This page will not tell you what to buy. It will set out what the premium actually purchases, because that is rarely stated plainly by anyone selling one.
'Rare' is a pricing term, not a genetic one
Dilution, chocolate, cocoa and the long coat variant are all simple recessives. Any two carriers can produce them, and carriers are widespread. Nothing about these colours is difficult to produce once you have dogs carrying the alleles — which is precisely why so many breeders now do.
What makes a lilac or a new shade isabella expensive is that stacking multiple recessives requires deliberately restricting your breeding pool to dogs selected on colour genetics. The scarcity is manufactured by the selection criteria, not by nature.
What you give up
Kennel Club recognition. Non-standard colours cannot be shown. Merle cannot be registered at all.
Insurance terms. An increasing number of UK insurers load premiums for diluted coats or exclude colour dilution alopecia at underwriting. Get a quote for the specific dog before you buy, not after.
A specific health risk. Colour dilution alopecia affects only diluted dogs. It is not curable and not screenable other than by avoiding the genotype.
Breeding pool depth. This is the most important and the least visible. When a programme selects primarily on colour, respiratory function grading, spinal conformation and patella scores are necessarily secondary. The pool carrying the required recessives is small, so line-breeding is common.
The comparison that matters
A £2,500 brindle from a breeder who grades both parents Grade 0 or 1 on the Respiratory Function Grading Scheme, hip scores, patella grades and DNA panels is a materially better dog — in the ways that determine whether it can breathe, walk and stay comfortable — than an £11,000 lilac from a programme that does none of that.
The colour is visible and the grading is not, which is exactly why the market prices them the way it does.
If you are buying a rare colour anyway
That is a legitimate choice, and it is your money. Apply more scrutiny rather than less, because the price point attracts operators who know buyers are choosing on appearance:
- Respiratory Function Grading certificates for both parents, Grade 0 or 1
- A full DNA panel, including M locus testing if there is any merle in the line
- Hip scores and patella grades
- Coefficient of inbreeding for the mating
- A written insurance quote for that specific dog, obtained before you pay
A breeder charging five figures can produce all of that without difficulty. One who cannot has told you what the money was spent on.
What we would actually buy
Confirms dilution and cocoa status, and screens for degenerative myelopathy via SOD1 among other conditions. Useful if you are buying at a colour premium and want to verify what you actually bought.
Best for:Verifying a rare-colour purchase, or screening before breeding
Check current priceLifetime cover with per-condition limits that hold up against a single IVDD surgical episode. Compare the per-condition limit rather than the headline annual figure.
Best for:Owners insuring from the day of collection
Check current priceAs an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.
We earn a commission if you take out a policy through this link. It does not affect what you pay.
Common questions
Are rare colour French Bulldogs less healthy?
Diluted colours carry a specific risk of colour dilution alopecia that standard colours do not. The larger concern is indirect: colour-led breeding programmes tend to deprioritise respiratory grading and structural screening, which affect welfare far more than coat colour does.
Why are rare colour French Bulldogs so expensive?
Fashion, plus the deliberate restriction of breeding pools needed to stack multiple recessive genes. The genes themselves are not scarce — any two carriers can produce them.
Can rare colour French Bulldogs be Kennel Club registered?
Most can be registered as non-standard colours but cannot be shown. Merle is refused registration entirely, on the basis that the allele indicates outcrossing to another breed.
Do rare colours affect pet insurance?
Increasingly yes. Several UK insurers now load premiums for diluted coats, and some exclude colour dilution alopecia at underwriting. Always get a written quote for the specific dog before committing to the purchase.
Related reading
General information for UK buyers, not veterinary or financial advice. Always obtain a written insurance quote for your specific dog before purchase.