Is eye color related to coat color

[Beth Boofa]

I've come across a few articles that are talking about a puppies eye color being related to the color of the adult coat. They're saying that puppies whos eyes reflect green/blue in pics that their coat color will be lighter. And puppies who's eyes reflect red will be darker & more golden. Some articles claim breeders use this method, so I'm guessing that people can tell when the pup is young.. Is this true & how accurate is this?
It's just something I'm curious about.. I've read about this now a few times.

[Fritz n Sophie]

I've never heard that. I will be interested to see how true it is though. My male is 3 and light with blue green reflection in pictures. My new baby girl is 5 months old and usually reflects a reddish color. I don't want her to grow up, but I can't wait to see how she will look.

[kjc]

Never heard that one... I did hear that a green flash color indicates a silky coat, and orange something else. But my dogs with silky coats have flashed orange, so I could have it backwards, lol.

[Nancy1999]

I think someone must have misunderstood the article relating to eye shine. Most puppies have a blue cast, so forget about that, but if a Yorkie has a green eye shine, his coat will more likely be silky, if a Yorkie has a gold cast his coat will likely be more cottony. Now here's where you statement about dark vs. lightness comes in. A silky coat is not pure black, but the preferred color is a gun metal grey, or metallic black that they call dark blue. Of course, many silky coats are often lighter, there’s a third gene that is a dilution gene and it seems to go hand and hand with the silkier coat. The perfect silky, dark blue, straight hair it's a very difficult color to achieve and unfortunately some breeders don’t even try to breed for it. Cotton coats, on the other hand, don't have that metallic element, so they are more likely to be a truer black. So in essence your statement could likely be true, just because cotton coats are more likely to be solid black. One of my dogs has a silky coat, which is super easy to take care of and he has green eye shine and his coat is a dark gun metal black. His brother has more of a cotton coat mix and his eye shine sometime is golden sometimes green and his coat is slightly darker than Joeys, but still what I'd call a gun metal. This article explains eye shine and what causes it. Eye Shine

[Hazels-momm]

There are threads on yt that talk about how the flash(of an old camera not any new cameras) shine on the yorkie eye will show a color that tells if the pup will have a silky or cottony coat. I read the thread a while back so im unsure what color eye means what texture coat, but I never heard of the eye color relating to coat color.

[Beth Boofa]

I can't wait to see how my baby turns out too! That's why whenever I read about something like this, it really makes me eagerly wonder lol. I have also read about green/blue eyes relating to a silky coat too... But I have no idea. I'm kinda hoping its true though.. Not that it matters, I love my lil baby

[Hrossen11]

My black morkie has green shine.

[Hrossen11]

He is also cotton coat

[navillusc]

Do you mean eye 'pigment' color or eye 'shine' color?

I've read that red eye 'shine' is related to cotton coat 'texture' where other eye 'shine' colors are related to silky (blue, green, gold) and possibly 'modified' (orange) coat textures...not sure you can trust my word or memory on that, though...lol

Brody and Mia have blue/green and green/gold most of the time when I've noticed, in varying shades for eye 'shine' colors depending on light and angle, and both have silky coats. Eye 'pigment' color is dark for both, as is the Yorkie standard.

Eye 'pigment' color is protein related, as is coat color, as I understand it...but there are additional factors, too, such as hair follicle/shaft structures, light reflectance, etc. I am interested in these things, but not an expert for sure.

I think there is a 'sticky' about coat color...very interesting.

[Beth Boofa]

Originally Posted by navillusc

Do you mean eye 'pigment' color or eye 'shine' color?

I've read that red eye 'shine' is related to cotton coat 'texture' where other eye 'shine' colors are related to silky (blue, green, gold) and possibly 'modified' (orange) coat textures...not sure you can trust my word or memory on that, though...lol

Brody and Mia have blue/green and green/gold most of the time when I've noticed, in varying shades for eye 'shine' colors depending on light and angle, and both have silky coats. Eye 'pigment' color is dark for both, as is the Yorkie standard.

Eye 'pigment' color is protein related, as is coat color, as I understand it...but there are additional factors, too, such as hair follicle/shaft structures, light reflectance, etc. I am interested in these things, but not an expert for sure.

I think there is a 'sticky' about coat color...very interesting.

I'm not really even sure. Just the color that the eyes reflected in pictures.. I'm very interested in these things too but I don't know to much about them. But it sure is amazing the transformation they go through.

[KimInMD]

Mia and Allie have (black) modified silk coats. Their eye shine is always a yellow-gold.

[Teresiana]

I always wondered if the eye shine thing was true. I never got an eye shine from either of my pups in photos.

[navillusc]

Here is a very interesting article:

YORKY CLUB MAGAZINE #11 -- December 2008

"More about Color and Texture" by Hugo Ibanez

Yorky Club Magazine - United by passion for Yorkies.

An excerpt about eye shine and texture:

Yet, another take to detect correct texture comes from my friend, veteran breeder Bernice Unden (“Debonaire”, Sweden), “If you look at the reflected light from the eyes of a Yorkie (using a flashlight), you will find out three colors: green, yellow or red. These colors are connected to coat texture. Green reflection, always correct – silky texture. Yellow, is a toss-up, either correct or wrong texture and red, always wrong texture.” Bernice assures us that this is not a scientifically proven theory, it is simply an observation from a long experience in breeding.

Betty Anne Durrer says that silky coat “always lays perfectly flat and has the feel of almost human hair, more like the hair of a young straight haired blond child” and then she adds “but don’t think for a minute that silky hair has to be sparse to be silky” “Silky coat should resemble human hair and it should be thick not sparse. Sparse can be silky but going by the old standard – quality and quantity were to be desired”, reflects Mrs. Gordon.


... and ...

An excerpt about color:

Richard Haynes (Eburacum,UK) - a nut as I am about Yorkie history - says “You judge the whole dog – I want the whole package. I will forgive some unevenness of color, whether light or dark, but I want it natural not artificially enhanced (Richard is a breeder/judge).”

Talking about being nuts about history, it seems appropriate to inject a bit of history here. Richard just found out details of the original Standard (1886) not known before that states “A bright steel blue” was required for the first 25 years by the Kennel Club in England. This was written by the first Yorkshire Terrier Club, The Halifax Yorkshire Terrier Club.

According to Richard’s research, Mary Ann Foster showed Ch. Ted year after year until he probably was nearly white (Ch. Ted was one of our founder fathers).

The Yorkshire Terrier Club was formed in 1898 – still the bright blue was in effect. But by 1911 (Richard’s research) the standard required “a dark steel blue”. This was a reaction to the light colored dogs that were being shown in the North of England. The implication here, as I understand it, is that “bright” in those days was equivalent or similar to “light”.

Needless to say the repercussion of that trend of showing light dogs until 1911 is tremendous, but more about it at the conclusion of this article. Richard also found out something very interesting that in both cases when “light blue” was required and “dark blue” later, both required that “a darker end of the tail was asked for”.

Here is another article, for those interested:

Yorky Club Magazine - United by passion for Yorkies.

YORKY CLUB MAGAZINE #9 - April 2008

"The complexities of COLOUR" by Jacqui Reddin-Williams

[Marhcarter]

Huey's eye shine is usually gold but rarely greenish gold. One photo he has one Green and one gold eye. He is a medium steel gray silky coat. My eye shine is red...hmmmm... wonder if that means anything?

[EvaNoel]

All three of my babies shine blue and green.

I know Eva has a silky coat, but her puppy coat seemed sparse compared to her litter mate. She is changing though, and is now growing in a thicker coat that started on her legs. I have no idea what her saddle color will be, right now it is black as night, but she is breaking a light gold/bleached blond on her head. (Eva is 6 months)

My little Doc's coat shines and never tangles, but unlike Eva it is thick AND silky. He has not started breaking, he is still black and tan. (Doc is 15 weeks)

Bella has a thicker coat too, her saddle is silky and soft, but she gets knotty on her legs and underbelly if I don't brush her everyday. Probably from Doc chewing on her legs. Bella is breaking that sootie or dark gray color on her head. (Bella is 25 weeks)

Yorkies are the most puzzling breed I've ever had, as far as coat color, and everyone I know is waiting (with great anticipation) for the next piece of the puzzle, the next clue ... it's like watching an artist paint a murial, with each stroke of the brush we try to get a glimpse so as to spark our imaginations and yet we wait with baited breath for the day we can stand, with excitement, to view the breeders work, the finished masterpiece, our beautiful Yorkies.

It's like the never ending GIFT.