Discussion

White markings on the chest and belly can extend upward toward the sides to interrupt the underline and give a false impression of shallowness in body depth and substance. Markings on the limbs can be particularly deceptive by carrying the eye in a crooked line. This is especially true on the hind legs as the pattern of the Bull Terrier's "socks" is almost always in a diagonal line across the back of the leg, making the leg look "cow-hocked," especially when moving. White splotches on the body of the Colored Bull Terrier are not considered a fault according to the standard unless they are so numerous as to cover more than half the surface area of the animal. If more than half of a Colored Bull Terrier is white, it is disqualified from competition. Since the dog cannot be skinned and the areas measured, this is usually a judgment call. Remember, however, that the head and limbs are in most cases about half color and half white, and the chest and belly are usually totally white, so that if over half of the visible body area is white, this should be grounds for disqualification.

Brindle is the preferred color in Bull Terriers due to the genetic facts of inheritance. Since the brindle gene is dominant, it is visible in the coat color when it is present. Due to the character of dominant genes, once this color is lost from the breed there is no way to replace it.