Is a blue brindle pitbull rare?
Though the brindle coat is caused by a recessive gene (and some complicated genetic science,) it’s not rare. The United Kennel Club recognizes a brindle coat in a pit bull, but it does not recognize a merle, or splotchy coat, which is not natural to the pit bull.
The Genetics of Blue Brindle Pits
Sometimes to truly appreciate what makes a color special, it’s fun to look at the chemistry going on at a genetic level.
Blue brindle dogs owe their looks to a very particular genetic recipe:
Blue brindle starts, counter intuitively, with the black gene, known as B.
All blue brindle dogs have a copy of the B gene. It triggers production of the black pigment eumelanin.
Blue brindle dogs only need one copy of this gene, from one of their parents.
Next comes the brindle gene, which has the unexpected abbreviation Kbr.
The brindle gene causes the narrow stripe pattern on blue brindle Pits.
Brindle dogs have one or two copies of the brindle gene (from one or both parents).
Blue brindle Pitbull puppies with only one copy of the brindle gene only develop a brindle coat if they don’t inherit an alternative gene which masks it from their other parent.
Pitties with just the black and brindle genes have black and red brindle markings. And as handsome as that is, blue brindle dogs have one more extra special element:
The dilute gene, known as d.
The dilute gene reduces the amount of pigment in each strand of hair. So that the black appears blue, and the red appears fawn.
Blue brindle Pitbull puppies receive two copies of the d gene: one from each parent.
The two most common types of brindles you’ll find are Blue Nose Brindle And Red Nose Brindle
One of the more popular color brindles is the blue nose brindle pit bull. This breed has a soft blue and gray tone in its coat and a blueish gray-colored nose. Often times the soft blue and gray coat alternates with a light brown or white pattern.
Similar to the blue nose pit, red nose brindles can be easily spotted by their red or fawn coat and red leather like nose. Their red coats are often mixed with a lighter color such as white or fawn.
Introducing The Underrated Brindle Pitbull???
They have a bad reputation in many circles because of the misuse of this strong breed in the past, but anyone who knows pit bulls well knows that they are actually loving and loyal dogs that make excellent family pets.
If you are interested in adopting a pit bull, you may have heard of the blue nose pitbull.
This is a unique color variation within the pit bull family that strikes a distinctive figure while on the streets.