When I first tried to bring together information on a systematic relationship between eye color and behavior of humans and animals, I included an archival study of dogs (Worthy, 1999, pp 54- 59). Information on eye color of breeds was obtained from a source book (Sneider-Leyer, 1970). Dogs with only brown, dark brown or black eyes were classified as “dark-eyed”; those breeds with light-brown or lighter eye color were classified as “light-eyed.” Whereas only 23% of other breeds had light eyes, that was true of 73% of breeds classified as “Pointers and Setters”(p<.001). Those differences were presented as supportive of the idea that light eyes are associated with hesitation and inhibition. Pointing involves a pause or passive response to sensed prey.

 

Today, I want to use a different archival source  (Schuler, 2006) to focus more closely on three aspects of hunting behavior and to divide breeds into three eye color categories. Those categories are (1)Yellowish: any mention of a yellowish color-- yellow, golden, ocher,honey or amber, (2) Dark-eyed: only brown, dark brown, black, or “dark”, (3) Mid-range: light brown and all remaining colors.

 

Different types of hunting dog were selected to emphasize some one aspect of hunting behavior found in wolves at the expense of other aspects. Wolves “hunt” game rather than wait for game to come to them. Tracking game is a central activity, but when wolves get close to a potential large prey they become very cautious and hesitant. They test the prey animal(s) by approaching and then backing off.  If the prey is a healthy adult and prepared to fight,  wolves will often remember an appointment elsewhere. Only if a prey animal panics and tries to flee will the wolves mount an unrestrained attack. Sometimes also when getting close to an animal they are tracking, wolves will stop and begin to stalk. “In all cases when the restrained approach or stalk is used, the wolves sneak as close to the prey as they can without making it flee” (Mech, 1970, pp 199- 200). The point is that wolves employ a range of responses to prey that depend on the situation.

 

The Schuler (2006) book uses different logos to indicate behaviors for which a breed is known. Three involve hunting behaviors that are each part of a wolf’s repertoire that by selective breeding are made central to a dog’s use by a human hunter. The three  behaviors are pointing, tracking, and attacking. Pointers, hounds and terriers were bred to specialize in those three activities. [Retrievers were not included because it is not easy to equate retrieving with a corresponding response to prey in the wild.]  Pointers respond to game by freezing in place and waiting, hounds immediately follow a trail and chase, but may become more hesitant when the the prey is cornered or “run to ground.” Terriers” (the name refers to “ground”) were selected for their boldness in attacking prey--even following it into its den. The corresponding logo shows a fox in its den.

 

In the earlier study, I looked at different categories of dogs. In this study I used the three behavior logos to identify three types of dog behavior and omitted any breed that was not identified with one of those behaviors or was identified with more than one.  The three behavioral traits  are “Pointing,” “Tracking” and “Attacking.” Of course, the last one  refers only to a willingness to attack prey (even in its den) as a hunting dog.

 

The distribution of three eye color levels and three behavioral traits was as follows:

                                                                            EYE COLOR

  Trait            Nr. Breeds             Yellowish            Midrange          Dark-eyed

 

Attacking          21                              0%                        24%                   76%

 

Tracking            87                            10%                      33%                    56%

 

Pointing             36                            50%                      25%                    25%

 

A Chi-Square Test [one cell of nine cells with expected frequency less than 5} indicated that the distribution of eye color is different from what one would expect by chance: (Chi-Square = 34.666, df= 4, p<.001).

 

 Pointers are not just light-eyed. To be more specific, many breeds have yellowish eyes. That is consistent with the finding that families of wild animals that specialize in ambush hunting (e.g. cats and herons) have many species with yellowish eyes. The initial waiting response of pointers is akin to the initial response of predators that practice ambush.

 

One can also see that breeds of dog that are not characterized by hesitancy, but rather a willingness  to attack  prey in its den, are very dark-eyed. That is consistent with the fact that the family of carnivores most noted for willingness to follow prey into its den, the mustelids, are also the darkest-eyed family of carnivores.

 

Tracking breeds fall between the other two on behavior and on eye-darkness.

 

In looking at the median eye color in each group one can say as a very rough gauge that the typical pointers are amber-eyed, the typical trackers have eye colors that are reddish-brown  to brown and the typical attackers have eye colors that are brown to dark brown.

 

Again, I would emphasize that all three behaviors are derived from normal wolf hunting behavior. It appears though, that when breeders selected for behavioral tendencies, a by-product was differences in eye color. The differences  were not random, but fit into the overall pattern seen in nature.

 

References: