What are the American Bully Colors?

Welcome, bully dog breed enthusiasts! Today we are going to go over the American Bully Colors.

For canine lovers looking for a stud or well-bred pup, the American Bully is recommended. This breed was sometimes undermined or advertised and sold as Staffy’s or Pit Bulls. This loving and gentle giant is far from its Pit Bull ancestors. 

The American Bully was initiated about twenty years ago. They represent a mixture of the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier, in addition to various breeds of Bulldogs such as the English Bulldog, the American Bulldog, and Olde English Bulldog. The American Bully is a natural extension of the American Pit Bull Terrier.

The Bully is quite friendly and docile despite the fact that it’s appearance is so masculine and powerful. American Bullies are good with kids, make for an excellent family dog and are intelligent with great athletic skills.

An American Bully has a life expectancy of about 8-13 years and an average litter size of about 4-10 puppies. They are easy to groom, and brushing on a regular basis with a firm bristle brush keeps their coats healthy. 

When it comes to bully dog breeds, one noticeable thing is their colors. With so many coats, it is almost impossible to numerate. However, it is easy to see individual breeds with different highlights and tones. Let’s discuss some of the American Bully Colors!

For American Bullies, most agreed-upon colors include Fawn, Striped (Non-brindle), Red Nose family, Tri-Color, Solid Color, or dogs combined with white fawn.  However, there are many beyond that to be discussed in this article. 

Note: When you hear an American Bully referred to a ‘blue-nose’ or ‘red-nose’, it references the color of the dog. 

Red Nose Family

These are bully dog breeds whose pigmentation make-up a family unique to this subgroup. The appearance of their coat is almost champagne in color. The darker shade has a soft chocolate tone. Their eyelids and nose are always the same tones as their coat. Their eyes can be a variety of colors from amber to yellow. Despite their peculiarity, they do not present a ‘mascara’ tone. They are a type of breed considered an extension of the Tri-Color with their easy to note red nose.

Fawn

This is a coat with a common tone, also known as caramel-colored or brown. Breeds of this color have a black nose with conspicuous eye and eyelids pigmentation. They have a type of mascara and honey or dark eyes. Blue fawn dogs, on the other hand, generally have a light brown tone. With American Bully, it is one of the most common coats. It is common for fawns to have white combined with their tones.

Striped (Non-brindle)

A native coat color, a striped bully, has a coat that is solid or with white that goes from very light brown to dark tone with shades of darker tones in a similar pattern, similar to a tiger. A non-brindle does not form streaks of different colors. A natural hybrid includes solid colors. 

Brindle

The Brindle American Bully has a coat that is formed due to a recessive gene. Depending on the dog, the markings can be a red shade as a foundation color, with stripes of black coloring. However, the Brindles stripes also come in various other color patterns such as: blue, beige or even silver.

Solid Color or Solid Combined with White.

Solid color breeds have perfect pigmented coats in bold solid colors. Prevalent in the American Bully are the black/blue colors. In the world of competitive bully dog breeds, all colors are accepted, with the exception of Merle and Albino. Merle and Albino are considered to have genetic abnormalities, and are associated with various diseases. 

Tri-Color Dogs 

Bullies in this group are more like a pattern containing all colors. Like Lilac, Tri Choco, Blue/Tan, Red/Tan, etc. Till recently, they were considered unusual as they were relatively rare. The gene that determines a tri-pattern is a recessive gene as both parents should be carriers. To be considered a Tri-Color bully, the breed should have minimum proportions, as it is not enough to simply have three colors. 

All Tri-Color Bullies have a recessive genetic trait that leverages tan point coat color patterns to create unique Tri-Color coats. Eight types of Tri-Color coats often seen are the Choco, Lilac, Tricked, Raven, Blue, Trindle, Ghost, and Piebald Tri-Color.  All of these share the variations of one of the four alleles in the Agouti gene series, responsible for the unique Tri-Color coat pattern.  

Again, when it comes to competitions - all patterns and colors are permissible with the exception of the pattern Merle/blotched.

White Rhino (Albinism)

One of the rarest colors for the American Bully are the Albinos. Oftentimes, white bullies are misclassified as Albino. To be officially classified as an albino, an American Bully must lack the genes needed to produce melanin, which most often occurs when two copies of a recessive gene are bred.  Albinism is a genetic condition in which the pigment of the coat, eyes, and skin is completely absent. For bullies, the pink of their eyes, skin, nose and the areas surrounding their eyes and mouth will look very pale, even seemed bleached. An Albino bully’s eyes may contain some minor pigmentation, but will be pale or translucent. 

The Albino American Bully is known as a ‘White Rhino’, and is considered the most expensive.  Their lack of melanin in the skin puts these bullies at higher risk for sunburn and for developing skin cancers.

Many bully dog breeds change colors as they age. It is not unusual for a pup to be blue but in less than two years to shift to a graphite grey color. Naturally, genetics plays a big part in why some breeds have changes in their color over time. The key to remember is that in most cases, this is completely natural and normal, with no reason to be alarmed.  

In conclusion

The American Bully is a wonderful family dog, loyal, protective, playful, high-spirited, intelligent, and agile in nature. Often referred to as nanny dogs, this breed has tremendous babysitting skills, despite its ‘hulky’ physique. Generally, they come in all colors from Fawn, Solid Colors, Champagne, Chocolate, Brindle, Sable/Smut, Ticking, Piebald and Tri-Colored. 

American Bully Colors come in many patterns, and can be found in a rainbow of colors and physiques. There is truly a bully dog breed for every lifestyle, need, and preference.