Blue-Eyed Pitbull Explained (with Pictures) | PawLeaks

Crystal blue eyes in dogs are beautiful to look at.

Especially puppies with blue eyes tend to get adopted more easily than their dark-eyed littermates.

But is it even normal for puppies or adult dogs to have blue eyes?

You may have heard that blue-eyed Pitbulls are considered undesirable.

The APBT community is not amused by this trend for very valid reasons.

The controversy revolves around certain breeds that don’t usually carry a gene that would cause this kind of coloring.

Before we go deeper into this topic, I want to clarify what I mean when I say “Pitbull”.

As you may know, the Pitbull in itself is not a breed but rather a term that covers several dog breeds including the American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bullterrier, “American Bully” (mixed breed), and yes, the American Pit Bull Terrier.

The real American Pit Bull Terrier is a separate breed but still not recognized by either the AKC or FCI.

However, I will use the short-term “Pitbull” to refer to this breed in today’s blog post.

Can Pitbulls Have Blue Eyes?

Yes, pitbull-type dogs can have blue eyes as puppies.

In fact, most breeds are born with bright blue eyes that slowly darken as they age.

For most breeds, the blue eyes disappear once they’re not puppies anymore.

Why do the blue eyes vanish?

Color, like everything, is determined by the genetic makeup and developed by the amount of melanin production in your dog.

Melanin is a natural skin pigment that determines how light or dark your skin, hair, and eyes are.

Less melanin production leads to lighter blue eyes, pale skin, or blonde hair.

A complete lack of pigmentation is called Albinism.

In dogs, this low production of melanin can cause a white coat, blue eyes, or a pink nose.

Melanin production only starts a few weeks after birth and slowly increases with age.

That’s why most puppies are born with bright blue eyes and a lighter coat.

The coat color oftentimes influences the eye, nail, and nose color.

My Rottweiler, for example, has so much melanin in her fur that blue eyes would be nearly impossible.

How Long Do Pitbull Puppy Eyes Stay Blue?

You may get a first glimpse at your Pitbull’s adult eye color around the age of 4 months.

Their puppy coat will be replaced by a much thicker and darker adult coat when they are 6 months old.

Are Blue-Eyed Pitbulls Rare?

Blue-eyed Pitbull puppies are not rare and their eye color will most likely change over time.

So don’t choose the one bright-eyed Pitbull in the litter just because of his appearance.

Even if a breeder sells them as a “rarity” for a premium, the color will almost certainly vanish (if it’s a purebred, more on that below).

That being said, while blue eyes are not particularly rare for Pitbull puppies, not every pup has blue eyes.

Check out my Cane Corso colors article for more information on how breeders try to falsely label colors.

Breeding for Appearance

Breeding for a specific color or coat type should always be a red flag when choosing a responsible breeder.

When specific looks are the primary breeding factor, other traits like temperament or health are disregarded.

You might find that the prettiest dog in a litter will have lots of health issues behind the facade.

Always make sure that the parents have health certificates and the right behavioral traits you are looking for.

Check out my article on questions to ask your breeder to avoid falling prey to these “breeders”.

Inbreeding in dogs is another huge issue and will be used to pass a certain appearance on to future generations.

As you might imagine, inbreeding comes with the worst health concerns and should never be encouraged.

The Merle Gene

Merle describes a beautiful coat color pattern that can create odd-colored eyes. It’s commonly seen in these breeds:

• Australian Shepherd
• Great Dane
• Dachshund
• Catahoula Leopard Dog

The merle gene sadly comes with many health issues like deafness and blindness.

Double merles (MM) are extremely prone to these genetic diseases and therefore merles should never be bred together.

Heterozygous merles (Mm) are way healthier and resemble the merle pattern best.

A Pitbull with a merle coat pattern is excluded from the APBT breed standard and might not be purebred because the gene must have somehow found its way into the bloodline.

Albinism

Tyrosinase is an enzyme that controls the production of melanin.

Albino dogs are “tyrosinase-negative” meaning that their body is incapable of producing melanin.

Therefore, these dogs will be born with a unique white coat, blue eyes, and a pink nose.

Albinism in dogs is an extremely rare mutation and both parents need to carry the recessive gene.

Be very cautious when a breeder is trying to sell you a rare white Pitbull.

Albinism comes with many health issues, including deafness or skin cancer.

Due to their pale coat, they must be protected from direct sunlight at all times using either bodysuits or sunscreen.

White Fur Patches

White patches around the eyes or nose can occur due to a lack of pigmentation.

Pitbulls or any other breed with dominant white coats can develop light eyes or a pinkish nose.

Recommended Reading: Traits of the Rottweiler-Husky mix

Do Blue-Eyed Dogs Go Blind?

Dogs with blue eyes are not necessarily doomed to develop any vision-related issues.

It largely depends on the specific reason your dog might have this eye color.

Pit Bulls are not among the breeds that carry this breed-specific gene, meaning that they probably will develop health problems later on.

You should stay away from the merle gene and albinism.

If you find a responsible breeder that has legitimate puppies with blue eyes, there is probably nothing you need to worry about as the color will start transforming at the age of 4 months.

What Dogs Can Have Blue Eyes?

Dog breeds with blue eyes include:

• Siberian Husky
• Border Collie
• Catahoula Leopard Dog
• Dalmatians (nearly 1/3 suffer from hearing impairment)
• Australian Shepherd (due to undesirable Merle gene)

They carry a breed-specific gene that allows them to have bright blue eyes without any related health issues.

Cocker Spaniels and Pembroke Welsh Corgi are available in a merle pattern which is not yet recognized by the AKC.

Bluish eyes can also occur in Weimaraners and Amstaffs.

Recommended Reading: Are Dogs Color Blind?

In Conclusion

Eye, coat, nose, and skin color of any mammal are determined by the production of melanin.

Lack of pigmentation can lead to blue eyes, a white coat, and a pink nose.

Adult Pitbull-type dogs with blue eyes are extremely uncommon and should only be considered with detailed health certificates of the parents stating that they don’t carry the merle gene.

Blue-eyed puppies are very common among many breeds and adorable to look at.

If you are in love with the appearance of blue eyes and can’t live without it then consider breeds without any health issues indicated by eye color like the Siberian Husky (make sure they fit your lifestyle, level of knowledge, and so on though).

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Disclaimer: This blog post does not substitute veterinary attention and does not intend to do so. I am not a veterinarian or pet nutritionist. If your dog shows any sign of illness, call your vet.Was This Article Helpful? *

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