American Bully Color Chart — Genetics, Rarity and Demand
This American Bully color chart is a reference rather than a read-through: every coat in the breed with the genes that produce it, how rare it actually is, and what the market charges for it. If you want the coats explained in prose instead, start with our American Bully colors guide.
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The Loci That Control Coat Color
| Locus | Controls | Alleles | Inheritance |
|---|---|---|---|
| B | Black vs brown pigment | B (black) · b (chocolate) | b is recessive |
| D | Dilution | D (full) · d (dilute) | d is recessive |
| A | Coat pattern | ay (fawn) · at (tan points) | at is recessive |
| K | Dominant black / brindle | KB · kbr · k | KB > kbr > k |
| M | Merle | M (merle) · m | M is dominant |
| S | White spotting | S · sp (piebald) | sp is recessive |
American Bully Color Chart: Full Reference
| Coat | Genotype | Nose | Rarity | Searches/mo | Market premium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | KB, B/–, D/– | Black | Common | 170 | None |
| Blue | B/–, d/d | Grey | Common | 590 | None |
| Fawn | ay/–, k/k | Black | Common | 170 | None |
| Brindle | kbr/k | Black | Uncommon | 170 | Low |
| Chocolate | b/b, D/– | Brown | Uncommon | 110 | Low–moderate |
| Blue fawn | ay/–, d/d | Grey | Uncommon | 90 | Low–moderate |
| Blue tri | at/at, d/d | Grey | Uncommon | 140 | Moderate–high |
| Blue merle | d/d, M/m | Grey | Uncommon | 720 | High |
| White / piebald | sp/sp | Varies | Uncommon | 90 | Low |
| Champagne | ay/–, b/b, d/d | Pinkish-liver | Rare | 110 | Moderate |
| Chocolate merle | b/b, M/m | Brown | Rare | 110 | High |
| Chocolate tri | b/b, at/at | Brown | Rare | 320 | High |
| Lilac | b/b, d/d | Pinkish-grey | Rare | 170 | High |
| Lilac merle | b/b, d/d, M/m | Pinkish-grey | Very rare | 170 | Very high |
| Lilac tri | b/b, d/d, at/at | Pinkish-grey | Very rare | 390 | Very high |
Why the Rarity Column Looks Like That
Count the recessive conditions. A coat needing one widespread recessive (blue) is common. Two stacked recessives (lilac, chocolate tri) is rare. Three at once (lilac tri, lilac merle) is very rare. Both parents must carry all three and only a fraction of any litter will show them.
Merle is the exception to the pattern, because it is dominant — one copy shows. That makes merle easy to produce, and its price reflects demand rather than scarcity.
The Two Health Entries in This Chart
M/M (double merle). Two merle parents give roughly 25% of the litter two merle copies. Double merles are frequently deaf, blind or both. Entirely predictable, entirely avoidable, never pair two merles. We do not.
sp/sp (extensive white). Pigment cells contribute to inner ear development, so dogs with very extensive white. Especially over the ears — have a raised rate of congenital deafness. The risk compounds sharply if combined with double merle. Ask for BAER hearing test results on any predominantly white puppy.
Nothing else in this chart has any health implication at all. Coat color does not affect temperament, structure or lifespan. See our health problems guide for what genuinely does.
Reading a Listing Against This Chart
The nose column is the quickest check. A dog advertised as lilac with a black or dark grey nose is a blue. A "champagne" with a grey nose is a blue fawn. A "chocolate merle" with a grey nose is a blue merle. Pigment does not lie, and photographs of coats in warm light routinely do.
See the price guide for how these premiums play out, and available puppies for what we have, priced at the same price whatever the row says.
American Bully Color Chart — Frequently Asked Questions
What do the letters in the color chart mean?
They are gene locations. B controls black vs brown, D controls dilution, A controls coat pattern, K controls dominant black and brindle, M controls merle, S controls white spotting. Lowercase letters are recessive and need two copies to show.
Which American Bully colors have health risks?
Only two entries: double merle (M/M, from two merle parents) which commonly causes deafness and blindness, and extensive white (sp/sp) which raises the rate of congenital deafness. Every other coat in the chart is health-neutral.
How can I tell what color a puppy really is?
Look at the nose, not the coat. Pinkish-grey means lilac. Grey means blue. Brown means chocolate. Photographs of coats mislead constantly; nose pigment does not.
Is merle rare?
Less rare than its price suggests. Merle is dominant, so one copy shows it. That makes it far easier to produce than lilac, which needs two recessives. The premium is demand, not scarcity.
Rare Coats Without the Rare-Coat Price
Lilac merle, chocolate merle, blue tri and more. All the same price, from single-merle pairings from parents our vet sees regularly. Ask us the merle status of both parents; we will tell you without being asked twice.
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