In terms of popularity, Frenchie (French bulldog) is the 4th most famous breed around the world, and their popularity has also been increasing in America over the last few years. Their small body, smushed face, playful and loving personality, and trademark bat ears make them so adorable and perfect family pets. Frenchie does well in apartment-style living. One of the most loving features of this breed is that they come in a wide array of colors.
Brief History of French Bulldogs
In the 1800s French bulldogs came into existence, the English bulldogs were crossed with terriers and pugs to create this toy-sized variety of bulldogs. In Nottingham, this toy-sized breed became very popular among lace workers. In the 1860s these craftsmen began to migrate to France along with their bulldogs to avail better opportunities. Soon this little breed overflooded France and over time, this breed became different from the original bulldogs and was labeled as French bulldogs.
If you have made up your mind to buy a Frenchie but don’t know, in which colors they are available or which colors are the healthiest ones? What colors are unique or rare, and what colors are recognized as standard?
To help you out, in this article I have included all the standard and rare colors of French bulldogs so that you can choose the best colors, keep on reading to know more about each color of the French bulldog.
Color Range of French Bulldogs
The color range of French bulldogs is just like several shades of the rainbow. French bulldogs are available in many rare and standard colors. According to the American kennel club, there are 9 standard recognized colors of French bulldogs, although they are available in 25 possible coat colors. Some colors such as brindle and fawn are common while Isabella, merle, or blue are rare. Rare-colored French bulldogs are very expensive. The true breed is not only limited to having the standard color they can also acquire rare colors. Due to poor breeding, some rare colors came into being these colors should be avoided. All the standard and rare colors of French bulldogs are discussed below briefly.
Standard Colors of French Bulldogs
Early in 1897, brindle was considered the true breed standard but after standard revision in 1911 colors such as white, cream, fawn, and pied or any mix of these were also included in the standard color list. All standard colors are discussed below.
1. Brindle French Bulldog
The tiger-like pattern of brindle french bulldogs makes them famous. Brindle is not just a color but more accurately a pattern. It looks like this pattern consists of a fawn color which is covered with strips of black and brown color making this pattern look like a tiger-striped. The gene of this color is very common and accepted as standard. Brindle color is available in many different patterns but all of these consist of darker brown stripes over a fawn coat. There are blue brindles, red brindles, and black brindles (also known as reverse brindles). In reverse brindle, dark stripes are much thicker and these cover the overall lighter fawn coat.
2. Fawn French Bulldog
Another accepted and typical color is fawn. Fawn color french bulldogs can range from light brown Frenchie to red fawn Frenchie. Few fawn Frenchie’s faces can possess a black mask and their backs have dark black or fawn stripes. Sometimes people may get confused between fawn and chocolate french bulldogs but the difference is that these pups possess a reddish hue. Compared to the dark brown hue of chocolate Frenchies, the reddish hue is lighter. These famous family pets are easily available from a renowned breeder.
3. White French Bulldog
Snow white Frenchies are easily recognizable having a brilliant pure white coat. Sometimes white french bulldogs have blue eyes. French bulldogs having pure white coats are not more common than those having markings over their white coats yet these are recognized colors. Most white french bulldogs do possess some darker brindle or fawn markings. This beautiful color also has some defects such as white french bulldogs can suffer from eye and ear problems, skin problems, etc. Albinism is a recessive gene trait. These bulldogs have pink eye rims and lips.
4. Cream French Bulldog
Of all the 9 official colors, Cream french bulldogs are rare ones as this coat color is due to a recessive gene (fawn’s dilute form). Their coat color is lighter compared to fawn just like eggshell color. Cream Frenchies lack markings but have black noses, black pigment, black paw pads, black eye rims, and black lips. Their DNA is different from light fawn Frenchie. The difference between white Frenchie and cream Frenchie is the color of their lips and eye rims. Their ears have lighter cream edges.
5. Pied French Bulldog
Pied is also a pattern, not a color and pied Frenchie possesses a white coat covered with few but large colored patches on their back, neck, and head. Pied Frenchies can have patches of any 20 colors over their body so there are many pied Frenchies like brindle pied (having brindle patches), fawn pied (having fawn patches), etc.
6. Brindle and White French Bulldog
The white marking over the body (chest and neck area) of brindle and white french bulldogs make them different from brindle french bulldogs. These dogs don’t possess a solid bridle pattern instead there are white markings on the face, chest, or paws of these bulldogs. These white markings make these bulldogs more special and are recognized as an essential part of the breed standard. Like a brindle Frenchie, these bulldogs are also not tough to find
7. Fawn and White Frenchie
These and white Frenchies are similar except that the latter bulldogs have white patches over their body (mostly either on the chest, face, or paws) which are recognized in the breed standard. Better not confuse these dogs with fawn and white because white and fawn bulldogs possess a white coat and are a kind of pied. Their cost ranges between $2000 to $3000.
8. Fawn Brindle and White Frenchie
These bulldogs possess a special brindle pattern. They have fawn coats with brown or black stripes over the body and white markings (mostly on the chest and face). This color is very common and is recognized as standard. Given the name, one might think that these are tri-colored pups but actually, these come under the category of brindle.
9. White and Brindle French Bulldog
A kind of pied Frenchie, white and brindle French bulldogs mostly possess a solid white coat with brindle patches on their heads, back, or neck. The tiger-striped pattern on the white coat makes these bulldogs very different and unique. These bulldogs are good alternative options for those who are looking for a white French bulldog but want to avoid the health problem of these white pups.
10. White and Fawn French Bulldog
The white and fawn french bulldogs look similar to pure white french bulldogs but the only difference is fawn colored patches that they’ve on either over their back, neck, or head. These pups act as a great alternative option to pure white-colored Frenchies. These dogs don’t look like white and brindle bulldogs. White and fawn french bulldogs add more color to the white Frenchie.
Rare Colors of French Bulldogs
Rare colors and patterns are those which are not approved by the American kennel club (AKC) and these include the following colors of french bulldogs.
11. Black French Bulldog
Not only black french bulldogs are surging in popularity but also these are rare colored dogs that are not recognized as standard colors by AKC. Black Frenchies have smooth jet black coats and one may get confused between them and reverse brindle Frenchie (a type of brindle). In the reverse brindle, stripes are very dark, these give the overall black appearance to reverse brindle. Pure black pups lack stripes. These are expensive pups as it is difficult to find a pure black Frenchie and most of these black Frenchies have white markings (mostly on the chest) in small amounts.
12. Blue French Bulldog (Gray)
Of all the rare colors, blue is the most demanded one and rarest of all. A recessive dilution gene results in Blue bulldogs, this gene lightens a black coat. These bulldogs possess blue eyes and their coat is solid blue (mostly greyish blue). The coat of blue Frenchie gives a silvery appearance (almost blue color) and that is the reason they are also termed grey. The dilute gene’s two copies make the coat blue and the dog must have 2 copies of these recessive genes. Despite being expensive and beautiful, these dogs also come with a defect i.e., vulnerable to a few health problems such as alopecia which causes loss of hair. These health problems mostly arise due to poor breeding.
13. Chocolate French Bulldog
The gene of the chocolate bulldogs is recessive; like blue Frenchies, these also require 2 recessive genes to get chocolate color making these Frenchies rare. If they get 1 dominant gene it will mask the effect of the recessive gene and chocolate color will not be obtained. The color range of the solid coats of these bulldogs is from chocolate milk to rich brown. They mostly possess light-colored eyes. Their eyes can be golden, brown, bright yellow, and green colored. Chocolate french bulldogs having orange eyes are very expensive just like blue Frenchies and their starting price is around $3500. These dogs don’t have any kind of health issues.
14. Isabella French Bulldog (Lilac)
Isabella french bulldogs, also known as double lilac or true lilac, are very rare. These bulldogs have light brown to pink noses, yellow or blue eyes, and possess grayish brown blue coats. This coat color is also due to the 2,2 copies of dilution and chocolate genes. Being the difficult color to find their price can be as high as $40000. Making them one of the most valued pups out there.
15. Merle French Bulldog
The unique coat of merle french bulldogs looks like the coat of a spotted cow. These spots can be of different colors such as black, lilac, blue, or tan caused by the dominant merle gene. So a Frenchie only needs one merle gene to have this type of coat as this gene is dominant and only affects the black-based coat coloration. The eyes of these dogs are very light-colored. Merle Frenchies are not only rare but also controversial. If the pup ends up with 2 merle genes which we call double merle, these are susceptible to chronic health conditions such as deafness, blindness, immune disorders, and alopecia.
16. Sable French Bulldog
At first look, you may think that they are fawn Frenchies but a closer look will help you to find out that these pups have a reddish hue over fawn coats. Tips of fawn hair of sable Frenchies are black. The coat color of the sable can be pretty dark or incredibly light. Technically speaking, sables are another variation of recognized fawns. Sable’s look is a bit washed out which makes them different from the fawn color. On the chest, they also possess white marking or black masks just like fawns. Blue sable, having blue tips, is another type. Sables have no health issues and this color is not that rare.
17. Tan French Bulldog
Known for their golden coats, tan French bulldogs are often mixed with fawns but there is more red color in the fawn coats. Unlike cream Frenchies, tan Frenchies are not light. Although tan is not a recognized color but still for a fawn it is within acceptable limits. Even many French bulldogs are registered as fawns although they are tan.
18. Black and Fawn French Bulldog
The legs and chest of these bulldogs are of fawn color. Like tan, this fawn color doesn’t have a yellow hue and ranges from light brown to dark red. The face of black and fawn and black and tan french bulldogs creates the difference between them. “Fawn with black” and “black and fawn” are not the same as a fawn with black has black muzzles.
19. Black and Tan French Bulldog
These bulldogs possess jet black coat which is covered with patches of tan on the legs, chest, and face. Black and tan french bulldogs are a type of black Frenchies but have tan point genes. This type of coat is very rare for Frenchies but is very common in Rottweiler and Doberman. some of these dogs have lighter coats while most of them have darker brown. These dogs are also expensive and don’t have any health-related issues.
20. Black and White French Bulldog
These dogs are just like solid black Frenchies but the white markings on the face, paws, or chest make them different. These unique markings will add a flair to the pure black. The piebald pattern can also occur in bulldogs sometimes “black and white French bulldogs” are confused with them. Piebald dogs are completely white but have spots of different colors.
21. Blue and Tan French Bulldog
These bulldogs are just like blue Frenchies but have tan points. The base color of these is silvery blue which makes them different from “black and tan Frenchies”. They may possess normal eyes (dark hazel brown) or light blue eyes. Only markings make them look different from blue Frenchies. These are also hard to find.
22. Blue Fawn French Bulldog
The base color of “blue fawn French bulldogs” is fawn with a blueish hue. They have fawn genes, but their blue color is due to the black dilution gene. The light-colored eyes (blue or green) of these pups make them look different from the regular fawns. The term blue in their name is because these puppies possess the blue genes to create blue dogs so, due to this reason they are high-priced pups. Their cost range is from $4000 to $10000.
23. Blue Merle French Bulldog
The blue merle French bulldog is obtained when merle and blue Frenchie are crossbred. The base coat of the “blue merle French bulldog” is greyish blue and it has a merle spotted pattern over its coat, giving it a wonderful speckled look. Few can take on the blue eyes of their parent. As both of their parents are rare and hard to find so does their offspring is very rare and expensive.
24. Chocolate and Tan French Bulldog
“Chocolate and tan french bulldogs” is a kind of chocolate French bulldog but has tan point genes. They have chocolate color base coats but also tan over their legs, chest, and face. Their colors are just like a Doberman having a dark brown coat. This color is comparatively cheaper than the chocolate one as it is not that famous.
25. Cream and White Frenchie
This is just another kind of cream Frenchie but white markings on their legs, chest, and face make them different. A black face mask may also be a trait of some of them. Don’t mix these with pure cream Frenchies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Frenchies so expensive?
The sole reason is the breeding cost which is very high and makes these pups more expensive.
How long do French Bulldogs live?
The average life span of a Frenchie is 10 to 14 years
How much are French Bulldogs worth?
Standard colored Frenchies can cost between $1500 to $3000 but the rare colored Frenchies can cost anywhere between $5500 to $10000 or even more.
Are French Bulldogs aggressive?
No, most Frenchies are friendly and kind souls. They make healthy bonds with their owner.
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