IS A BULLY RIGHT FOR YOU?

The American Bully is known to be a very obedient dog that does extremely well in following directions, and performing well when it comes to training. You’ll find that this dog is happiest when you’re happy with them, and they’ll do all they can to make you happy and ensure you’re satisfied.

Given the American Bully’s very high confidence levels, you must be aware of a few things before training them and interacting with them, and interacting with them.

First off, a dog with such high levels of self confidence will only listen to and follow the orders of a person that acts in a similar confident, calm demeanor.

You must also stay fairly firm when training them (but not get aggressive, as getting aggressive will only do harm to the whole training process and to the relationship you have with the American Bully) and consistent.

If you don’t exhibit any of the aforementioned characteristics, your American Bully will gradually stop following your orders and you’ll lose them in training.

An American Bully loves to be lead by someone they feel is more authoritative than them, someone who lays out rules, and accepts nothing but for them to be followed.

If you manage to establish yourself as the leader in the relationship with the American Bully, you’ve already won 80% of the battle.

Although this dog is a very affectionate and loving creature, it does indeed thrive in relationships where boundaries are drawn, where they know exactly what is expected of them, and they know that they must do what is expected of them.

If the American Bully senses that you’re not confident, are easily intimidated, are very inconsistent in your demands, “lose it” easily when it comes to the most basic of problems and/or are not a leader that believes in themselves, they will clearly sense any and all of these things and this will be apparent in the way they behave and interact with you in the overall scheme of your relationship.

Guard Dog

If you’re looking for a guard dog for your home, then the American Bully is a very good choice given the fact that it has one of the most fearless personalities among dog breeds ever.

This dog is one of the most protective dogs when it comes to its owner and family members that it loves, and will hold nothing back at fighting anyone and anything that threatens their safety and well-being.

If this dog deems that any of its loved ones are being subject to any threat, it will intervene and take things into its own hands. Whether this means barking a threat back, or taking greater efforts to neutralize a perceived threat, they can be trained to have no hesitation when applying a proportionate amount of intimidation.

Being extremely tolerant to physical pain, this dog’s family or property is the last thing you’ll want to mess around with.

Aggression

As we already established, and despite its very muscular physique and strong physical capabilities, the American Bully is a loving, outgoing and very affectionate dog with the people that treat it right. In fact, it is this breed's emotional connection that makes it so highly prized, and is their dominant trait, not their physical abilities.

If properly socialized when at a very young age, you won’t have to worry about this dog growing up to wrongfully put its strength into use.

However, those who go around intimidating it and abusing it, this dog will gladly strike back, which is something that ties hand in hand with its strong and confident personality when the need arises.

Pitbull Bully Living Conditions

A properly trained and well socialized American Bully is a perfect addition to a house with a family in it, as this dog is notorious for its love for young kids and playing around with them.

All in all, this dog is a perfect companion dog for you and your family members.

If you plan on getting an American Bully to have it live in somewhere like an apartment with a limited space, that won’t necessarily be a problem if you give them the necessary amounts of exercise and physical activity they need during the day.

If you don’t give them the exercise levels they need and don’t supply them with a large space like a backyard where they can go out and get decent amounts of physical activity under their belt on their own, that’s where things become problematic.

As a bare minimum level of physical activity, American Bullies must be given at least 1-2 daily walks.

As for the climate that the American Bully prefers to live in, they usually do better in warm places than they do in cold places. However, once they are fully grown, they can quickly acclimatize to well below sub-zero temperatures.

American Bully Health Problems

The list below discusses some of the most common health problems that you have to be aware of if you’re looking to get a new American Bully dog, or already have one at home.

Rabies: The American Bully is more prone than other dogs to suffer from rabies, which is why it’s very important to make sure that they get all their vaccinations in time. Whether you have an full grown American Bully or a young puppy, please don’t try to do this task on your own, and let a professional veterinarian take care of it instead.

Worms: Just like rabies, American Bullies are more prone than other dog breeds to suffer from problems with worms in their system. This is why it’s also important to make sure that you have them regularly checked on by a veterinarian that will be able to tell you whether or not they need to be de-wormed.

When searching for an American Bully to add to your family, be very careful of the breeders you do business with.

A trend among breeders that breed for this specific dog is using illegal drugs such as steroids to increase the muscle mass of these dogs to give them the buff look that most people are after.

This has hazardous effects on any dog’s health, starting from cardiovascular disease all the way to organ failure.

So, before you buy any American Bully from any breeder, make sure you inquire about all of these things, and that you’re 100% positive that the dog breeder you’re doing business with only follows ethical practices.

You should also know that on average, an American Bully is expected to live for around 10-14 years.

American Bully Care

When it comes to grooming your American Bully, you should know that they are relatively low shedders (much due to the short coat we talked about in a section at the beginning of this article), which means that they don’t need as much brushing as other heavy shedding dogs may need.

Your American Bully may be very fine with brushing their coat around 2-3 days every week to keep most of it off floors and furniture. The only thing you should take note of is that it’s probably best if you brush their coat with a bristle brush.

As for bathing, only give the American Bully a bath when the need arises. And when you do give them a bath, you’re more than fine using dry shampoo as they don’t have sensitive skin.

The Difference Between An American Pit Bull Terrier And An American Bully

With the American Bully becoming an increasingly popular dog breed around the world, many people still confuse the American Bully with the American Pit Bull Terrier.

These two dog breeds are not the same, and each of these two dogs is now its own breed.

Here are a few physical differences that will go a long way in helping you differentiate between the two breeds.

Muscular Physique: American Bullies have much more visibly muscular physiques and broader features (such as wider chests and broader shoulders) than do American Pit Bull Terriers. While APBTs have a longer set of legs to the stockier AB set.

Lastly:

Keep family in mind. A new addition to the family is always a big choice. Ask yourself if this is the right choice for your home and family.

We want our puppies to go to homes that are able and excited for this new burst of energy and bundles of affection.