Here you will find information concerning the American Bully breed. The information listed is based off of our personal experience here at T.O.B. Kennels and some facts concerning health, training, owning an American Bully; we also have others to thanks for valuable information they have shared with us from years of breeding, you know who you are, thank you!
Thinking Of Purchasing A Puppy?
Here are some thoughts we would like you to consider before purchasing an American Bully.- What is the best time to purchase your new puppy? I'm asked this a lot...the best time to purchase your new puppy without a doubt is from 4 to 6 months old, or even a year old. You should only purchase a puppy after eight weeks if you are very familiar with your breeder, here is the reasons why...at eight weeks old all puppies look cute, but in time their characteristics change, both for the good and the bad. Between the ages of 4 to 6 months faults will be more apparent, and there are certain faults that can work against showing your dog or the over all health of your dog. Bad bites can not be evident until 4 to 6 months old, high rears, ill proportion, etc...start to show up during this period and became more evident. When these problems do occur you can bet the pup will be non refundable. Most breeders today don't like to keep their pups this long because they are not prepared to or lack time needed to work with the pups and may be more interested in ones money instead of what they have bred. Also, 4 to 6 months of time can show health issues as well, a pup between this age frame should have all the needed shots and worming's, at 6 months old we recommend their rabies vaccination as well. Also, a pup in this age frame should know basic commands, do's and don'ts, which help the new owner in transition time.
- Do you have adequate time to spend working with a dog? American Bully's have lots of energy and power, they need daily exercise and attention from their owners. We encourage our clients to avoid dog parks because of disease's and the risk of your dog picking up behavioral issue's seen from other dogs. Exercise is fundamental in a dogs metal and physical development, they need to release their energy through exercise, it keeps the dog happy, healthy, and hearty.
- To maintain a healthy and vibrant American Bully, they require a good diet. We use and recommend a grain free food such as Taste of the Wild, Blue Buffalo, or Victor. We use here Victor 30/20 grain free mix with our puppies and Victor Yukon with our adults and have had great results. We also feed all of our dogs about 60 pounds of raw chicken cuts each week as a treat. A good quality grain free food will cost anywhere from $42.00 to $50.00 for a 30 to 40 pound bag. A good food results in a dog's development in structure and it's mental ability as well.
- A good vet is needed that is friendly and experienced with A.P.B.T. Bully's. I say out of experience, this is a key part of your dogs life. Because of improper publicity American Bully's can have a bad rap, lots of vet's take this position as well, thus be sure your vet work's with and is for the breed beforehand.
Things To Consider When Working With And Training Your Puppy
- There are two fundamental facts that are important when working with your new puppy, first they must feel safety from you and not a threat, secondly they need to use their nose. You must make your puppy feel safety with you, the more they experience safety from you the more they will trust you, which will lead to easy training. Your dog will need a "pack leader" and that pack leader is you, your puppy needs to know your the boss, one way of expressing your leadership is acting like the head dog, literally, lol...when your puppy don't listen correct it asap, and then assure it that you still love them with praise, they will identify the difference of your emotion's. Another thing that can help is rolling the puppy on its back with its feet up and seeing if it will remain there for you, by doing this you are testing your puppy's ability to submit to you, if your puppy wont stay still, hold it there until it does, this may take some time, but will establish your position as your pups pack leader. The nose of a dog is given to them to identify, let them use it, this also ables them to feel secure. Note a unsecure dog can be very unstable which can lead to unpredictability. Remember, if your dog wont obey you, its going to follow its own instinct, which can be dangerous, regardless of breed.
- Use a create if you are planning on keeping you dog inside. The create should be used as your dogs own personal place, its like your child's room, the dog will retreat to their create often just as we do our bedroom, I believe this to be important in your dogs life, that they have "their personal" place.
- I would not allow your puppy to be around any wreck less, wild behaving dogs, that are not under the control of their owners, your pup could pick this up and act out. In time your pup will be allowed around dogs as such but only as an example to proper behavior.
What To Expect With My New Puppy Over Time
- Consist growth, our bloodlines are slow in their development but this assures for a consistent looking dog, are dogs are matured out at about 2 years +/- old.
- Males - height ranges from 15 to 18 inch tall, heads usually from 23 to 25 inches, weights from about 80 to 90 + pounds.
- Females - height ranging from 16 to 17 inch tall, heads from 21 to 23 inches, weights from about 60 to 75 pounds.
- Wisdom, the older your puppy becomes the smarter they get. One stand out characteristic we are complimented on much is the dogs ability to comprehend, we have anywhere from 16 to 30 dogs that play together at once, I can call them out from one another will no or very little issue, each knows its own cage, responsibility, pecking order, etc...
