One of my favorite things about French Bulldogs is the variety of colors and patterns we find within the breed. It's almost as varied as the personalities! My first priority when breeding is health - it's so, so important to make sure that our little friends are healthy and do not have any congenital issues that will keep us from enjoying them completely. My second priority is personality & temperament. It doesn't matter what color the dog is if it's not fun to be with! The third priority is color! Each litter is an adventure in color - the same 2 parents can produce different colors & patterns in each litter. I love surprises!!
Let's start first with the American Kennel Club standard for French Bulldog color (but we're not going to stop here!):
"Acceptable colors - All brindle, fawn, white, brindle and white, and any color except those which constitute disqualification. All colors are acceptable with the exception of solid black, mouse, liver, black and tan, black and white, and white with black, which are disqualifications. Black means black without a trace of brindle."
Just for clarification - "disqualification" only means for dog shows. It does not mean they are disqualified from being a Frenchie!!!
In the simplest terms, French Bulldog coat color can best be described as fawn with a variety of marking patterns and dilutions. Fawn shades can range from deep red to cafe au lait to pale cream. From this point the differences are all due to variants in marking patterns which range from brindle to pied. Brindle is a pattern of black stripes overlaying a fawn coat - the width of the stripe determines whether the coat looks darker or lighter (reverse brindle). Pied is random spots of color on a white background.
So far we have talked about AKC accepted French Bulldog colors. But wait, there's more!!! For several years now some reputable breeders all over the world have been working with recessive genes in French Bulldogs to come up with colors like blue, chocolate and black & tan. These beautiful colors are coming from the same pedigree lines as standard color Frenchies and open the door to even more variety in the world of Frenchies. There has been some conflict and controversy among breeders as to whether or not these colors should be accepted into the breed standard and that will probably go on for quite sometime. However, I am a great lover of the French Bulldog breed and I plan to pursue them in all their beautiful colors. Whatever your color or pattern preferences are, we hope to help you find the Frenchie of your dreams!!!
