Blue English Bulldog Color Guide
Example of a Blue English Bulldog Puppy
Blue English Bulldog Puppies For Sale Rare Color Guide
Color Breeding Ethics: Color Blind Breeding
The answer to all color related decisions is color blind breeding. What this means is that color should not be selected for nor selected against in breeding decisions. Color breeders exploit rare colors for profit, often focusing less on personality, health and structure. Show breeders have ignored science and genetics by excluding non-standard colors – deaming them undesirable.
Excluding legitimate colors from the breed creates genetic bottlenecks that increase health issues. Studies (Check out Dr. Pedersons UC Davis Study) have shown the bulldog breed needs more gentic information, not less. Rare colors should be normalized. Pricing for these types of colors should never increase nor be profited from. It is simply genetic information that is part of the breed. Focus on health, personality, and structure. We can enjoy colors as long as it happens naturally.
Non-Standard Color Study
Personal observation is certainly not enough to include or exclude an entire color structure. Bruiser Bulldogs conducted the largest (to our knowledge) blind English Bulldog health survey in 2025. Over 381 current English Bulldog owners participated. Questions focused on the current health issues that bulldog owners see in their bulldogs. Owners were asked about the color of their bulldog. 23% of respondents owned non standard color bulldogs, while 77% owned standard color bulldogs. The following is data from the survey:
Health Survey: Standard vs Non-Standard Color Bulldogs
| Health metric (outcome) | Standard colors (n=292) |
Non-standard colors (n=89) |
Difference (Std − Non, pp) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moderate to severe breathing complications | 55.8% | 53.3% | +2.6 |
| Moderate to severe skin & coat issues | 51.7% | 48.9% | +2.8 |
| Moderate to chronic digestive problems | 29.4% | 32.6% | −3.2 |
| Moderate to severe eye issues | 35.9% | 37.0% | −1.1 |
| Partial or complete hearing loss | 7.7% | 3.3% | +4.4 |
| Moderate to severe allergy & immune issues | 38.3% | 35.9% | +2.5 |
How to read this: These are “bad outcome” rates — lower is better. “Difference” is in percentage points (Standard − Non-standard).
The survey demonstrated a few key takeaways:
- There were no meaningful health differences between non-standard and standard color health metrics in English Bulldogs. Non-standard colored bulldogs were overall statistically healthier, but the differences were not meaningful.
- The skin and coat reputational issues that surround non-standard colors were not supported in the survey results. This data is similar to our own personal observations – over the past 15 years we have only observed one case of skin related issues connected to a non-standard color.
- Health issues affect both non-standard and standard color bulldogs at the same rate. There are good and bad bulldogs in each group. Health metrics can only be created based on the individual bulldog, not the coat color.
- Eliminating non-standard color bulldogs from the genetic pool only hurts the bulldog breed. Reducing the gene pool through false health narratives increases inbreeding coefficients and distracts from solving real health issues in the bulldog breed.
Blue Color Basics
Genotype for Blue Gene: [dd]
Blue English Bulldogs represent one of the four base rare colors. The others include: black, lilac and chocolate. It is commonly understood that Blue English Bulldogs are actually diluted black dogs. The black gene structure provides the the base color and then is diluted by the blue (dd) gene. We believe the blue coat should appear shiny and grey when placed against black objects or in the sun. If the Bulldog carries the Seal gene, the coat color should show maroon or other color undertones. A seal Bulldog may or may not have a fawn undercoat when the hair is rubbed backwards. It is important to remember that the nose, footpads, & eyeliner are always blue/grey, which can vary from light to dark, not to be mistaken for black.
Blue Tri Puppies
One of our favorite types of Blue English Bulldog Puppies for sale are the blue tri color. Black tri’s can be described as a color pattern where the tan points are typically on the eyebrows, cheeks, front shoulders (right above the chest area between the legs), around the tail, and partial on both front & back legs. Tan points will typically not show up if the bulldog carries white color patterns where the points would normally be. Tan points can also be hidden by other genes, such as the SEAL gene, as it is higher on the hierarchy of genes.
Bruiser Bulldog’s take on Blue Coats
One rare occasions we will have a blue English Bulldog puppy. Because the blue coat is actually a dilute gene layered over black most often blue bulldog puppies are a product of intentional rare color breeding programs. Parents must be carriers of both the dilute blue and black genes. With this type of specificity, most blue colored bulldogs are not at all rare or an accident, but rather a product of intentional breeding programs. We are often extremely suspicious when rare colors become the main focus of a breeding program and a large volume producer of blue bulldogs is typically a huge red flag. In contrast, our Blue English Bulldogs are truly rare and unintentional. Our focus is always on health not on color. If you happen to love the blue color, let us know. You never know when we will have one.
If you are interested in learning more about English Bulldog Coat Colors, please feel free to check out our comprehensive color guide! Click Here
– Fawn English Bulldog Color Guide – Click Here
– Red English Bulldog Color Guide – Click Here
– Brindle English Bulldog Color Guide – Click Here
If you are interested in a English Bulldog Puppy and are looking for a breeder with experience and values improving the breed, Please reach out to us!
Check out our available puppies!
Greetings from the Wysongs!
Northern Indiana based, Bruiser Bulldogs offers purebred English Bulldog Puppies for sale to loving adopters seeking to find a higher quality English Bulldog. As English Bulldog breeders, Mitch and Erica Wysong have dedicated themselves to a lifelong journey of changing the culture and societal pressures of poor breeding practices within the English Bulldog Community.
Mitch and Erica believe in producing a healthy English Bulldog puppy first and foremost. Through years of research and development, Bruiser Bulldogs is leading a new movement away from the overdone, wrinkled bulldog that has been long plagued by health problems. By embracing a healthier, more athletic look they are able to ensure that each and every English Bulldog Puppy for sale by Bruiser Bulldogs is supported by a platform of health tested, clean genetics.
Upon adoption, each family that takes on the responsibility of a Bruiser Bulldog enters into an active and vibrant communal family of bulldog owners. Mitch and Erica believe it is their responsibility to provide emotional and mental support for the lifetime of each and every English Bulldog puppy they produce. To ensure the success of every adoption, Bruiser Bulldogs will always be committed to helping Bruiser Bulldog adopters care for their English Bulldogs to the best of their ability.
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