The American Bully is a new and modern breed that was originally bred to be a companion dog. It was standardized and recognized by the American Bully Kennel Club in 2004. They published the breed standard for the American Bully dog breed, stating that “the dog has the impression of great strength for its size”.
And while the American Kennel Club doesn’t recognize the breed, and instead puts in the same umbrella term as the American Pit Bull Terrier, other kennel clubs do. For example, the American Bully is also recognized by the European Bully Kennel Club and the United Kennel Club.
Now, today, we will talk about a very specific type of Bully, and that is the tri color American Bully. What is it? How rare is this Bully breed? Let’s take a look.
Appearance Standards
As we said before, some kennel clubs recognize the American Bully as a separate breed. Those are the United Kennel Club and the American Bully Kennel Club. They have set the standard for size and appearance.
We have to note that there are four varieties of the American Bully. Lately, one of those varieties, the XL Bully got into a bad reputation in the United Kingdom because of a dog attack. With that in mind, here is the breed info for each Bully type.
- The Standard Bully is a medium-sized dog with a compact and bulky muscular body, standing between 17 and 20 inches, and weighing between 60 and 80 pounds
- Pocket Bully is a smaller variant, growing between 14 and 17 inches, and weighing between 10 and 25 pounds
- XL American Bully is the largest bully breed, growing between 21 and 23 inches, and weighing up to 110 pounds
- The Classic American Bully is a lighter-framed puppy than the Standard American Bully puppy. They are within the same height and weight range
- We also have to mention there are non-standard sizes, one of which is the Micro Bully and the XXL Bully. Yet, they are not recognized by the kennel clubs as legitimate variations of the American Bully puppy
History Of The Breed
Nowadays, the American Bully is one of the more popular dog breeds. But it is a relatively new canine. The development of the dog breed began in the 1980s. By the 1990s, the dog was a finished product.
Nowadays, the bully breed is part of the American Pit Bull Terrier umbrella term. According to many canine experts, the breed actually has the genetics of Pitbulls. There were other breeds involved in the breeding program.
Those include the American Bulldog, English Bulldog, American Staffordshire Terrier, and the American Pitbull Terrier.
The first kennel club to recognize the breed and set the first breed standard was the American Bully Kennel Club in 2004. The club was formed in 2004, and the registry first acted as a means to document pedigrees and show the breed against its written standard.
The ABKC wanted to develop a breed with a lower prey drive, and more bully traits compared to the American Staffordshire terrier. They prioritized mass and heavy bone.
What Is A Tri-colored American Bully?
The American Bully is available in different coat colors and coat pattern options. One thing that people love about this canine is the variety and disparity of coat colors.
Yet, one unique coat pattern is the tri-color pattern. A tri-color American Bully is one that has three colors on the coat instead of the usual one or two.
The tri-color Bully has three clear and separate colors, one base, and then tan and white. The base color can be any, including black, lilac, blue, and chocolate. But the other two are tan and white in most cases.
The base color is affected by the intensity of dilution genes and other patterns like merle or piebald. In some American Bullies, the tan points are redder. The tan and white may also consist of other patterns. More on the variety of patterns below.
Is the Tri Color Bully Rare?
Tri-colored American Bully is rare for one main reason. Many breeders avoid breeding them because of the public’s misconception that the tri-colored Bully is a mixed breed.
No reputable breeder wants to produce mixed-breed puppies that are not recognized by the AKC. Granted, neither is the purebred American Bully.
Another reason is that many breeders emphasize gene qualities, not coat color. So, the gene pool seldom produces tri color Bullies, even when breeders try to breed them.
What Are The Accepted Coat Colors For American Bully?
American Bullies are famous for their variety of coat colors. It is almost impossible to put a number on the coat variations and possibilities.
We can divide them into several groups. Those are:
- Fawn
- Red nose family
- Striped, or non-brindle
- Solid color dogs or dogs combined with white fawn
- Tricolor, which can be in all groups
What Are The Criteria For a Tri-color Bully?
Several factors make your Bully puppy a tri-colored American Bully. Those are:
- The tan points gene must be homozygous, meaning it comes from both parents, and the tan points must be visible, even in only one place
- The place where the tan points show must be one of the traditional places that show up
- Your tri-colored Bully must have a base color and have white color
Now, there is a fun twist. If the base color of your Bully is white, some people still argue you can classify it as a tri-colored Bully.
What Are Some Popular Tri-color American Bully Patterns?
- Black Tri puppy is a Bully with a black base coat, white markings, and tan points
- Blue Tri is a dog with a silver-gray base coat, white markings, and tan points
- Chocolate Tri is a Bully with a chocolate brown base, white markings, and tan points
- Lilac Tri Bully is a dog with a light gray base, white markings, and tan points
- Champagne Tri is a dog with a champagne base, but many purists disqualify this dog. They say that champagne and tan are just different shades of the same color
- Creeping tan is a dog where the tan points grow in size and the base color seems to retreat over the course of time. It is a specific mutation of the tan point gene
- Ghost tan is where the tan points are present but less visible. They seem almost invisible
- Trindle is an American Bully breed where the tan points are present, as the white, but the tan points are actually brindle markings
- Tri Merle is a beautiful dog, here the genetic mutation has affected pigmentation and caused lighter patches on a solid-colored coat
- Piebald tri Bully is when your dog has coats patched with different colors. They are not the same as merle Bullies. These dogs might have a base coat marked with patches of different colors, tan points, and white markings
- We finish off with Ticked Tri, a very beautiful and unusual dog, where tan points and white markings appear on a ticked coat. Ticks are little tufts of differently colored hair that appear on either white or lighter base coat
