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Is The American Bully The Right Breed For My Family?

American Bully Good Family Dog Breed

Are you looking for your next family dog? A purebred dog is a great choice.

Temperament is made up of a combination of genetics, training and socialization. When you get a puppy from a breeder, you’ll be able to choose a dog that has been specially bred to be stable and friendly, and they will have come from a loving home with positive early experiences around people. Your breeder may even start socializing your puppy around children and adults before you bring them home.

The American Bully is a new breed made up of bully-type dogs, bred to be a companion that has all of the positive personality traits of their origin breeds, such as loyalty, watchfulness and high energy – without negative personality traits like aggression towards other dogs and high prey drive.

Is Your Child Ready For Their First Dog?

A dog cannot be expected to tolerate abuse from a child. If your child is unable to understand empathy, to the point where they may cause the dog pain by grabbing at the ears or tail, chasing them, or intentionally scaring them, they are not ready for a dog.

Your child should be able to understand verbal instructions. They should be able to understand that dogs do not enjoy hugs and kisses the way humans do, and that they can snap if they are bothered while they are eating or sleeping. This is true of any breed, though an American Bully is a bit larger and more powerful than, say, a Pomeranian.

A dog can teach your child about responsibility. That said, you will still be the dog’s main caretaker. Many children are able to exercise, bathe, feed and maintain the dog during the summer months, but may not be able to care for their dog consistently while they have a lot of homework or are studying for finals. So remember, unless your kid is at least 18, this is going to be your dog.

Photo source: Depositphotos

Do Dogs Make Good Babysitters?

For the most part, adding a dog to your family is like adopting another child. Your dog might be able to motivate your child to get away from their screen and spend time playing outside and getting exercise. And they might make your kid feel safer on neighborhood walks or jogging around the park, once they are old enough to walk the dog on their own.

American Bullies are great for playing fetch and tug with younger kids. For older kids and teens, you can sign up for sports like agility, flyball and treibball.

But it is unreasonable to expect dogs to act like Lassie or Beethoven. Though having a tough-looking dog, even a friendly one, is a deterrent to criminals, you cannot expect your dog to know a burglar from a friend, and attack anyone who endangers your family.

Raising A Family Dog

Photo source: DTown Bullys

Bringing home a puppy is a lot like coming home with a newborn. You’ll lose sleep with middle-of-the-night potty breaks as your puppy adjusts.

American Bully puppies have very sharp baby teeth. They’ll chew on everything while they are teething. You’ll need strong, rubber toys like a Kong Ball and rope bones. Your puppy will not know the difference between a toy and your $200 sneakers, so you’ll need to confine them and redirect them to appropriate chew toys.

Fortunately, your child will quickly learn to pick up their own belongings from the floor – likely after the first few times their homework gets shredded!

American Bully puppies may also nip your hands during play. This will hurt a lot, but it is not a sign of aggression. Your puppy will need to learn that they cannot play as roughly as they once did with their siblings – human skin is much more delicate. Encourage your child to use toys to create distance between their fingers and your puppy’s teeth.

By the time your puppy is a year old, you can expect them to be fully potty-trained and more gentle when playing. Many people rehome their puppies at 6-18 months, during that rambunctious adolescent phase. You’ll need plenty of time and patience during that difficult first year, so make sure your family is prepared – and take plenty of pictures!

Where To Get Your Pocket American Bully

American Bullies come in four sizes – the Pocket being the smallest height-wise, though they’re just as stocky as the other varieties. Their compact size makes them able to adapt to living in an apartment, and they do not need as much space to fulfil daily exercise requirement.

Our partner, D-Town Bullys, is a Dallas-based Pocket American Bully breeder. You can have your pedigree puppy delivered anywhere in the world – check out D-Town Bullys on Facebook and Instagram.

Special thanks to D-Town Bullys for photos and information about this new, fast-growing dog breed.

2 thoughts on “Is The American Bully The Right Breed For My Family?

  1. Hi Lindsay,

    I Have an article entitled: Is The American Bully A Good Family Dog? I am sure your readers will find this helpful as well.

    Pablo.

  2. […] American Bully is ideal for families that want a high-energy dog that is kind towards children, yet alert and protective of their […]

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