French Bulldog DNA Color Explained - Codes / Test / Chart

Buying a puppy but can't understand all the bulldog colors? We explain what all the codes mean and teach you what the breeders are doing.

DNA Testing

Why use DNA services? Looking for the cheapest DNA service? What can they scan for?

Coat Colors

Want lilac, tri-points or blue puppies? How to make Isabelle or platinum? We got you covered.

Artificial Insemination

Don't miss a pregnancy and get larger litter sizes. Learn how to do it yourself from home.

Progesterone

Time the perfect heat cycle and get the best litter size possible. Avoid missed opportunities.

Every Bulldog Color Explained

3 Minute Read

From viewing 1,000's of adverts I can tell you dog breeders don't misprice a litter. Prices should reflect the colors they claim to have.

These are the most popular colors and their codes. Pricing is based on supply and demand, so don't assume an expensive puppy is a healthy one. One off breeders will generally breed the poorest quality dogs but target the most expensive colors, so if you really love one of these exotic colors please buy it from a pro breeder only, someone who has a reputation to uphold.

There is lots of nuance involved In bulldog DNA. Depending on breed type, testing service being used, and online jargon, understand that this tutorial is to help you spot dodgy sellers and not legal advice.

Fluffy

Gaining popularity online, the Lh/Lh (long hair) gene gives a furby like appearance. In some cases though it can look rather scruffy. Sh/Sh (short hair) being common meaning a cheaper asking price. Breeders will charge more if a pup is carrying the fluffy gene Sh/Lh, but unless you're a breeder it is of no benefit.

Blue

Dilution of black so a grey, gives us what the internet calls a blue dd/dd you should see a blue nose and not pink or brown. The exact shades of blue and slang terms for blue differs between bulldog types. Just understand there is no smurf colored bulldogs running around yet.

Lilacs

There are multiple shades of lilac and this is a constant source of confusion. A normally priced lilac should test coco/dd It is very important to either DNA test the pup yourself or wait till the colors develop better at around 8 weeks. Don't just take somebody's word for it. It must carry both blue (dd) and a chocolate (more below). We can easily test for chocolates by filming it in the dark, the eyes will glow red at +8 weeks old.

Isabelle

A lilac dog but with testable chocolate dd/bb instead of cocoa, some folk call them "lilac Isabelle"

Merle

The M locus found in DNA yields unusual color patterns and blue eyes. It is critically important to never mate 2 Merle carrying dogs together as it will create a 25% chance of serious defects such as deafness in a litter. It is OK to have one parent Merle. In short avoid litters where both parents are clearly Merle.

Tan Points

Gene at/at is full tri-colour and a dog that carries it is ay/at The points of brown are found around the belly, inner thighs, legs, chest, cheeks & eyebrows. The term "Clear tan points" means there is no white breaking up the tan. This adds to the price of the dog but a cleverly taken photo such as hand holding up the pup can hide the white.

Platinum

If you add cream to a Lilac you'll get an all cream dog ee/coco/dd adding cream to a lilac Isabelle ee/bb/dd is also platinum, but is so rare the internet doesn't have any cute names for it... yet. To avoid being sold a white dog for +$10,000 try the red eye glow test for chocolate, just film it in the dark and see if you get red eyes. If you do get red eyes then go onto DNA testing.

Chocolate

French bulldogs in particular present problems around testing for this color, so maybe check out cocoa instead. Testable b/b and non-testable B/B what "non-testable" means is that your dog may be chocolate, but it won't appear on a DNA report. To verify authenticity of the chocolate, in a very dark room take a video with your phone, it should show red eyes after +8 weeks old. Scammers can easily claim their dog is chocolate but just not testable, or claim it's carrying it. So be paranoid.

New Shade Chocolate

With the arrival of testing for cocoa, comes this newly marketed term "new shade chocolate" the DNA code should show bb/coco

Cocoa

Can be tested like chocolate for red eye glow. A recent discovery, breeders now prefer to breed with this gene so they can prove their pups DNA. The slight difference in color has since led to newer shades for breeders to get into.

Fully Suited

A debatable point, around 15% or less white on the body is considered fully suited. Less white = higher price 2 parents with very little white should result in a nice litter of fully suited pups.

Are Dog DNA Services Worth It?

DNA services are crucial if you want to be taken seriously as a breeder. Advertising dogs of the wrong DNA will open you up to a whole world of legal woes. Professionals will use DNA services on the potential parents to predict the outcome of future matings and then again on the puppies. You'll find studs will be advertised with a DNA health check to ensure hereditary ailments are not passed on.

How To Use Them

More Info

Take A Sample

Several ways to take DNA:

Blood, declaw, buccal (swab), hair It will depend entirely on the service you use to test the DNA.

2. Decide What To Look For

You will most likely fill in a form on paper and decide what it is you want to be looked for. The lab will either test positive or negative for it.

3. Post Sample And Pay

You will post your sample and form and perhaps money order to the lab. You will need to be precise in labeling as to not have a mix-up.

How Bulldog Artificial Insemination Works

If your wondering how A.I works this little section is for you. The idea is to gently inject semen into the ovaries instead of letting dogs do it the old fashion way called "knotting up". Benefits include pregnancy 1 day sooner (small window of opportunity), maximum payload inserted (best litter size) and most importantly... not missing and waiting months to go again! A date night with a stud will still work just fine but in expensive dogs breeders don't like to leave it in the hands of nature.

3 Methods To Try

More Info Please

1. A Pipette & Rubber Gloves

Yup, manually collect the semen and then when the progesterone level is right, use a pipette to fill her up, YouTube has lots of videos.

2. Visual Insemination Device

It's like part one, but you get a device with a camera on it. Very effective and cheap, some folks will charge for the service if you don't want to try it.

3. Surgical Incision

The vet makes a small incision and deposits the semen. Very effective but with more cost and pain our least favorite on the list.

Time A Heat Cycle Perfectly By Using Progesterone Levels

Full Article

What Is Progesterone & How Do I Test It?

Like in humans we can test to see when it's a good time to try and get pregnant. In the dog world we can go off our gut instinct by seeing red spots of blood on the floor and adding X amount of days, or you can go pure science mode like a professional and test hormone (progesterone) levels and time the insemination optimally.

The test can be done by yourself at home if you own the equipment or by your local vet. You can try urine and mucus tests but blood is regarded as the only real solution, and when done properly is painless.

Urine

Mucus

Blood

What Is A Dog Pedigree?

Do Pedigrees have better DNA?

Pedigrees are used to show that the breeder of a dog has kept a chain of records with a particular kennel club in order to demonstrate that a dog in question came from a certain bloodline and has not been crossed.

Most buyers depend on this for confirmation of a well bred dog but it couldn't be any further from the truth.

A pedigree is simply a birth certificate issued from a kennel club which the breeder paid for.

It usually shows the family tree of the dog going back 3-5 generations. Most kennel clubs do not ask for DNA or any proof of who gave birth to what dog.

They witness no part of the insemination or birth and should be only looked at as having a piece of paper that increases the market value of the dog. It does not guarantee anything and is easily falsified or promised by con artists.