Why Focusing on Rare Color Breeding is Unwise

English Bulldogs can come in a variety of colors and color combinations. Some are rarer than others and more desirable for adopters. The most common colors are red brindle, reverse brindle, and fawn. These, among others, pop up regularly. The rarer colors include things like chocolate, black tri, or lilac. We appreciate the looks of these different colors, but we never breed for color.

What’s wrong with rare coat colors?

Rare colors are not bad or worse than common colors. We love all the different coat colors English bulldogs can have. The problem comes when breeders breed specifically for rare colors.

The process of breeding dogs involves selecting a small number of desirable traits to pass on to the next generation. Coat color is a common trait to select for in the breeding process. But, selecting traits means picking and choosing what is most important.

We believe that the health of our bulldogs comes first. We have strict standards for our bulldog’s health, and we aren’t willing to sacrifice the health of our bloodlines to introduce rarer colors.

What do we breed for?

Because of the health issues of the breed, we always breed for health first. A few of the traits we consider most important are:

1. Good breathability: breathability is a big issue for bulldogs, so ensuring our dogs can breathe easily is a top priority.

2. Clean eyes: Good eyes means we don’t want our dogs to have cherry eye or entropion eye.

3. Athletic build: We want bulldogs that will be able to exercise and keep up with their families.

4. Personality: We aim for a calm, laid-back personality.

We don’t dislike rare colors, but these things are our priority.  Everything we do is intended to move us towards breeding bulldogs who don’t have the common health issues of their breed. After that, coat color plays itself out naturally.