There are a few Common & Rare French Bulldog Colors, although only a few color combinations are recognized by the American Kennel Club.
Rarer colors tend to be more expensive and can be harder to breed, but are beautiful to look at. Let’s take a closer look at both common and rare French Bulldog colors.
Common French Bulldog Colors
The American Kennel Club only recognizes Frenchies in Brindle, Fawn, Cream, White, and combinations of these colors. Therefore, these are the most commonly seen colors.
Brindle French Bulldog
Common Traits
Brindle refers to a color pattern rather than an individual color. The brindle pattern has streaks or stripes of darker and lighter fur. It’s often referred to as a ‘tiger striped’ pattern.
The brindle pattern is one of the most popular Frenchie colors. You’ll probably see them around a lot!
Color Variations
The brindle pattern can vary from a contrast of slightly different shades of the same color to a more striking color difference like black and white brindle.
Genetics
Brindle comes from a recessive gene, which simply means that it needs to be inherited from both parents for a puppy to have a brindle coat.
Price
The average price for a brindle French Bulldog varies greatly. You may see them on sale for $1500-$3000, or in some areas over $5000.
Health Issues
Brindle Frenchies are prone to the same health issues as all Frenchies, such as brachycephalic airway obstructive syndrome. This is a breathing issue caused by the shape of the dog’s snout. However, there are no health issues specifically associated with the brindle pattern.
Fawn French Bulldog
Common Traits
Fawn French Bulldogs have a coat that is a sort of tan color. Some fawn Frenchies have a black mask around their face.
The Kennel Club states that most have black eye rims, eyelashes, and lips. They can also have white markings.
Color Variations
The fawn color can range from light to dark. Sometimes the darker fawn coloring can appear almost reddish. There are also a range of other fawn variations including:
- Fawn and white
- Fawn brindle
- Fawn merle
- Blue fawn
- Fawn pied
Genetics
The gene for the fawn color is dominant, meaning only one parent would need to carry the gene for the puppies to have fawn coats.
Price
The price of a fawn French Bulldog tends to average between $3000 and $5500.
Health Issues
Fawn French Bulldogs are prone to health issues that affect all French Bulldogs, but there aren’t specific health issues associated with fawn coloring.
Cream French Bulldog
Common Traits
Cream French Bulldogs are often mistaken for white Frenchies, but they’re actually different colors. The cream color is slightly darker and more creamy than the stark white coat.
Color Variations
Cream Frenchies often have black markings around their face, like a little black mask. Their noses, eye rims, paw pads, and lips are usually black.
Genetics
The gene for the cream coat color is recessive, which means both parents need to have the gene for a puppy to be cream. It’s also a diluted gene that stems from the pheomelanin pigment. That sounds complicated but essentially the pheomelanin pigment is a gene responsible for reddish-yellow pigment, and when the genes dilute this color it can produce a cream coat.
Price
Prices for a cream French Bulldogs tend to range between $2000 and $5000.
Health Issues
Dogs with the dilution gene in their coat color can be prone to color dilution alopecia. This causes hair loss, skin irritation, and a dull, dry coat.
White French Bulldog
Common Traits
White is a common French Bulldog color, but it’s usually seen mixed with other colors. They are usually white with some darker markings. A completely white Frenchie is fairly unusual to see.
Color Variations
You may see the following white French Bulldog color variations:
- Pure white
- White brindle
- White merle
- White pied
Genetics
The white color is caused by a lack of pigment. There can be several different genetic causes of a white coat. Some pure white Frenchies have a condition called albinism, a genetic condition that causes a lack of pigment.
Price
The price of a white Frenchie can vary between $2000 and $5500.
Health Issues
Some white Frenchies can have additional health issues including deafness, skin issues, and potential problems with their eyes and vision.
Pied French Bulldog
Common Traits
Like brindle, pied refers to a color pattern. The pied pattern is a lighter-colored coat with darker patches. You’ll also hear this referred to as a piebald pattern.
French Bulldog Color Variations
You’ll most commonly see white bases with the darker patches being brindle or fawn. There are a wide range of color combinations, including some of the rare Frenchie colors like lilac pied or blue pied.
Genetics
The piebald pattern is caused by a gene mutation that causes areas of the coat to lack pigment and other areas to have patches or spots of color.
Price
Pied French Bulldogs typically cost between $1800 and $3000.
Health Issues
Some mutations of the gene causing the piebald pattern have been linked to deafness and issues with vision.
Rare French Bulldog Colors
Rarer French Bulldog colors are not recognized as part of the breed standard. They can be more expensive as they’re harder to breed for.
Lilac French Bulldog
Common Traits
Lilac French Bulldogs are thought of by many as the rarest French Bulldog color available. You might also see them referred to as an Isabella Frenchie.
Lilac Frenchies have a liver or grayish-colored coat with a slight lilac hue. They typically have light-colored eyes and pale pink skin around their eyes, nose, and mouth. Their noses can be grayish-brown or pink.
French Bulldog Color Variations
Lilac Frenchies sometimes have white markings on their chest and face. You may see other Frenchie color combinations such as lilac merle French Bulldogs. All variations of the lilac color are classed as rare.
Genetics
The lilac hue comes from a recessive dilute gene. This sounds complicated but recessive just means both parents need to have the gene. The term ‘dilute gene’ means it comes from either a liver or a blue/brown color that is diluted genetically to create the lilac hue.
Price
Lilac French Bulldogs can cost between $5000 and $15,000!
Health Issues
Lilac Frenchies are prone to spinal issues and alopecia. This form of alopecia is known as color dilution alopecia and is linked to the dilute gene we mentioned earlier.
Blue French Bulldog
Common Traits
Blue Frenchies have a grayish coat with a blue hue. They often have bright blue eyes, which makes them even more striking to look at! They’re quite rare and special to see.
Color Variations
You may see the following color combinations:
- Blue merle
- Blue fawn
- Blue and tan
- Blue brindle
- Blue pied
Genetics
The blue color comes from the black gene, which is then combined with a diluted gene. Basically, the black French Bulldog color is diluted to create that blue hue.
Price
Blue Frenchies can cost between $4500 and $7000 or even more!
Health Issues
Blue Frenchies can be prone to color dilution alopecia, which causes hair loss and skin irritation.
Merle French Bulldog
Common Traits
Like pied and brindle, merle refers to a color pattern. Merle is categorized by random patches of darker pigment over top of lighter patches of the same color.
Color Variations
There are a wide range of merle French Bulldog colors including:
- Blue merle
- Lilac merle
- Chocolate merle
- Black merle
- White merle
- Fawn merle
Genetics
The merle gene is dominant, so only one parent needs to carry it in order for a puppy to have the coat pattern.
Price
Like the other rare French Bulldog colors, merle French Bulldogs can come with a high price tag. They typically cost $7000 and upward!
Health Issues
Research shows that the gene that causes the merle pattern can unfortunately also cause vision and hearing issues.
If a dog inherits the merle gene from both parents they are more likely to experience these health issues. These dogs are often referred to as double merle dogs.
Other Rare French Bulldog Colors
There are some other rare French Bulldog colors worth mentioning, although they’re more commonly seen than the others in this section. Other rare colors include:
- Chocolate French Bulldog
A personal favorite of mine is the chocolate Frenchie (they’re so cute). Their chocolate coat color can range from light to dark brown depending on their genes. They’re hard to breed for, especially compared to other dog breeds and genetic testing is often needed. Therefore, they can cost $6500 or more!
- Pure black French Bulldog
It’s pretty common to see Frenchie’s with black areas of fur or black markings. However, it’s rare to see a pure black Frenchie with no other markings. Pure black Frenchies typically cost $4000 and upwards.
- Sable French Bulldog
Sable can look similar to a fawn coat, except the tips of the tan hairs are black. You may see the sable French Bulldog color in combination with other coat colors. Sable Frenchies range from $4,000 to $10,000.
French Bulldog Color Choice
No matter which Frenchie color you choose, it’s important you do your research so you can keep them healthy and happy. In the end, they’re all adorable regardless of their color.
