It’s always a joy to have a little one in the house and having a brand new puppy is no exception. The moment you look into those baleful eyes filled with wonder and love for you, your heart melts. You have gotten hooked on man’s best friend! A lot of us have opted to find a dog and make it part of our family, as we all know the joys of having a pet at home.
As a dog owner, you know there is something very special about dogs that most people haven’t noticed. It’s the cute color of your pup’s eyes. But, exactly when do puppy’s eyes change color?
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What is the color of Newborn puppy’s eyes?
When puppies are born, their eyes are not yet visible. Puppies’ eyes are firmly shut, so they adorably feel around their environment using their tiny paws. Your little puppies’ eyes will remain closed for between 8 days to two weeks. They then begin to open their eyes bit by bit until we are first able to see them. This is the optimum time for you to try and take a peek at your pup’s eyes and see the color they were born with.
As your little puppy starts to open its eyes and its vision gets clearer, you will notice the beautiful blue color of its eyes. It’s truly amazing to see such wonderfully colored eyes in a tiny head. Sadly, however, your puppy’s eyes will start to change color as it grows older.
If you want to be an observant pet owner, monitor your puppy every day. Try to look into its eyes to see them gradually changing from blue to its permanent color.
When does a puppy start changing the color of his eyes?
Now that you know this change will happen to your puppy, you may be looking forward to seeing what color your pup’s eyes change to. It takes a lot of energy to care for a new puppy, even though feeding it, caring for it, and playing with it are all fun things to do. While you are diligently caring for your little ball of fur, you will start to notice that its eye color is changing around the 21st day of life. It’s quite exciting to see the change as the color gradations are quite fun. As your puppies’ permanent eye color starts to show up in its eyes, you may notice brown tones gradually appearing in your pup’s irises.
What is the minimum time needed to change the color of puppy’s eyes?
The answer isn’t simple, aside from the fact that it doesn’t happen overnight. Depending on the puppy, it can take another 9-12 weeks for the new color to become permanent – quite a long process to observe. However, this isn’t always the case: some puppies’ final eye color may show up a lot sooner.
Without careful observation, we would likely just wake up one day and notice that our puppy’s eyes are no longer blue but the more common brown. The important thing to know is that this change does not affect a dog’s vision or eyesight. It is simply a process they go through as they mature.
What are the reasons for the color change?
There are many factors which determine a dog’s eye color. The more melanin your dog had, the darker the eyes. Less of it would result in a lighter eye color. Thus, when considering your puppy’s changing eye color, pay attention to the color of your dog’s coat. This is also determined by melanin, and may be a clue as to how dark its permanent eye color will be.
- Dogs with liver-colored fur may have a gene for amber eyes which range from yellow to light brown and even shades of gray.
- For dogs with a merle coat, the blue color they are born with will most likely stay until they are adults.
- For most dogs, their eyes turn into the most common color: brown.
It’s also interesting to know that some dogs may have two differently colored eyes, a condition which is called heterochromia. This also has no effect on vision. It all depends on the dog’s genes when it is born. However, it never hurts to have your dog checked out by a vet if you are worried.
The breeds which are usually born with heterochromia are:
- Alaskan Malamute
- Siberian Husky
- American Foxhound
- Australian Sheepdog
- Shih Tzu
- Border Collie
- Welsh Corgi
- Australian Shepherd
- Louisiana Catahoula Leopard dogs
Conclusion
So now you know something new about puppies. If you hadn’t noticed before, it could be fun to observe this change in your puppy. From beautiful blue hues your little puppy is born with to the final color it matures into, these are the eyes you will be looking into for the rest of its life.
Many people say that eyes are the windows to one’s soul and it’s no different for animals, especially dogs. Having a dog means committing yourself to caring for another living thing. Enjoy knowing more about one of the changes your dog will go through while it grows up. Among all the changes your pet will go through, this is by far the most interesting to observe. So the next time there is a puppy in your house, go ahead and see how its eyes change color and try to guess what color it will end up with!
References:
- http://www.dailydogdiscoveries.com/tag/newborn-puppy-blue-eyes
- http://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/old-dogs-eyes-change-color-5446.html
- https://essilorusa.com/content/essilor-usa/en/newsroom/news/pet_s_eye_color_chan.html
- https://www.cuteness.com/blog/content/when-will-my-puppys-eye-color-be-permanent
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