimaraners have blue eyes?
All adult Weimaraners do not have blue eyes. However, when Weimaraners are born, they have a light blue shade on their eyes. As they grow up, this color changes to other shades, where blue becomes the less dominant hue.
One of the reasons that Weimaraners stand out as a pet to many people is their characteristic to have unusual eyes. Owing to melanin production is the dogs, the light blue eyeshade alters to greenish blue in some.
Other than changing eye colour of this breed, they are also born with patterns on their body that are stripped, just like the patterns you would notice on tigers. As their eye color changes, these stripes also disappear with growing age.
However, most have amber-colored eyes as well, while other Weimaraners can have grayish tones too.
What color are Weimaraners’ eyes?
Blue:
When Weimaraners are born, as pups they all have blue eyes. Although the complete blue color changes after they are three months old and more so at six months’ time, the initial blue eyes are either genetic or hereditary.
According to scientists, the blue eyes in many dogs, are caused by a recessive gene. This is why some dogs like the Siberian Huskey grow up to keep their blue eyes while Weimaraners lost their blue eye shade due to more melanin production.
Turquoise or greenish blue:
When Weimaraners change their birth eye color, some retain a greenish shade on their eyes. The mix of green and blue is popularly labeled as turquoise eyes, and this color can be quite rare as well.
Any green shade of eye color is considered to be distinctive and rare in any breed of dog. Due to the absence of pigment in the eyes, the eyes may appear green in these dogs.
The loss of deeper color is often associated with eumelanin pigment, which is very less in turquois eyed Weimaraner.
Amber:
One of the most common eye colors in all dog breeds must be amber, brownish yellow, or a color that can be referred to as light brown.
When Weimaraner goes through a change in eye tint, a lot of the pets end up with amber colored eyes, which may have hues of yellow as well.
This would mean that the Weimaraner with amber eyes has more melanin production than the one with blue eyes.
Grayish blue:
Some Weimaraners retain some of the blue tints from their pup days, but eventually the gray shade takes over and creates a unique eye color. For this reason, they are sometimes called “Gray Ghosts”.
Sometimes when Weimaraners start to show gray shades in their eyes, some owners worry that their pet might have cataracts causing blindness. In this breed, it is a natural phenomenon, and it is connected to the natural aging of the lenses.
Why do Weimaraners’ eyes change color?
Melanin production:
The most common reason that causes Weimaraner to lose their baby blue eyes is the production of melanin. As they grow older, from 3 to 6 months, their bodies produce more melanin, cause the blue color to eventually change completely.
Hereditary:
Almost all Weimaraners are born with bright blue eyes, and all of them change that color to different shades. This has been true for the parent breeds as well, showing this is a rather hereditary trait for this pet type.
Lenticular sclerosis:
This can be simply explained as a natural process where in the lens of the eyes ages and hence turns to a chalky color. Behind the pupils, there is gel on the muscles that become thickened with age.
Albinism:
This phenomenon is related to the lack or absence of pigmentation that causes the external features of a dog to be darker colors.
Any breed, including the Weimaraner, would display light colored coat, as well as eye color. Likewise, an increase or decrease in pigmentation can cause a change in eye shade.
Do Weimaraner dogs with blue eyes have health problems?
Not all Weimaraner dogs with blue eyes have health problems, but blue eyes are commonly associated with health issues. In Weimaraner, they may have some eye related difficulties.
Entropion and ecotopia are two conditions that some Weimaraner dogs with blue eyes suffer. In the former, the eyelids of the dogs will roll inside, while in ectropion the eyelids roll outwards.
This causes irritation and inflammation in the eyes and causes the eye to be more prone to effects from dust and the environment. Moreover, scientists have confirmed that both of these are hereditary ailments.
Other conditions that Weimaraner’s with blue eyes may suffer are Cherry eyes and Retinol atrophy.
What does it mean if Weimaraner dogs have blue eyes?
Almost all Weimaraner dogs are born with bright blue eyes, and having this shade of eye color does not pertain to anything particular. However, you would already have known about the fact that this breed of pets is unable to retain their blue eye color.
Generally, blue eyed Weimaraner may or may not have health issues related to the cornea. If you suspect that your pet’s eye color may be linked to their sight problems, you would want to visit a VET to get a confirmation.
In most cases, based on the diagnosis, the specialist will most likely prescribe eye washes and other treatments.
How do you tell if a Weimaraner puppy’s eyes will stay blue?
If you are taking care of a Weimaraner puppy, it is likely that their eyes will not stay blue. If you still wish to be sure, it is wise to wait till 3 months. After 3 months, their eye color usually shows the first sign of change.
It is then that your pup is going through a change in eye color. If you still see that the blue shade has remained, we advise waiting for the next 3 months as that is when their permanent eye color appears and stays.
While some Weimaraner dogs will have a completely different amber color, few might have shades of blue with gray or green.
Do Weimaraners have green eyes?
Complete green eyes in Weimaraner are extremely rare. However, when their eye color changes from bright blue, many of the dogs retain tints of blue, mixed with green.
This causes their eyes to look green under some lights. Though this hue is more of a turquoise shade that makes the Weimaraner look exceptionally gorgeous and rare.
The green eyes are other dogs are correlated with eumelanin pigment, which calls for the lack of pigment cause darker shades.
Maybe many of you were looking for answers that said Weimaraner dogs have blue eyes throughout the years. Unfortunately, they don’t!
Their eye color changes to many other beautiful shades, making the pet look as stunning as they looked as pups with blue eyes.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Why are Weimaraners so clingy or needy?
Why does my Weimaraner follow me everywhere?