American bully breed
The American Bully is a dog breed that originated from the United States as a newly designed breed using a foundation of the American Pitbull Terriers and American Staffordshire Terriers and some Bulldog-type breeds. It’s a medium-sized dog at about 16 to 20 inches tall, weighing between 30 to 65 pounds.
Since this is one of those dog breeds that is often misunderstood, I wanted to clear up a few things when it comes to the American Bully.
Here are 9 things you should know about this breed:
1. They are NOT pit bulls.
One of the most common misconceptions about the American Bully is that it is simply a type of pit bull, but the truth is these are two distinct breeds.
American bullies do come from pit bulls, but they have had other types of bully breeds mixed in so that they are no longer considered pit bulls, but have their own breed standards.
Types of Bully Breeds
There are a number of types of bully breeds out there. Here’s a list of ones that are registrable through the American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC):
Alapaha Bulldog
American Bulldog
American Bully
American Staffordshire Terrier
Boston Terrier
Bull Terrier
Cane Corso
Dogue De Bordeaux
English Bulldog
French Bulldog
Killian Bulldog
Miniature Bull Terrier
Neopolitan Mastiff
Olde English Bulldogge
Pacific Bulldog
Presa Canario
Shorty Bull
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
There are also some breeds, which not registered through the ABKC, like Bully Kutta.
American Bully vs Pit bull
As this video shows, it’s easy to tell these two breeds apart when you put them next to each other:
Here are a few of the key differences between the American Bully and the Pit Bull:
Head size: The American Bully has a larger head compared to the pit bull, especially in proportion to their body size.
Leg length: Most American bullies feature short legs, especially when compared to those of the pit bull. Only the classic type of the American Bully has average legs when it comes to length.
Muscles: While pit bulls are certainly a muscular breed, muscles are something that the American Bully is bred for, so they typically have a number of well-defined, large muscles covering their bodies.
Overall build: The overall build of an American bully is much wider than a pit bull. Their chests are broad and their legs are further apart.
As you can see, there are some definite differences between the American Bully and the Pit Bull, despite their shared heritage. Once you understand how these two breeds are different, then you shouldn’t have any problem telling them apart.
2. The American Bully comes in 4 recognized sizes
There are four different sizes of American bullies that are recognized by the ABKC:
Standard
Pocket
XL
Classic
Here’s a little more information on the four recognized sizes of American bullies:
Standard
A standard male American bully stands between 17 and 20 inches (43-51 cm) while a standard female stands between 16 and 19 inches (40-48 cm).
Pocket
To be considered a pocket American bully, a male must be between 14 and 17 inches (35-43 cm) at the shoulder, and a female must be between 13 and 16 inches (33-40 cm) at the shoulder. Otherwise, this size has the same proportions and characteristics as the standard American bully.
XL
XL (Extra Large) American bullies are bigger than the standard size but should have the same build and overall proportions. Males are between 20 and 23 inches (50-58 cm) and females range between 19 and 22 inches (48-56 cm). At this time, this is the largest accepted size for this breed.
Classic
Although the classic type of the American Bully is the same height as the standard, this type is recognized by a difference in build. These dogs are less muscular and have narrower frames than the standard, pocket, and XL varieties.
What is a Micro American Bully?
You may have heard of a Mini American Bully, Micro American Bully, or even a Micro Mini American Bully, but the truth is that these are not technically varieties recognized by the ABKC. Instead, these are simply alternate names for pocket American bullies.
If you are looking for a small bully, then you may try using mini, micro, and pocket as you search online as many breeders use them to draw in people to buy their pocket American bully puppies, especially if their dogs are on the smallest end of the scale.
Just keep in mind if you’re planning on showing your American bully that you shouldn’t get one that’s too small or you may find your dog penalized or even disqualified for not fitting into the height requirements.
3. Bully Puppies are expensive
By now you’re likely wondering how much American bullies cost, so here’s the truth: bully puppies are expensive.
Of course, it depends on whether you are getting one as a pet, to show, or to breed, but most bully puppies will cost somewhere between $2000 and $7000 each.
High-quality adult dogs with proven track records for producing unique or outstanding puppies may sell for even more. One dog by the name of White Rhino, for example, once sold for $250,000.
If you’re just looking for a great family pet, however, you’re likely to be able to find American bully puppies selling on the lower end of that price range, especially if they have traits that would keep them from being good options for showing or breeding.
4. The American Bully is a new breed
While some dog breeds have been around for hundreds of years, the American Bully is a new breed, having just been developed during the 1980’s and 1990’s. It was first recognized as a breed by the ABKC in 2004, and by the United Kennel Club (UKC) in 2013.
The full history of the American Bully goes back several hundreds of years when bulldogs and terriers were used for sport. When these cruel animal-fighting sports died out, the remaining dogs were bred together and the first bull terriers were created.
Over time, these dogs became a more diverse group and included many of the types of bully breeds listed above. When breeders wanted to create the ultimate companion dog from these bully breeds, they began combining pit bulls with Staffordshire bull terriers and mixing in other breeds.
They ended up creating the American Bully, a dog that has all of the characteristics that make these breeds great companions with the aggressive tendencies bred out of them.
5. They can live 10 – 13 years
As long as you take excellent care of them, your American bully could live between 10 and 13 years.
6. American bullies are easy to train
Like many other dog breeds, bullies love pleasing their owner which makes them easy to train. Of course, you’ll need to put in some work and make sure you stay consistent with training them, but you’ll soon find that this intelligent breed is a breeze to work with.
7. This breed requires exercise
Since the American Bully comes from working dogs, this breed has retained its abundance of energy. That means you need to be prepared to give them enough exercise that they don’t start to get bored.
Bored dogs often turn into destructive dogs.
If you’re not able to take your bully outside every day for exercise, make sure you’re finding ways to exercise your dog indoors.
8. American bullies make great family dogs
American bullies are one of the best examples of a perfect family dog. Loyal and loving, they’ve had aggressive behaviors intentionally bred out of them.
This makes them great family dogs, so you can rest assured that you’re not putting your children at risk by bringing one into your home.
One thing to keep in mind is that although one of the goals of forming this breed was to remove aggression, some bullies will still have problems with other dogs.
For this reason, you should use caution when bringing an adult bully into your home if you have other pets.
9. American bullies require little grooming
For a breed that requires little grooming, look no further than the American Bully. They have a short, smooth coat that only needs to be quickly brushed once a week or so.
This is particularly good news for people that don’t have the time to devote to grooming their dog themselves or the money to regularly pay a groomer to take care of unruly fur.
Something to keep in mind, however, is that this fur type also can get cold easily in the winter. So if you live somewhere that has particularly cold winters, then you may need to put your bully in a sweater or jacket to go outside side when the temperature drops too far below freezing.
But, let’s be honest. A bully in a sweater is just about the cutest thing ever.
