The color of Frenchies is one of the most attractive parts of the pet that appeals to most people. The origin of French Bulldog can be traced to Nottingham Lace makers in English who migrated to France in search of greener pastures. When French Bulldog arrived in the United States, American equally loved it and began to further expand the Bulldog race through cross-breedings.
With the help of cross-breeding, the migrant pet became the Frenchie we know today. Because in this article, we are essentially focusing on French Bulldog Colors, we'll try to chronicle the history of French Bulldog colors before going into other aspects of this piece.
However, in the early years of the French Bulldog history, there were standard regulations which guided the cross-breeding of French Bulldogs. One year stood out in the history of the French Bulldog colors, and this was the year 1897.
In 1897, the American Kennel Club (AKC) published her first official breed standard, (The American Kennel Club is a registry of purebred dog pedigree in the United States). In the publication, the AKC stated that the preferred breeds were dark brindle and dark brindle and white, while other colors remained permissible.
This regulation lacked details, necessitating a total overhaul of the standard in 1911. In the 1911 publication, some French Bulldog colors were particularly identified as being permissible for breeding. They included:
i. Solid black
ii. Black and White
iii. Black and tan
iv. Liver (red)
v. Mouse (gray/blue)
Another review carried out in 1991 further prohibited another French Bulldog color; White with Black.
What Colors Do the American Kennel Club approve of?
1. White
2. Cream
3. Fawn
4. Any combination of the 3 above; White, Cream, and/or Fawn.
Apart from the color of the French per se, there also some other identified color marking that has been approved too, they include:
1. Ticked
2. Brindle markings
3. Piebald (pied)
4. Black mask, and
5. White markings
The following markings are not allowed by the AKC:
1. Solid (self) black
2. Black and tan
3. Black and tan
4. Black and white
5. Blue
6. Blue and fawn
7. Liver
8. Merle
Above, I have outlined some approved and disapproved French Bulldog colors and marking, but if you are not really in the world of French Bulldog, it is understandable if you are utterly confused or do not understand such terms as fawn, mouse, liver, brindle and so on being referred to as colors or marking. So, it is only fair if I explained this to you.
Understanding French Bulldog Colors
The truth is, these terms mean more than just color denominators, or something used to merely describe the French Bulldog body parts. In most cases, they refer to some more serious aspects of the Frenchie. Another element of the Frenchie color terms is that some times, one color may be hardly distinguishable from another unless you already know how to decipher the differences:
FAWN - This has a wide range of variations. It may be anything from light to dark. Hence, Fawn Frenchie may be mistaken for tan, brown, beige, or creme. In the actual, a French Bulldog that is Fawn in color would have a slight red cast to it. Look out for that.
BRINDLE - Understanding Fawn Frenchie is much simpler than Brindle, so it is advisable to you begin your learning from understanding the Fawn. Technically, Brindle is a combination of multiple colors not a single color; Brindle includes such colors as Fawn and Black hairs, it also possible to find some white mixture in it.
Depending on the number of colors in the color combination, the way one Brindle Frenchie appears may not always be the same way another Brindle may appear, but they all remain Brindles.
MOUSE - Mouse refers to gray-colored Frenchie. The gray is so diluted that it appears like blue. More like, blue-gray, slate blue, or steel gray.
NOTE that this color is not permissible by the AKC in the United States.
The mouse is technical to identify because sometimes it comes in patterns, much like the Brindle we discussed previously in this piece.
LIVER - Liver-colored Frenchie has a touch of red or rust mixed in it. Sometimes, it may take the shade of a Fawn, or Cream. So, to a large extent, this color is also different to distinguish, unless you have trained eyes.
There you have it; allowed and disallowed French Bulldog Colors in the United States. Do you have more information about French Bulldog colors you'll like readers to learn, kindly share in the comment box below?