International bullterrier forum

Hi everyone,
Was just reading a post and the term 'smut markings' was being used...

Excuse my ignorance but what are they? (pictures would be great).

Steve

Hi Steve,

Is your avatar pic your bullie? Lovely dog, that just happens to have "smut" markings, the dark shading on it's face. Kind of like the dark points on a siamese cat. So, a red smut, is a red dog with dark shadings.
Here are a list of colors found with smut markings:
Fawn Smut
Fawn Smut & White
Red Smut
Red Smut & White
White & Fawn
White & Fawn Smut
White & Red Smut

thanks dawn , yes it's my dog in the avatar, he's 15 weeks on monday.

Smut is black tipping on the ends of the hair. In Bull terriers it shows most around the face, hairs are short so the tips are the largest part if that makes sense.

On the rest of the coat, it just seems to make the coat appear darker. It is the same pattern as sable on german shepherds but the hair is longer and actually makes a different pattern.

My boy is a red smut and white, he has dark tips to his hairs running right through his coat making him appear a deep red-



I prefer the smut markings personally

Lorraine

Ooh and Lorraine your boy is lovely

He is stunning

Regarding the smut markings, I don't think I have seen a red without them. Some have more than others.

My girl have them too.

my boy is a red liver color bullie... no smut on him! the only one that i know of but there is another thread that shows a puppy that is similar. i am very curious because i don't know of any other red bullies with no smut or black on them but my own.

viewtopic.php?f=40&t=3582

I have seen some reds and fawns without Smut markings. Most have cow-like red markings on them.

Heres mine at 17wk old he has some minor smut markings on hes face


and one i found red with no smut markings, but the red does still have that cow-like print. no solid reds, that ive seen anyway.

My boy also has smut markings - that's him in the avatar. You can't see it properly there, but here's a better pic:


Smut markings will often appear on the tail, as well as the head & back. If the head is mainly white, there won't be smut markings there, but there may well be some on the tail.

Does he have darker hair along his spine? It's hard to see from the pic.

Hello Caryllc,

Yes he did when he was at that age but now has grown a solid light red no dark points at all in the coloring (maybe a few black hairs on hes ears).

Lovely male you have

Best regards

Thanks!

Dempsey, when he was really young had a darker area all down his back, and most of his tail was almost black! The dark area on his back, although still darker is not so apparent as it was & the black on his tail has almost gone. The smut markings seem to be more definite when they're puppies & even out as they grow, making the coat seem a warm deep red. But if you look VERY closely you can see the dark tips to the hairs which is what gives them the deepness of colour.

My mini girl is Fawn & White but with very strong smut markings - here is a picture at 6 days old

At 3 weeks, you can see the dark stripe on her back. (She is in the bottom of the photo below). Interestingly, her Fawn & White sister (near the top) has a similar dark stripe but her Red & White brother (top right) doesn't have it have it even though he also has smut markings on the face.


At 9 months, my pup still has thick black hairs in her tail (especially just before the white tip), a darker back and a darker forehead. She also has very black eyes and nose and lips. I really like it - I think it is striking with her pale coat colour.

Hi Tracey,

Any photos of the three of them now, just to compare.


Alice