English bulldogs are quickly becoming a popular breed as they are known for being loving, loyal and incredibly cute. First bred in England as a cross breed between the pug and the mastiff, the bulldogs main purpose was for entertainment for bull baiting which was a popular sport in the middle ages until it was outlawed by parliament in the mid 1800's. The original colourings of the English bulldog was chocolate brown.
As breeding has evolved so have the variety of the breeds colourings and patterns with some of the rarest fetching prices of £50,000 and up. So in this post we will be breaking down some of the rarest colours.
Chocolate Brindle or Blue Brindle
The unique coat on a chocolate or blue brindle is what makes then rare and of course valuable, This lovely pattern has randomly placed stripes and spots that interrupt the base colour of the coat. Brindling doesn't necessarily mean a different colour, but more a genetic variance that causes a unique mix of light and dark in the dog’s fur. These pups are more likely to also have unique eye colours. This gorgeous bulldog can reach prices up to £6000.
Fun Fact - The coat pattern called "brindle" is also described as “tiger,” doesn’t actually have distinct striping patterns like you may be imagining. The gene that causes brindling is recessive and comes out more as a speckling, often of red or white, with the base colour of the coat on top and then the black pattern on top of that.
Black Tri
Black Tri bulldogs should have beautiful tan points on their paws, face and eyebrows. They usually have a black coat but can have a fawn undercoat but both should be shiny. The paw pads and nose should be black and the eyes are usually a dark brown shade. This variation of the breed tends to go for prices up to £5000 as they tend to have a unique pattern and colouring.
Fun Fact - Many bulldogs have black in their lineage so when inspecting the rarity of a black tri bulldog it is important to see just how black the dog is and a helpful tip is to hold the dog up to a black object to see if it is true black or a dark grey. If the seal gene is present in the lineage they could have a slightly altered colouring.
Lilac Sable
Lilac Sable bulldogs are tri-coloured bulldogs, but the genes that make them tri are less developed and they don’t have clear distinctions between the zones of color. They have a beautiful champagne colour or they can have a brown coat dotted with black. Another unique factor to the lilac sable is the eye colour can often be ice blue or ice green which definitely adds an eye catching touch. This breed variation usually goes for prices around £4000 - £7000 depending on the colourings.
Fun Fact - It's incredibly difficult to spot true sable patterns, Sable is typically a black dog with hair that has lighter roots, usually brown or red and many different combinations can arise that can cause confusion.
Platinum
Platinum bulldogs are completely white. They are defined as platinum's when 10% or less of their body has colour on it but true platinum's have none at all. The eyes on this dogs can be any colour. This breed variation tends to be around £4000
Fun Fact - Platinum is not technically the colour of the bulldog. Rather, it describes a true colour bulldog that simply lacks pigmentation due to its genetic lineage. In other words, your dog could genetically be a chocolate tri and still present as a completely white, true platinum.
Blue Tri
Blue tri bulldogs mostly are grey in colour but some have a fawn undercoat when you rub their fur the wrong way. Almost all of them have blue-gray noses, eyebrows, and paws. These would never be black in a true blue tri bulldog. They have silver coats with tan points on legs, chest and eyes. They mostly have blue/green eyes. As this is a very sought after variation the right pedigree can reach prices for £6000.
Fun Fact - Blue Tri bulldogs begin their lineage as black until they are fully diluted by the blue gene.
Chocolate Tri
Chocolate Tri bulldogs are extremely sought after, their hazel or dark chocolate coats usually feature cute brown noses and tan socks. Tan points are usually present on chocolate tri bulldogs and most likely appear on the eyebrows, shoulders, cheeks, tail, and feet. Chocolate Tri bulldogs have light to deep blue or green eyes which really adds to the dogs unique look. A true solid chocolate tri bulldogs can fetch prices of £7000.
Lilac Tri
Lilac Tri bulldogs are one of the most unique breeds of bulldogs, their base coats tends to be chocolate so they can range in colour to have more or less brown points however they do carry the blue gene which lightens the coat to a champagne grey colour. The silvery lilac coat also has the potential to have tan points dotted at random. Lilac Tri bulldogs typically have bright icy blue eyes which add to the dogs uniqueness. This stunning breed of bulldog can reach impressive prices on £9000
Fun Fact - Due to the lilac tri's unique heritage their coat can shine slightly pink or green in certain lights. This colouring originated as a black coat and then diluted by brown and then blue created the much loved lilac tri bulldog.
Merle
The rarest English Bulldog colour is Merle, These dogs look similar to the Aussie varieties with bodies that are tri-coloured of various darkness overall and they do come in blue tri, black tri, and chocolate tri variations. They mostly have a white body with grey speckles and patches all over the body. One aspect of the merle bulldog is their stunning pure icy blue eyes which instantly catch you attention. This is the rarest and most sought after bulldog colour so can fetch prices of £12000 depending on the purity of the breed and the pattern of the patches.
Fun Fact - Merle is one of the newest colours of bulldog you can buy. As time goes on, a unique breed becomes more common through breeding and the value naturally goes down.
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