The American Bulldog is a confident utility dog, originally bred for farm work and guarding. These muscular dogs are mainly white, often with black, brown, red, tan, or brindled patches.
Learn more about American Bulldog colors.
White
The majority of American Bulldogs have extreme white markings. Both piebald and whitehead are present and can add to the extended pigment deletion in white American Bulldogs.
All in all, many American Bulldogs have so little pigment that they are solid white.
A white American Bulldog still has a base pattern like solid black, brindle, or sable. It is just that its pattern is not expressed in the phenotype due to a lack of pigment cells.
BASE PATTERN
hidden
MERLE
–
OTHER
–
EUMELANIN
black
INTENSITY
hidden
WHITE
piebald
whitehead
White & Black
These American Bulldogs have a dominant black base pattern.
This causes a solid black coat color. With the extended white markings from piebald and/or whitehead, you get a mainly white dog with solid black patches.
Some dogs with black brindle & white pattern and super dense black striping in their brindled patches may be mistaken for a white & black American Bulldog.
Some dogs with KB/- Ay/- (black over sable) might express seal, which causes their black patches to look brownish or reddish. This is an untestable trait that can make the solid black coat a little “transparent”, so red undertones from the hidden sable pattern can show through.
BASE PATTERN
dominant black
MERLE
no
OTHER
–
EUMELANIN
black
INTENSITY
hidden
WHITE
piebald
whitehead
White & Brindle
A white and brindle American Bulldog has a mainly white coat with brindled patches. Overall, this is one of the most common coat colors for this breed.
The American Bulldog brindle coloring ranges from moderate to dense striping. If the black striping is very heavy, with barely any of the sable base pattern visible between the black stripes, this is called a black brindle or reverse brindle American Bulldog.
All brindle & white American Bulldogs are sable brindle with a fawn or red color and black eumelanin stripes on top. With extended white deleting most of the pigment, of course.
BASE PATTERN
sable brindle
MERLE
no
OTHER
–
EUMELANIN
black
INTENSITY
fawn, red
WHITE
piebald
whitehead
White & Brown
The AKC breed standard states that “nose pigmentation is black” and that “any other color than black” is a fault. So… they likely don’t mean chocolate brown (b/b).
It’s more likely that the American Bulldog is one of the breeds that uses “brown” as a breed term for some pattern with a darker reddish combination.
I think they mean black seal. This happens when the hidden red fawn pattern shows through in black dogs. Another term for this pattern is ghost sable.
BASE PATTERN
black seal??
MERLE
no
OTHER
–
EUMELANIN
black
INTENSITY
…wouldn’t we love to know…
WHITE
piebald
whitehead
White & Red
A sable dog with red or orange-red intensity is called a red American Bulldog. They obviously also have extended white with only some red patches.
Some sable dogs in this breed may have a black mask, which is a fault.
And some can have black sabling in the red patches on their upper body. Many sable dogs are born with some dark puppy shading that will clear to solid red over time.
A very small number of red American Bulldogs may be recessive red (e/e)[2]. This solid red pattern can resemble clear sable in adult dogs. What sets e/e apart from ky/ky Ay/- is the lack of sabling and masks due to inability to produce black pigment in the coat in e/e dogs. They also have pale whiskers and weak nose pigment, which can be hard to assess in solid white dogs.
BASE PATTERN
sable
MERLE
no
OTHER
–
EUMELANIN
black
INTENSITY
red
WHITE
piebald
whitehead
White & Tan
Dogs with a sable pattern and low intensity “fawn” phaeomelanin are called white & tan in this breed. A tan American Bulldog with black topline sabling is sometimes called buckskin.
A black mask visible is considered undesirable.
Just like the red ones, very few of the tan dogs might be recessive red (e/e).
BASE PATTERN
clear sable
MERLE
no
OTHER
–
EUMELANIN
black
INTENSITY
yellow, fawn, sandy
WHITE
piebald
whitehead
Faulty Colors
These are some colors that are undesired in the purebred population.
“Disqualification: Dogs that are solid black, any degree of merle, tri-color, blue, and a full black mask.”
AKC Breed Standard[1]
“Disqualification: Any degree of merle, tricolor, blue and having a full black mask.”
National American Bulldog Club of America [4]
“Disqualifications: less than 15% white, blue, black and tan, tri-color, merle, full black mask.”
American Bulldog Association[5]
(the ABA accepts liver noses[5])
(diluted black)
(including trindle)
(diluted chocolate)
too little white
Base Patterns
The base pattern describes the placement of phaeomelanin and eumelanin in the coat.
- The A locus controls the basic distribution of both pigment types.
- Next, the K locus can add black to the A locus pattern.
- Finally, the E locus regulates the general ability to produce black pigment.
A Locus
| Ay | sable |
| at | tan point |
Most American Bulldogs are homozygous sable (Ay/Ay).
But the tan point allele (at) is present in the breed. Breeding two tan point carriers (Ay/at) can produce “faulty” tricolor (ky/ky at/at with white) or trindle (kbr/- at/at with white) puppies. However, black masks and extended white often cover the tan markings, so the dog looks white & black.
K Locus
| KB | dominant black |
| kbr | brindle |
| ky | wild-type |
American Bulldogs can be solid dark (KB/-), brindle (kbr/-), or express a normal pattern (ky/ky).
E Locus
| Em | mask |
| E | wild-type |
| e | recessive red |
Most American Bulldogs express a black mask (Em/-) underneath all the white. Only some dogs are truly maskless (E/-). The recessive red variant (e) is rare. Dogs with e/e often show weak nose pigment.
A black mask is considered a fault, despite Em being the most common allele in this breed. However, you can only see a mask, if the dog has enough pigment on the face.
Fun fact: Some dogs with sable and white patterns and black masks show watermarking. This is usually most obvious in puppy coats (as they still have more black shading that can pool around the edges of their red patches).
American Bulldog Base Patterns
The genotypes of American Bulldog breed standard patterns:
| A LOCUS | K LOCUS | E LOCUS | PATTERN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ay/Ay | ky/ky | E/E | sable “white & red, white & tan” |
| Ay/Ay | kbr/- | E/E | sable brindle “white & brindle” |
| Ay/Ay | KB/- | E/E | dominant black “white & black” |
| Ay/Ay | KB/- + ? | E/E | incomplete dominant black “white & brown” (seal) |
Here is a simplified American Bulldog color chart for the most common colors:
Base Colors
The base color is determined by the B locus and D locus.
B Locus
| B | black |
| b | brown |
American Bulldogs should have black pigment (B). But quite some individuals carry the chocolate allele (b) for brown pigment and can produce chocolate-nosed puppies[2].
D Locus
| D | dense |
| d | diluted |
The D locus controls color dilution.
American Bulldogs are bred for normal pigment (D).
However, some breeders produce puppies with color dilution, so the recessive allele (d) seems to be present. The dilution of black produces blue, the dilution of chocolate produces lilac.
American Bulldog Base Colors
The genotypes of possible base colors in the American Bulldog breed:
| B LOCUS | D LOCUS | BASE COLOR |
|---|---|---|
| B/- | D/- | black “black” |
| b/b | D/- | brown “liver” |
| B/- | d/d | diluted black “blue” |
| b/b | d/d | diluted brown “lilac” |
Red Intensity
The color intensity of phaeomelanin has a gradient of possible colors between high intensity red and low intensity cream colors. And every breed has its favorite colors.
The breed standard calls the shades in American Bulldogs red or tan.
White Markings
The very extended white in American Bulldogs is typically caused by piebald, but many dogs also show hints of extended whitehead, which is common in bully-type dogs.
Very extended white is the trademark pattern of American Bulldogs.
“The American Bulldog is traditionally white, but any color, color pattern, or combination of colors on the white coat is acceptable.”
AKC Breed Standard[1]
“The American Bulldog is traditionally white, but any color, color pattern, or combination of colors is acceptable.”
National American Bulldog Club of America [4]
“All white, pied, or up to 85% color (brindle, red/fawn, black), if there is color on the head it should appear to be color on a white head.“
American Bulldog Association[5]
However, some dogs in this breed are S/sP and produce less extended white and a more typical piebald pattern with bigger patches of color. And a small number of American Bulldogs even produce a mostly solid coat with just a flashy white trim on the legs and chest.
There are some downsides to having a high-white phenotype.
Whatever disturbs the normal migration and development of pigment cells can also affect the ones that were destined to end up in the skin, eyes, or ears. This can cause blue eyes or missing skin pigment, like pink eye rims or a butterfly nose. And… it can cause hearing impairment!
Ticking
Real ticking is not a desired trait in American Bulldogs.
But many white Bulldogs have dark skin spotting shining through their thin white coat. Some smaller blotches of residual color on the ears are also normal for dogs with lots of white.
Merle
This is NOT a merle breed!
“Disqualification: …any degree of merle…”
AKC Breed Standard[1]
“Disqualification: …any degree of merle…”
National American Bulldog Club of America [4]
“Disqualifications: …merle…”
American Bulldog Association[5]
American Bulldog Eye Colors
Dogs with black eumelanin tend to have brown eyes.
The large amount of white on their face predisposes American Bulldogs to having blue eyes. Breeders don’t like that, but it is a reality when breeding for a lot of head white.
“Eyes range from light brown to dark brown […]. Black Pigment around the eyes is preferred, but lack of pigmentation is not considered a fault.
Faults: Visible haw and any eye color other than brown.
Disqualifications: Eye colors that do not match.”
AKC Breed Standard[1]
“Eye color is brown, […]. Black pigment around the eyes is preferred, but lack of pigmentation is not considered a fault.
Faults: […] any eye color other than brown.”
National American Bulldog Club of America[4]
“Dark brown preferred but other colors acceptable. […] Full pigmented eye rims preferred.
Cosmetic faults: Pink eye rims, eyes that do not match in color.”
American Bulldog Association[5]
American Bulldog Nose Colors
Dogs with black pigment produce black noses.
The high amount of white on their face predisposes dogs to having pink spots on their nose, lips, or eye rims. This is considered undesirable for show dogs.
“Nose pigmentation is black with wide-open nostrils.
Faults: Any other color than black or a lack of pigmentation.”
AKC Breed Standard[1]
“Nose pigmentation is black with wide-open nostrils.
Faults: Any other color than black or a lack of pigmentation.”
National American Bulldog Club of America[4]
“Black or Liver but black is preferred. On black/liver nosed dogs the lips should be full pigmented with some pink allowed. […].
Cosmetic faults: a pink nose.”
American Bulldog Association[5]
American Bulldog Coat Type
American Bulldogs are short-haired, obviously.
Some American Bulldogs seem to carry the gene variant for long coat[2]. Carriers (L/l) can produce fluffy offspring (l/l) with visible feathering on the ears and legs.
“Short, close, and ranges from soft to stiff to the touch.
Faults: long, fuzzy, feathering or wavy coats“
AKC Breed Standard[1]
“Short, close, and ranges from soft to stiff to the touch.
Faults: long, fuzzy, feathering or wavy coats.”
National American Bulldog Club of America[4]
“Short, close, stiff to the touch, not long and/or fuzzy with no feathering.”
American Bulldog Association[5]
The basic hair morphology is determined by hair length and the presence of furnishings or curls. Other factors, like hair thickness or the amount of undercoat, can vary within each coat type.
The American Bulldog has a very short and smooth coat.
Related Breeds
The original American Bulldog was considered a type of utility farm dog that descended from working bulldogs that had been brought to the United States in previous centuries. Other bulldog or mastiff breeds may also have been included in the foundation of the modern American Bulldog.
The modern American Bulldog claims not to be closely related to the bull-and-terrier-breeds such as Pits or AmStaffs, despite the similarity in appearance and shared old-type bulldog ancestors.
Learn More
Links
[1] AKC Breed Standard: American Bulldog
[2] Dreger et al. (2019). True Colors: Commercially-acquired morphological genotypes reveal hidden allele variation among dog breeds, informing both trait ancestry and breed potential. PLoS ONE 14(10): e0223995. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0223995
[3] AKC: Colors & Markings
[4] National American Bulldog Club of America: American Bulldog
[5] American Bulldog Association: American Bulldog Breed Standard and Rules
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Hi! I’m Steffi. I am a biologist and a big time dog nerd. You are curious about coat color genetics? You’ve come to the right place! Read more.
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