Color and genetics
Bulldog colors, and what actually gets passed on
Color is the thing buyers ask about first and understand least. Here is how it really works in English bulldogs, including the one question almost everybody asks me wrong.
“Does he carry merle?” — the question with no answer
There is no such thing as carrying merle. Merle is a dominant trait, not a recessive one. One copy and the dog is merle. No copy and he is not. A dog cannot quietly carry it and pass it on out of nowhere.
That is one of the few dominant traits in this — most of the rest are recessive, which is exactly why people get them mixed up.
What merle actually does
Merle is a deformity in the pigment that eats away at color and leaves that blotchy pattern people pay a premium for. But it only has something to attack if the color is there in the first place.
Merle shows on
Black, blue, chocolate and lilac. Those are the four colors it can attack, and that is where you get the pattern.
Merle hides on
Fawn and platinum. The dog is still genetically merle — it simply has nothing to eat away at, so you cannot see it. He will still pass it on.
That second box is worth reading twice if you are buying for a breeding program. A fawn or platinum dog can be merle without looking merle at all.
Double merle: the one to be careful about
The blind-and-deaf reputation people attach to merle is not true of a single merle dog. It comes from double merle — two copies, one from each parent — and that is genuinely dangerous.
Which is why it matters that you cannot “carry” merle. If you know which parents are merle, you know exactly what you can and cannot put together. Anyone breeding two merles and hoping for the best is gambling with the puppies, not with themselves.
The colors in my lines
These are the colors you will actually see on my dogs, and the studs carrying them.
Blue tri merle
Fury — and a rare extra-dilute merle at that. He is a triple carrier who also carries chocolate.
Black and white pied
DaMilkMan, and a quad carrier — black tri, chocolate and blue. He opens the most color doors of any stud here.
Platinum
DaSugarMan. White, and carries color — so he produces color even though he does not show it. See the note about merle hiding on platinum above.
My honest opinion on color
I do not really care about color. I breed for health, temperament, structure and function, and color is the thing that comes along for the ride. A rare color on a badly built dog is still a badly built dog, and you will be living with the structure long after the novelty of the coat wears off.
If you want a particular color, tell me and I will be straight about whether it is coming and when. Just do not pick your puppy on it.
Got a color in mind? Tell me, and I'll be straight about whether it's coming and when.
Free Color & Merle Guide
Merle, tri, carriers and double merle, explained simply. Free.
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