A Guide to the Tri-Colored American Bully (All Questions Answered!)

American Bullies look distinct as they are, but with the tricolor on them, they truly look special. There is a good reason for that; you don’t see a lot of them, and when you do, they are a sight to behold.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of myths and misconceptions surrounding the tri-colored American bully, so I’ll try to explain everything you need to know about this special dog. Let’s start with the basics first.

A Tri-colored American Bully is characterized by having three colors on its coat, unlike a normal Bully who has one or two colors. These Bullies are rare and can have different patterns or color combinations, including black, blue, lilac, choco, ghost, and ticked tri. There are no health issues associated with the coat pattern of tricolored Bullies.

Keep reading to learn more about the tri-colored American Bullies and what makes them so special.

Is The Tri-Colored American Bully Rare?

The tricolor American Bully is actually quite rare as it doesn’t occur naturally often. New dog owners that are looking for a unique-looking dog seem to find the tricolored American bully quite special, and they fall in love with the dog, which has increased the dog’s popularity.

Why Is the Tri-color American Bully So Rare?

The Tricolor American Bully is rare because of these reasons:

• The tri-color coat pattern doesn’t commonly appear by nature in American Bullies, as the gene pool of Bullies just doesn’t produce them as often.
• For generations, breeders didn’t want to breed tricolored American Bullies because they were undesirable.
• Breeding for tricolored offspring is difficult and complicated as some genes are recessive and will pop up unexpectedly, so it can become a numbers game for a breeder to produce a tricolored American Bully (which doesn’t make much economic sense).

For Generations, people actually viewed tricolored American Bully dogs as mixed breeds, which is not true, and so they valued them less than their counterparts without the tricolor coat pattern.

This means that not only was there little demand for them, but they also didn’t “sell well,” so breeders were less motivated to breed them, which is why we now have a supply-demand gap for the rare tricolored dogs that are increasing in popularity, but there are just not many of them to go around.

Why Do Some American Bullies Have a Tri-color Coat Pattern?

The reason some American Bullies have a tri-color coat pattern is the same reason any dog has certain coat colors and patterns; genetics.

Basically, there are two pigment types that give canines their coat colors, these are the pigments that give each hair strand its color, and these pigments will each have a default color.

In American Bullies, these default pigment colors are black and red. Both these pigments are forms of melanin, and they can both be affected and changed by various genes.

A number of genetic factors will affect these pigments, and the result will be tan points, but how these two pigments interact in the dog’s coat is controlled by the Agouti (A) gene series locus.

For the Bully breed, the traditional tan points and tricolor coat patterns are caused by what is called the Tan Point allele  (a^t), and it’s just one of four genes that are found in the Agouti locus of the American pit bull terrier family.

However, this tan point genetic trait is recessive, so it requires two copies of  [(a^t)/ (a^t)] for the tricolor pattern to pop up. One copy will be inherited from the dam and the other from the sire.

Because this is a recessive gene, it will remain hidden for generations and will unexpectedly pop up when two copies are inherited. So, generations of American Bullies can carry the gene without expressing those tan points, and that’s why the tricolored puppies come unexpectedly.

But the tan point gene doesn’t cause the color; instead, it causes a pattern of solid color with lighter-colored points that give the pattern its distinct tri-color look. Usually, these points will occur in 13 places in the American bully, including the face, chest, and legs.

While the places where the tricolor pattern usually shows are quite similar in all tri-colored American bulldogs, the patterns themselves and the exact colors are not.

The exact color that is produced by the tan point gene will depend on the color genes that are present at other loci. If the pigmentation is black, the resulting coat pattern will be black and tan, but if it’s blue, it will be blue and tan.

A completely different set of genes causes white markings, and they can appear on tri-colored bullies, but it’s rare. White markings usually appear the same on a tan point bully as they would on single or bicolor bullies.

Characteristics of the Tri-color American Bully Offspring

The characteristics of the Tricolored American Bully are similar to that of any American bully; the color pattern on their coat has nothing to do whatsoever with their personality, temperament, or intelligence.

The only interesting thing worth mentioning here is that since the tan point gene is a recessive trait, you will not always expect that a tricolored American Bully puppy will be in the litter as the parents don’t have to show the gene to carry it.

However, for a tricolored Bully puppy to happen, both parents must have the tan point gene, and the offspring will have two copies of the recessive tan point allele.

The Champagne Tri-colored American Bully

The Champagne tricolored American bully is a controversial topic in the community of bully owners. Technically, champagne bullies can’t be tricolor because they have a recessive red (e/e) allele with dilution (d/d).

This genotype causes coat colors ranging from pale yellow to cream and pearl.

Recessive red hides the pattern that would otherwise be expressed from the Agouti gene series locus, which is why tan points can’t be expressed in champagne bullies, which means they can’t be tricolor even if they do have two copies of the tan point allele.

That’s why people consider champagne tricolored Bullies not to be tricolored at all.

There are also many people who confuse the lilac tri Bully, in which the tan points can’t be hidden by the chocolate gene, for the champagne tri Bully, which is something even I have done before. When you see them under certain lighting conditions, it’s really hard to tell the difference.

The Ghost Tri Color Bully

Sometimes, a black bully will have incomplete dominance of the dominant black allele, and in this case, the dog may express both dominant tan and black points. However, the tan points, in this case, will be faded, and in this case, they are referred to as the ghost tri Bullies.

Do Tricolored Bullies Have Health Problems?

There are no health concerns associated with the tricolor coat pattern or the genes responsible for it when it comes to American Bullies.

That’s because the tricolor is just a color pattern, nothing else, unlike merle Bullies, who are prone to develop additional health issues because of the genes responsible for their coloring. You can read my full guide to merle bullies here and find out what we should do to help.

How to Breed Tri-color American Bullies?

While you can’t always guarantee tricolor American Bully puppies in your litter, breeders will try to get them by pairing two tricolor Bullies or one tricolor Bully with another bull that carries the recessive gene, even if they don’t show it.

How Much Does a Tricolor American Bully Cost?

The cost of a Tricolor American Bully in the United States from a reputable breeder (and a quality bloodline) will be around $6,000 – $10,000, and many breeders will require a $1,000 deposit to reserve to show seriousness in getting the dog.

Tricolored American Bullies are expensive, as explained before, and while you may find some breeders that will charge you less than that, you always need to check the paperwork for the pup’s health and bloodline.

Why Are Tricolor Bullies So Expensive?

Tricolor Bullies are expensive because they are rare by nature, and they have been gaining popularity, while reputable breeders simply can’t keep up with this demand, and the prices have been going up.

If you are not getting one for competition, I really don’t think anyone should pay this kind of money for any dog unless they are engaging in some sort of professional competition or spot, and they really do need specific breed standards.

If you are just getting a dog for your family and house, you are honestly better off rescuing a dog from a shelter and saving a life (and a lot of money).

All dogs are good dogs, and every dog is a special one. Please consider adopting from your local rescue or shelter and save a life instead of spending money that will support unethical breeding practices. #adoptdontshop

Conclusion on Tri-color American Bullies

Tricolor American bullies may catch your eye, but they are not different than other bullies in any way other than their coat pattern. There is no difference in intelligence, temperament, personality, or health between tricolor bullies and other bullies.

Your main concern with bullies should be with their health and not their color, and you should definitely not pay thousands of dollars more for your dog for a specific color – in my opinion, but at the end of the day, it IS your choice, and you may choose to get a dog that better fits your aesthetic taste.

Overall, tricolored American bullies are just as wonderful as all other bullies, and they will make for wonderful companions.

Helpful Resources

Understanding Dog Hair Colors and Hair Coat Patterns

Genetics Basics – Coat Color Genetics in Dogs

Canine coat colors and patterns explained

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