# Question about chocolate parti eye color



## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

Hi! In reading about chocolate hav’s eye color and dilute gene pools. He is a parti with a very brown nose and hazel eyes. His mama is a very light brown and white as an adult (chocolate but lighter than dad). His dad is fully brown and his coat has a reddish tinge. Both my puppy and his dad have hazel eyes. Does this mean a dilute gene? I don’t care, per se, as long as it isn’t a health issue. I really love his hazel eyes, and from what the breeder says, they’ll stay that color (he’s 11 wks, the eyes are exactly like his dad). I just wonder if this feature is a result of a recessive gene or a normal variation of a chocolate hav. (She didn’t mention it, if it is). You can see them in this pic. It’s easier to tell in the light, especially because of his markings.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

No, chocolate is not a dilute gene. The eye color is always lighter than it would be in a black pigmented dog, but it varies. It is hard to consistently produce show-quality chocolates. Breeders often breed chocolate to black, because it helps keep pigment and eye color dark. The risk being that you often don’t get chocolate puppies at all. If you breed chocolate to chocolate, you will get chocolate puppies, but risk lighter pigment and eye color. This is NOT a health risk in any way, but produces puppies that are not candidates for the show ring. 

The coat color is a different issue. There are many “modifier genes” that affect coat color in Havanese that are all perfectly acceptable, and all of which (except for dilute and merle) are perfectly acceptable in our breed standard. Some Havanese hold the color they are born with. Many others (probably more) lighten as they mauture. Only time will tell with your puppy will do, since the dad seems to be one who has lightened. But his hazel eyes are just an endearing part of who he is. They would be a fault in the show ring, but I assume that’s not your plan for him, in which case, it makes no difference at all!


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## Jackie from Concrete WA (Mar 23, 2015)

He is beautiful! I love his eyes! So piercing!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

BTW, a “dilute gene” works by “diluting” another color it is bred to. That is not the way chocolate in inherited. Chocolate is inherited in reference to black the way blue eyes vs. brown eyes are inherited.


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## Melissa Woods (Feb 21, 2019)

Thank you! That all makes sense!


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