Bull Terriers (or English Bull Terriers) are one of the most unique-looking dogs in the whole dog kingdom. But, besides its looks, the Bull Terrier’s temperament is unique as well.
These dogs are most famous for their long snout, pointy ears, and triangular eyes. Their whole appearance is different.
They might look intimidating, and a lot of people might not want to approach them and pet them. But, when you see their personality, you will know that these cuties are child-like. They are famous for their zoomies and for catching their tails.
If you are around a Bull Terrier, you can be sure that you will be entertained. They can be stubborn at times so early socialization is always good.
They are super friendly so you don’t need to worry about them not getting along with other people and animals.
If you find this dog to be too big for you, we have great news. They come in a smaller version, a.k.a., the Miniature Bull Terrier. These mini Bull Terriers might be the perfect fit for you.
Since they are high-energy dogs, they need a lot of movement. The best thing for them would be a house with a big yard, but they can get along in an apartment very well.
Besides their temper, one other thing that is rich is the color wheel of their coat.
Bull Terrier colors might be a bit complicated to explain, but we did our best to explain them as simply as possible. Buckle up because this will be a long ride.
The Bull Terrier Colors: How Many Are There?!
According to the American Kennel Club (AKC) breed standard, the Bull Terrier technically comes only in two colors: white and colored.
This is the same standard from the 1800s when this breed got its first official standard. In that period, they were bred by a man named James Hinks.
The most important thing in this standard was their shiny, porcelain-like coat.
The white and colored coats were the standards, but eventually, people who liked colored dogs were determined that there should be a categorization of those color patterns.
Now that colored Bull Terriers have their categorization, it can get a bit complicated. We just want to emphasize that even though some of these colors sound the same, they are not ; for example, white and red vs. red and white.
The first one is a white dog with some red markings, while the second one is the other way around.
When it comes to Bull Terrier puppies, you will probably know what color you will get when you see the dog’s parents that the breeder you chose has. But, when it comes to exact markings, you might not know straight away.
Their markings can get bigger or smaller. Some markings may appear as they grow up, but the general coloring will be visible.
Red Bull Terriers
A Red Bull Terrier can also be called a Ginger Bull Terrier. These dogs have beautiful colors that can be described as this rusty, orangey or brownish color. It can be either a bit lighter or a darker shade of brown or red.
They can come in solid red color. This means that their entire body is red. Even though they are considered to be solid red, there will still be some white markings.
Those white parts are small and very hard to see sometimes, but they are present.
But, in the red category, there are more under-categories.
Red Smut
The red smut Bull Terrier is almost the same as the solid red Bull Terrier. Some people call them just red Bull Terriers, but we can’t blame them – the difference is sometimes very hard to see.
When you see the term ‘smut’ in the name next to a color, it means that they have a darker snout.
Well, this is the case with the red smut. They are solid red, with a bit of a darker muzzle. Sometimes, the darkness is easier to see while at other times, it is harder to distinguish because it is very light.
Red Smut With White
As we said, even in solid reds, there are some white markings that are barely noticeable. Red smut with white means that their belly, paws, and head have a white marking that is bigger and very noticeable.
Besides being red with big white markings, they also have a darker muzzle. For some people, this Bull Terrier coat is a favorite and the perfect combination.
When they are puppies, this combination is not very noticeable mainly because of the snout that can become darker as they grow up.
So, if you are getting a red Bull Terrier with white, you may be surprised to see that they turn into a red smut with white markings.
Red With White
The red and white purebred Bull Terrier is the same as the red smut with the white minus the dark muzzle, a.k.a., minus the smut part. The coat color is predominately red, with white parts on the muzzle, belly, paws, and head.
Some people prefer this combination without the dark muzzle, but as we said – when you are buying a puppy, you may be surprised with the dark muzzle later on.
White Bull Terriers
The white Bull Terrier is the original one. They were bred to be purely white since they are descendants of the White English Terrier that was (as the name says itself) white. The problem in the past was that the white needed to be fully white.
If a white Bull Terrier had any markings anywhere on its body, it wasen’t according to the standard, and it was not allowed to compete.
A lot of time passed until some markings were allowed; however, those markings were only allowed to be on the head.
Even those markings needed to be very small and mainly around their ears and eyes, like a pirate. Even today, if they want to be considered as solid white, white Bull Terriers can’t have any discoloration on their neck or on their body.
When it comes to solid white Bull Terriers, some people think that they have canine albinism, but this is far from the truth.
We can see why some people might think that because solid whites can sometimes have pink on their ears and eyes as well as a pink muzzle.
The difference is that albino dogs have a red reflection in their eyes, and they will have a pink nose. True whites have black around their eyes, and a black nose.
There is a thing that is connected with eye color. If a Bull Terrier puppy has blue eyes, it can be connected with deafness.
Especially if the blue eyes stay when they grow up, there is a big possibility that your pooch might get deaf. An example is a blue-eyed Pit Bull Terrier – they can also develop deafness, but it is less likely than the blue-eyed Bull Terrier.
bAs already told, they can become deaf, and the deafness occurs most of the time in both ears.
Another skin issue that these dogs are prone to (and are more likely to get than other colored varieties) is cancer. This is because they either lack skin pigment or don’t have any at all.
Even though these guys are beautiful, you need to be prepared for these conditions.
There are some other variations in the white coloration, and we made a list of them to make it clearer if you get confused.
White With Red
White with red dogs are not the same as red with white dogs. You may think to yourself, how is that possible? Well, we will explain the difference. When it comes to white with red dogs, the main color is still white, but they have some red markings.
With the red with white dogs, the red color is the main one, and the white spots are big. These cuties have a red mark here and there, and it is mostly on their eyes or ears.
Sometimes, it is unnoticeable while other times, you can clearly see it.
This is also tricky when you are buying a puppy. Sometimes, the red spots can be seen from a young age while other times, they can look like small dots that can grow when they grow up.
White With Red Smut
A white with red smut is almost the same as the red with white smut – the only difference is the snout. These dogs look like they have found some charcoal and decided to sniff it.
They might look like they are a bit dirty around the nose, but we still think that they are super cute.
The red spots are still there, but the muzzle is darker. This combination is a bit rarer than the rest of them, but it is just as beautiful as all the other ones.
White With Brindle
The white with brindle Bull Terrier color combination means that the dog’s body and neck are white while there are some brindle markings on its eyes and ears. Some people might not know what brindle markings are, so we are going to explain it.
A brindle coat usually has some dark undercoat that is covered with lighter stripes that resemble a tiger.
Sometimes, the markings can be lighter or a bit darker, but they are visible. In this case, the markings are brown with black stripes.
When it comes to small brindle markings, the brindle might not be that noticeable, but it is there. But, if the brindle is darker on lighter markings, you can clearly see it even on a small surface.
White With Black Brindle
The white with black brindle coloring is almost the same as the white with brindle coloring. The black brindle is also called the reverse brindle.
The difference between the brindle and the reverse brindle is that with the reverse (or black brindle), the pattern is a bit darker.
In this case, the markings are not brown with black stripes, but black markings with light stripes that are hard to see even when the dog is fully covered with this pattern.
Sometimes, it looks like these dogs have a black spot on their eyes or ears because the brindle is very hard to notice, especially on small markings like these ones.
Brindle and reverse brindle are some of the colors of a French Bulldog, and they are mainly across their whole body, with some white markings.
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White With Fawn
White with fawn dogs are similar, if not almost the same as white with red dogs. These dogs have some fawn markings on their eyes and ears, but not on their body.
For people who aren’t dog experts or aren’t taking their dogs to show, the red and fawn markings are the same.
The fawn markings are a bit lighter than the red markings. If you like either the red or the fawn combination of this marking, whatever you get, we are sure that you won’t mind it unless you are an expert and want to register your dog for showing.
White With Fawn Smut
We are sure that when you read this, you will know that these dogs have fawn markings on their head, and that their muzzle is a bit darker than the rest of their body. As with the others, their body is solid white.
White With Black And Tan
The white with black and tan dogs have some markings that are mostly tan, with a touch of black. They are next to each other. There aren’t black markings, for example, on one eye and tan markings on the ear or on the other eye.
The black part is sometimes hard to see since it is smaller than the tan ones. This, of course, depends on whether the black is smaller or bigger, but in 90% of cases, it will almost be smaller than the tan marking.
Brindle Bull Terriers
Previously in the article, we explained what brindle coating is. These striped beauties are for sure a show stopper. When talking about solid brindle Bull Terriers, there might be some small, almost unnoticeable white markings on their belly or paws.
The brindle pattern is believed to be black on a brown base. But, when you look at these dogs, it is hard to tell what is the brindle marking and what is the foundation because they are almost equally distributed across the body.
These cuties are the most wanted ones, and we can see why. Their coat is just so mesmerizing. But, besides solid brindles, there are other variations that come with brindle coating, and we made a list of them.
Brindle With White
Brindle & white dogs have the majority of their coat covered with brindle. As we said, even a solid brindle has a bit of white marking, but the brindle with white marking is much bigger and more noticeable.
The white parts will be distributed on the chest, belly, paws, and head. The brindle part is very noticeable and, in our opinion, it goes very well with the white markings.
Black Brindle With White
The black brindle with white coloring is the same as the brindle with white coloring, just the brindle is darker. The brindle part will be brown while the base color will be black.
Sometimes, the brindle pattern is hard to notice so people might think that they are black and white dogs.
But, in some cases, the brindle part is quite noticeable, just darker than the normal brindle. The white markings are on the same parts as with the normal brindle, such as the belly, chest, head, and paws.
Fawn Bull Terriers
Fawn Bull Terriers are a bit neglected, and hard to detect if you are not a dog specialist. They call them red little sisters. They are almost completely the same as the red, but a bit lighter, or in other words, sandier.
If you put the red and fawn next to each other, you may see the difference, but if you see one of those out and about, you probably won’t be 100% sure if they are red or fawn. There are solid options of this color, which means some or no white markings can appear.
There are other combinations besides solid red, and we made a list of them.
Fawn With White
Fawn with white is almost the same as red with white coloring, and it is as well hard to distinguish. These dogs have the majority of their coat covered in fawn coloring. The white parts are on the belly, chest, head, and paws.
A reputable breeder who has been doing his job for a long time might tell you if the Bull Terrier puppy will be fawn with white or red with white. If you don’t see that much of a difference, you probably won’t mind either of those puppies.
Fawn Smut
The fawn with smut dogs are solid fawn dogs with no white markings, and with a darker muzzle. The muzzle might look darker on the fawn smut than the red smut since fawn coloring is lighter than the red.
Fawn Smut With White
Fawn smut with white is a dog that has the majority of its coat in fawn coloring, some parts in white, and with a darker muzzle.
Tricolor Bull Terriers
The tricolor coat consists of three colors, which are black, tan, and white. It might sound strange, but there are two types of tricolor Bull Terriers, and they both contain all three colors. It is confusing, but we are here to break it down for you.
Black And Tan
Even if they are called only black and tan, there will still be some white in the mix. It is barely noticeable for the most part.
These dogs have the majority of their coat covered in black. The tan parts are smaller, and they can appear on the chest, paws, and cheeks.
The white markings can appear on the chin and toes, and sometimes barely on the chest, but you can hardly see them.
Black, Tan, And White
The black, tan, and white dogs are the ones that are considered to be the official tricolor Bull Terrier. The white markings are very visible and almost as big as the black parts. The white is placed mostly on the chest, belly, head, and paws.
The black part is slightly bigger than the white parts. The tan markings are in the same places as the previous one, and that is on the chin and the toes.
Are Bull Terriers Aggressive?
Just like every dog, if it is not socialized and trained properly, and not treated nicely, the Bull Terrier dog breed can become aggressive. There are many reasons why people think that a certain breed is either aggressive or not.
The reason why people think that Bull Terriers are an aggressive breed is firstly because of their appearance, and secondly, because they were often used in dog fights.
Some other dog breeds that have the same problems are the American Staffordshire Terrier, the Pit Bull, and the Mastiff.
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You have a lot of people thinking that the Great Dane is an aggressive dog because of their intimidating size. But, in reality, these dogs are known to be gentle giants. If the dog is showing signs of aggression, it has nothing to do with its appearance.
It has everything to do with how you treat the dog. If you don’t socialize and train your Golden Retriever or Boston Terrier (which aren’t considered to be aggressive breeds), they can become very aggressive.
You can always adopt a Bull Terrier from the shelter, but make sure that you know if they were treated poorly. Only a loving and caring dog owner can adopt a Bull Terrier that was used in dog fighting.
It will probably be difficult to soften that dog down and make it feel safe, but once you do, you will have a best friend in dog form that will do anything for you. You should probably be prepared for your Bull Terrier to have a lot of restless nights.
In Conclusion
Bull Terriers are quite a unique breed. Their appearance is something you either love or are not really fond of. But, we can’t wrap our minds around the thought that someone won’t fall in love with that cute face.
There are a lot of people who love them, and you can even find a Bull Terrier club in almost every country.
Bull Terrier colors might sound complicated, but we sure hope we have explained them as much as possible. We for sure did our best.
The important thing we want to say is that the coloring of the dog should not be the main reason for you to get a puppy.
Every color is beautiful, and their temperament should be the thing that makes you want to get a certain breed. If you have a preference, and you end up finding a breeder with a litter that has that coloring, you are in luck.
Read Next:
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• 19 Fascinating Staffordshire Bull Terrier Colors
