There’s a reason why French bulldogs are among the 10 most popular dog breeds for this year, if not for their wrinkly cute faces and playful nature, their wide variation of colors definitely has something to do with it.
The unique mix of English bulldogs and terrier breeds come in a lot of colors that will get your head spinning, if you’re looking to adopt one.
Knowing all about the color you’re choosing is important for future reference. You get to know all about the genes your dog carries and its possible health demands.
Take a look through this french bulldog colors’ guide to help you make the right choice.
Genuine French Bulldog Colors
These are the true colors of french bulldogs that are accepted by the AKC. They’re your safest choice if you want to be assured no health issues will appear related to the color.
Brindle
Easily the most common french bulldog color, the light and dark stripes that form the brindle pattern are the reason it stands out among other colors.
This color results from the recessive k gene that’s inherited from both parents of the puppy.
Cream
Cream bulldogs are hard to recognize from their white fellows. You should learn the difference before you decide to buy or register one.
They’re born with black paw pads and a black nose, the shades around their nose, mouth, and eyes are dark. Besides, they don’t have any pink pigments and their soft fur reflects a slight gold color in the light.
White
White Frenchies are born with obvious pink pigments around their mouth, nose, and eye rims.
That’s the most visible difference between them and their cream cousins.
You want to be careful when you expose them to sunlight due to their sensitive skin and eyes.
Fawn
Fawn Frenchies come in a wide variety of the color, all the way from creme shades to dark reddish shades.
They’re visibly darker than cream ones and they don’t have any brindle patterns.
Pied
May it be white, cream, or brindled pied bulldog, this special coat has gained popularity among dog owners; having white bodies with darker patches on specific places.
Dark patches are mostly found on the dog’s back or around one of its eyes.
Frenchies’ Colors That’ll Drive You to the Vet
The fact that these ‘rare’ colors aren’t accepted by the AKC may not be important to you if you’re not looking to enlist your dog in competitions, but you should know there are a lot of health risks that come with them.
That is mainly because they’re not the true colors of the breed, they were non-existent at some point.
Pure Black
All-black Frenchies with no brindled patterning are carriers of the deaf gene. When giving birth, they’ll most likely produce blue-eyed puppies with eye health issues.
Black and Tan
The specific mix of these two colors in a bulldog comes with bad news. Black and tan are dominant colors, which means they knock out all other colors in the bred bloodline.
Getting a Frenchie in this color means that you’re eliminating the chances of healthy brindles, creams, and standard colors of the dog.
Blue
Although there is a certain appeal in getting a blue or a blue-fawn dog, it’s not recommended if you want a healthy puppy.
This specific color has shown more health issues than the others, caused by a condition called ‘Color Dilution Alopecia’. It causes blue bulldogs to produce yellow and green-eyed dogs, which eventually leads to blindness.
Blue Frenchies are also carriers of a genetic disorder that causes the dog to lose hair and develop scaly skin as it ages.
Chocolate
Chocolate-colored Frenchies or ‘Liver’ ones are producers of yellow-eyed puppies that most likely develop blindness and juvenile cataracts later on.
Isabella
Listed as the rarest french bulldog color, these isabella or lilac-colored Frenchies are results of a dilution recessive gene.
The gene they carry causes them to be at risk of Blue Dog Alopecia, which causes hair loss and scaly skin as the dog ages.
Merle
The reason why Merle Frenchies aren’t approved is that they can’t be purebred. It’s genetically impossible. To produce them, breeders go for other types that carry the gene, like Chihuahuas for example.
Merle colored bulldogs come with a lot of health issues, such as deafness, eye anomalies, blindness, and increased mortality rates. The color can be a danger for the whole breed.
Mouse Grey
Mouse grey colored Frenchies are carriers of juvenile cataracts and blindness. They’re subject to baldness and skin issues. They produce yellow or blue eyes puppies.
To Sum Up
You need to choose your breeder carefully if you want to assure the health of your pup.
A lot of breeders risk rare colors to gain more money which you shouldn’t fall for. It could risk the whole strain of your bulldog which isn’t worth it.
A Frenchie already costs a lot to own, you don’t want to add the vet’s care to that!
