Merle Bully Guide (Tri Merle vs Blue Merle vs Lilac Merle)

Merle Bullies (AKA Merle American Bulldogs) have beautiful patterned coats that can come in many different colors including tri merle, blue merle and lilac merle. In addition to their pretty coats, they often feature striking blue eyes. It’s no surprise that these dogs are super popular because of their appearance! Nevertheless, prospective owners need to be aware of the health dangers of the merle gene, especially ‘merle-to-merle’ breeding and Double Merle Bulldogs.

If you are interested in Merle Bullies keep reading this article to find out all the answers to your questions about the different coat colors!

Cover Image Credit: @a1premiumbullies

Table of Contents

What Is A Merle Bully?

Merle Bullies have a rare coat pattern that features mottled patches of various colors depending on whether they are tri merle, blue merle or lilac merle. The merle gene dilutes random sections of the coat to a lighter color whilst leaving patches of their original coat color remaining. It may also affect eye color and skin pigmentation on the nose and paws. The coat occurs when an American Bulldog carries the “M” Merle allele and a negative “m” copy of the Merle allele.

Despite the captivating look of a Merle American Bulldog, prospective owners should be aware that they are often a result of poor breeding practices and because of this may suffer from ocular and auditory defects. That is not to say that all Merle Bullies are the result of poor breeding practices or that they will have these health issues but there is a higher risk than an ordinary American Bulldog.

Can You Register A Merle Bully?

Merle Bullies are not recognized by the American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC) or the American Kennel Club (AKC). They are also usually not accepted by other American Bulldog breed clubs.

Merle Bullies are disqualified from registration eligibility because merle is considered to be an undesirable and unrecognized coat color as it does not conform with breed standards. This is mainly because of the many health issues associated with the merle gene.

merle bully — Merle Bully via @hdk_lux_dog_chains

Are Merle Bullies Purebred?

Merle Bullies are not purebred as the merle gene was introduced into their lineage. It is likely that a breed that naturally carries the merle gene was crossed into the their lineage in the past decade. Another possibility is that a Merle English Bulldog was crossed with an American Bulldog to get Merle Bullies.

Are Merle Bullies Rare?

Merle Bullies are quite rare as it is not a standard color and is not accepted by kennel clubs like white, white & black, white & brown, white & brindle or white & tan coats.

Breeders often avoid breeding the merle coat color. This is because it is much more complex breeding Merle Bullies as breeders have to carefully track lineage to ensure healthy litters. Breeders cannot breed two Merle American Bulldogs together otherwise they will be Double Merles and may suffer from severe ocular defeats and auditory issues. Double Merles also are likely to have no coloring in their fur and often appear completely white.

Merle American Bulldog Breeders

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Tri Merle Bully

What Is A Tri Merle Bully?

A Tri Merle Bully is another name for a Merle Bully. Many people call them ‘Tri Merle Bullies’ as they feature three colors in their coat.

Lilac Tri Merle Bully

A Lilac Tri Merle Bully is the same as a Lilac Merle Bully. They have a lilac, brown, beige and white coat in a mottled pattern. Most of their coat is lilac and there are brown, beige and white patches throughout it. Lilac Tri Merle Bullies usually have light brown noses that may feature small pink patches. In most cases they have blue eyes.

Blue Tri Merle Bully

A Blue Tri Merle Bully is the same as a Blue Merle Bully. They have a blue, grey, white and tan coat in a distinct mottled pattern. Usually most of their coat is grey and blue with smaller white and tan patches throughout it. Blue Tri Merle Bullies usually have black or grey noses with pink patches noses and can either have brown or blue eyes.

Chocolate Tri Merle Bully

A Chocolate Tri Merle Bully is like a Lilac Tri Merle Bully however they feature much darker brown patches throughout their coat. Chocolate Tri Merle Bullies have brown, lilac, beige and white patches in a mottled pattern. They usually have brown noses with small pink patches and have brown or blue eyes.

Blue Merle Bully

Blue Merle Bullies feature blue, grey, white and tan colors in their coat in a distinct mottled pattern. Usually most of their coat is grey and blue with smaller white and tan patches throughout it. Blue Merle American Bulldogs usually have black or grey noses with pink patches noses and can either have brown or blue eyes.

Lilac Merle Bully

Lilac Merle Bullies feature a lilac, brown, beige and white coat in a mottled pattern. Most of their coat is lilac and they feature brown, beige and white patches throughout it. Lilac Merle Bullies usually have light brown noses that may feature small pink patches. In most cases they have blue eyes.

Schnoodle Colors Guide (White, Black, Apricot, Chocolate etc.)

Cryptic Merle Bully

What Is A Cryptic Merle Bully?

A Cryptic Merle Bully is an American Bulldog that has very small patches of merle or none at all. These Bullies appear to be non-merle however they carry the merle genotype and produce merle offspring.

They are dangerous when it comes to breeding as people can accidentally create Double Merles as they don’t realise both parents are carriers of the merle gene.

Ghost Merle Bully

What Is A Ghost Merle Bully?

A Ghost Merle Bully is the same as a Cryptic Merle Bully. Some people call these merle carriers Ghost Merles while others call them Cryptic Merles. Generally ‘cryptic merle’ is a more popular term amongst all merle breeds however ‘ghost merle’ is often used for Bulldogs, both American and English Bulldogs.

Double Merle Bully

A Double Merle (M/M) American Bulldog has little to no color in their coat as they have inherited two copies of the dominant “M” allele. Unfortunately, Double Merle American Bulldogs are affected by severe ocular defeats and deafness. They may be deaf in one or both ears and may be blind or have totally lost an eye.

Double Merle Bullies are also called ‘lethal whites’ due to their coloring and health issues. They are very controversial if they have been purposefully bred. Most official bodies refuse to register dogs that are a product of merle-to-merle breeding.

Can You Breed Two Merle American Bulldogs?

No, you should never breed two American Bulldogs together as there will be Double Merle English Bulldogs in the litter. Unethical breeders may mate two Merle American Bulldogs together because it guarantees that the litter will have Merle dogs. This is not good practice as many of them will have health issues such as blindness and deafness.

As discussed above, the responsible way to get a Merle American Bulldog is to mate a Merle Bully (M/m) with a non-Merle (m/m) Bully. Roughly 50% of the litter will be Merles and none will be Double Merles.

Merle Bully Price

Merle Bullies usually cost between $4000USD and $8000USD. They are much more expensive than regular American Bulldog coat colors as they are rare and considered to be quite exotic. Other factors that influence their price include the breeder’s location and reputation as well as the age of the dog.

You can also keep up to date on current prices by checking out American Bulldog litters for sale on dog advertising websites like P uppySpot.