Can Huskies Have Brown Eyes?

When you think of a Siberian Husky, you likely think of a large, playful, and loyal dog; and you would be correct. But one characteristic that makes this breed a must-have is their piercing blue eyes that look as though they can see right into your soul. But do all Huskies have this main feature, or is there more diversity than we think?

Can Huskies have brown eyes? Yes. Huskies can have completely brown eyes or a blend of different colors, such as blue and brown (bi-eyed). Brown eyes are the second most common eye color for Huskies and they can range from light hazel hues to deep, almost dark shades.

If you’re curious about the Husky breed and their eye colors, you probably have a lot of questions about blue, brown, and other eye color options. We’re going to breakdown the brown-eyed Husky and answer all your must-know questions about this shade and what it means for your Husky.

Can a Purebred Husky Have Brown Eyes?

A lot of people are under the impression that a Husky purebred simply can’t have brown eyes. They go as far as to say that any Husky that has brown eyes must be mixed with another type of dog, but this simply is not the case.

A purebred Husky can have brown eyes, and this color brown can be a variety of different shades and range in intensity.

Although it may be true that a mixed Husky has more of a chance of getting brown eyes than a purebred, it still does not mean that it’s impossible for a purebred Husky to have this type of eye color. In fact, it’s quite common!

Is There Any Relation Between Eye Color and Fur Shade?

Another well-known misconception about eye color is that it almost always has to do with the shade of the fur, and for most breeds, it’s true. The majority of the time, a dog with a darker fur color is more likely to have brown eyes than a dog with a lighter shade coat.

When it comes to the Husky, the fur color and eye color have literally nothing to do with one another.

Huskies do not have the ‘merle’ gene that is responsible for other dog breeds having a correlation between coats and eye colors, making it impossible for coat shade to be responsible for the type of eye color your Husky has.

This means that you can end up with a Husky with brisk white fur and a pair of deep-set brown eyes, or you can have a Husky that is speckled with brown spots across his coat and he will have the piercing blue eyes we all know and love.

How Common Are Brown Eyes in Huskies?

While most people believe that blue eyes are the only option for Huskies, brown eyes are actually the second most common eye color in the Husky breed.

(Bright blue eyes are, of course, the most common, but even the blue-eyed Husky can have a darker shade than what we believe to be ‘normal’).

What is interesting about the brown-eyed Husky is that they are missing a certain rare gene that affects the pigmentation of Huskies, which leaves them with a more common eye color of brown.

This doesn’t mean that there is anything genetically wrong with your Husky, just that their parents did not pass along this certain gene.

Types of Brown Eyes a Husky Can Have

When discussing brown-eyed Huskies it isn’t so cut and dry as you might think. In fact, Huskies can have brown eyes of all different shades and intensities.

The color of a Husky’s brown eyes can be anywhere from a light hazel hue to a deep, intense dark brown shade that is verging on completely black. Sometimes the hazel hues are blended with a little bit of emerald mixed in, leading some owners to mistake their eye color for green. However, green eyes in the Husky breed is extremely rare and not typical.

Your Husky can also have a blend of brown with other shades. This can best be described in two ways:

• Bi-eyed. A bi-eyed Husky will have two different colors in both of his eyes. One eye will be brown and the other will be blue, and the shade will be consistent. For instance, if your Husky has a light, piercing blue eye on one side, then he will have a lighter shade of brown in the other eye as well.
• Parti-eyed. Some Huskies can actually have multiple colors found inside of the eyes, known as heterochromia. This means that one eye could be half blue and half brown, or be blue with speckles of brown, and so on and so forth.

Do Husky Eyes Change Color?

It’s true that a Husky that is born with blue eyes may actually end up with dark brown eyes. This is due to the fact that a Husky puppies eyes will change and mutate as they get older, and it’s hard to tell whether or not that will be their ‘adult’ eye color until they are much older.

The best time to check your Husky’s eye color is around 2 months of age. At this point in time, they should have their adult eye color, although it is important to keep in mind that it can still change.

In fact, some of Husky’s eyes won’t make their complete change until they have reached adulthood, but it should be a more minimal difference.

(For instance: lighter blue eyes have turned a darker hue.)

Are Brown Eyes a Genetic Defect and Something to be Concerned About?

If you have a young Husky puppy whose eyes have turned brown, then you might be immediately concerned. Your original thought was that your Husky would grow up to have beautiful bright blue eyes, but this isn’t always the case.

So should you be concerned?

No. A Husky having brown eyes is not due to any type of genetic defect or medical issue.

It is completely normal for your Husky to have brown eyes, especially if his or her parents had blue eyes.

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