QUESTIONS ABOUT AMERICAN BULLIES

When training your American Bully puppy, a person needs to understand how a dog thinks. Bully Puppies have short attention spans at first. So, use that attention span to your advantage. When the puppy listens for a couple of seconds, congratulate them with treats or affirmation. Those seconds will turn into minutes, and other training will follow suit.

#1 Things not to do!!! When telling your American bully puppy or exotic bully puppy to stop a behavior, DO NOT say their name while telling them no. They do not understand being told no if their name is used as well. Their name is used when you pet them, call them to you, or give them a treat. So when you say their name while correcting a behavior, it confuses the dog, which leads to the behavior getting worse and the owner losing control of their dog due to the confusion they have caused. This is the number 1 reason why bully owners turn their bully puppies into bad characters; it’s not even the dog's fault, and it’s easily corrected!

Bully Puppies are to be vaccinated with 2 5-way parvo vaccinations at 5 and 7 weeks of age. The 9-way parvo vaccination should be given at 9 and 11 weeks, with the final two puppy parvo vaccinations being given at 13 and 15 weeks of age.

Allergies in dogs can come from numerous issues, food, environment, or insects. Combating each one of these can be tricky. With our dogs we feed Puppy Chow by Purina 1 and we add Super Paws Juice to their water daily. In our experience across all our dogs from puppies, to pregnant, to elderly. This combination has been super effective for us. The Super Paws Juice helps break down the dog food so the dog can fully absorb the nutrients from the food. This evidenced when the dogs are being given the juice and when they aren't. There has been a noticeable difference in our experience. And we own a lot of dogs! We haven't had any allergy issues when it comes to food or environment. We have however seen dogs negatively affected by bees, wasp, and ants. In those instances we administer Benadryl at 1mg per pound twice a day for 5 days.

When introducing your puppy to house pets, we recommend allowing the grown-up to meet the puppy through a cage. Allowing both dogs to smell each other and get acclimated prior to seeing each other without some type of protection. A dog or puppy that is attacked can never be reversed once it happens. Best to use steps when introducing. Smelling each other first goes a long, long way.

Let's start with what's worst first. Raw hides. This is by far the worst chew toy for any dog, period, as they stretch and can choke your dog. The number one way to lose a dog is via toys. Choosing the best toys for your pet is imperative. We recommend deer antlers or elk antlers for your bully, as they are great for cleaning their teeth and keeping their breath fresh. The Elk antlers can last a very long time. Once they become 3 to 4 inches, throw them away.

Behavior is the top indicator. Suppose your dog isn't acting like their normal happy self. Something is wrong. If they are lethargic, take them to the vet immediately.

First... Check your dog for parasites such as worms. Deworming shall be done every month with a bully or any dog, for that matter.

Second... Genetics are never to be overlooked; just because two bullies are bred together doesn't mean the pups will be thick. Linebreeding, out-crossing, and in-breeding are all tools of an expert American bully breeder and exotic bully breeder. An expert breeder will know what to do over the years with their particular line of dogs.

Third.... Like with any breed, there are breeds within a breed. Some display great examples of the breed, and some are poor examples of the breed. It has been and always will be about genetics. Great genetics shows up every time.

Fourth.... Are you underfeeding your dogs? This is usually the case with scheduled feedings. American bullies need more than the recommended amount. Their big rib cages and huge muscles need those calories to grow correctly. With our bullies, we free-feed them; there is always food laid out, so they never feel hungry, never are in a rush to eat, and never feel the need to be food-aggressive!