We’ve been dealing with French Bulldogs for quite some time now and we get this question all the time „Blue or Lilac Frenchie – which one is better?“. Some other variations of it are „Are your dogs blue or what?“, „What’s a lilac French bulldog?“, „How do you tell the difference between blue and lilac?“.
In this post, we’re sharing our experience based on our research over the years and what we know from fellow breeders.
Both blue and lilac colors are known to be rare and even exotic, but what’s the difference?
Genotype and Phenotype
Before diving deeper, we need to know the meaning of genotype and phenotype.
An easy-to-remember explanation is this.
Phenotype is all about the looks, i.e. how the dog looks.
Genotype is what the dog carries in terms of genetics, i.e. what genes the dog carries.
Blue vs Lilac French Bulldog
Let’s take a look at the following graph. It illustrates the differences between the two exotic Frenchie colors.
Blue French Bulldog
- Phenotype: Grey
- Genotype: Carries 2 copies of recessive d gene
- Genotype: Carries 2 copies of recessive coco gene
- Eyes glow red on camera
- Amber eyes
Lilac French Bulldog
- Phenotype: Grey
- Genotype: Carries 2 copies of recessive d gene
- Genotype: Carries 2 copies of recessive coco gene
- Eyes glow red on camera
- Amber eyes
Conclusion
Now, that we know all this, a Frenchie’s phenotype could be grey, i.e. it looks grey, but when it comes to genotype, it may be blue or lilac. The easiest way to tell the difference is to pull up your phone and use your camera (with flash). If you see that demonic red glow in the eyes of the „grey“ Frenchie, it’s lilac. Else, it’s blue. You can rely on that test if the dog is at least 1 month old. Before that, they’re still developing and the test might not do the trick for you.
It’s important to mention that the eyes of the puppies are always blue, no matter the genotype. And then, as time goes by, they turn dark brown for the blue dogs and amber for lilac dogs.
Of course, when it comes to genetics, we always recommend contacting professionals, such as Animal Genetics or Laboklin. That’s the best way to know whether your grey doggy is blue or lilac.
In case you feel adventurous, you can try one of the apps out there to see what the genotype of your dog is, based on its phenotype.
