If you have never interacted with an American Bully and look at it, you will think of it as a scary and dangerous breed.
American Bully looks intimidating with all their muscles and big mouths; you will never guess they are very friendly. American Bullies were bred to be family dogs, especially with little kids.
American Bullies are excellent pets with charismatic personalities, goofy natures, and gentle hearts.
Are American Bullies Good With Babies?
American Bullies are recognized for their exceptional loyalty and devotion to their family members. American Bullies have parent-like behavior with babies and look after them as if they are their own.
Bullies will sacrifice their life to protect a member of their family. But precaution is still necessary as socialization and gentle training are vital in bringing out a bully’s child-loving side.
So yes, American Bullies are good with babies despite their intimidating looks, but you have to fulfill your duty of training and socializing them.
Suitability of American Bullies as A Family Pet
If you want to ensure that the American Bully can be an excellent family pet and as a nanny dog, here are five points to help clarify it.
1. American Bullies are not Aggressive
American Bullies, by nature, are very gentle and un-aggressive. However, American Bully needs responsible ownership despite being gentle giants as they are powerful dogs.
Several studies have shown that aggression is not inherent, and only Pitbull are feared for being aggressive. The studies found that attack is linked to a dog’s environment and training rather than genes.
So it all comes down to you being a responsible owner and adequately training and socializing the American Bully. The Bully will be a gentle companion and do everything possible to gain your approval.
2. American Bullies A Breed for Families
The American Bully is a newcomer as a seperate breed starting in the 1980s and evolving through the 1990s. Using Pitbull as a base breed and infusing different breeds, such as
- The American Bulldog
- English Bulldog
- Olde English Bulldogge
- Mastiffs
The ABKC registered the breed in early 2004, whereas the UKC recognized American Bully as an official breed in 2013.
The breeders aimed to create a seperate dog breed that inherited the look of the American Pitbull with enhanced muscles and different class divisions.
However, the primary goal was to purposefully ‘breed-out’ the potential aggression inherent in the Pitbull genes. The resulting breed is a dog with low prey drive while retaining the iconic “Bully” traits.
With the infusion of American Bulldogs into the much-feared APBT, the breeders created a somewhat calm and dependable version of the Pitbull.
The calm behavior of the American Bully makes it less likely to knock over your toddler while playing.
3. American Bullies Need a Responsible Owner
The public often condemns the Bully even though nine out of ten, their aggression is due to irresponsible owners. A peer-reviewed study showed that bully owners are more inclined to aggressive behaviors themselves and not necessarily the breed itself.
The owners of aggressive American Bullies are more prone to violence themselves and often exhibit deviant behaviors such as:
- Child Abuse
- Domestic violence
- Violent crimes against others
With such a strong-willed and physically powerful breed, owners must train and socialize their Bully correctly. A well-trained and happy American Bully will allow their baby-loving, gentle nature to emerge.
As part of their loving nature, American Bullies, especially children, can be overly protective of their humans. Owners should always supervise children playing with dogs as sometimes children’s behavior can mimic attack and arouse the defensive nature of the gentle giants.
4. American Bullies Live for Human Contact
American Bullies are social butterflies, and they live for human interaction. Although they only need minimal exercise, they still need to socialize with humans and other dogs to get stimulation.
An isolated Bully will develop depression and possibly aggression. If the owner doesn’t introduce people and socialize with the Bully timely, the Bully will not know how to react to people later in life.
A Bully thrives on positive praise, which is critical to bringing out the best in their breed.
5. Golden Rule of American Bullies and Babies
As wonderful as the American Bully breed is with little humans, you should stick to the golden rule:
Dogs should never be left unattended with babies and children under the age of ten years.
Regardless of the breed, an unforeseen incident may result in even a gentle dog unexpectedly reacting to the environment. The reason for a dog to snap at a child could be anything, such as:
- Pain
- Possessiveness
- Fear
- Protectiveness
Factors to Consider When Introducing an American Bully to A Baby
Before introducing your kid and the American Bully to each other, you must ensure that both are ready for the interaction. Anything negative will leave a wrong first impression.
Before doing so, consider the following factors:
Teaching Your Child How to Treat a Dog
Children can sometimes be little rough with animals, especially dogs like American Bullies. Teach your child how to behave appropriately with dogs, and make sure you stop any harsh or unkind activity.
Tell your kid never to pull the tails or ears of the Bully, as it is cruel and unkind.
Train the Bully
Before any introductions, you must ensure your American Bully is socialized and understands how to behave in front of others.
Training your Bully will help avoid any disasters and keep things smooth.
Make the Proper Introduction
To do this, let the Bully approach the baby and have a little sniff. After he is done with the sniff, let the baby or child put out the back of their hand so the Bully can also sniff that.
Make sure that both the Bully and the baby are calm. When the dog feels comfortable and allows the child near him, you can gently ask the baby or child to pet the Bully.
Monitor Playtime
American Bullies may be gentle, but they are powerful. Bullies can easily knock over your child by accident; you must monitor them to avoid that.
Keep the Play Calm and Gentle
Ensure the play is gentle and calm during the first interaction to avoid mishaps that could lead to injuries.
Common Concerns and Misconceptions
The most common concern by parents is whether their child will be safe with an American Bully. Their concern stems from a long-standing misconception that American Bullies are hostile and dangerous.
American Bullies have a bad reputation just because they are scary looking. Out of all the Bully-biting cases that took place in the U.S. in the last decade, only two percent were caused by American Bullies.
That makes only a fraction of what the Pitbull does; unfortunately, American Bully has to suffer the consequences.
Another reason for the concerns and bad reputation is that American Bullies are mistaken for Pitbull. People think since American Bully has all that muscle, it is a fighting breed and won’t be gentle with kids, which is entirely false.
All these are just misconceptions, and there is no truth to them, and American Bullies make for an excellent family pet who is good with babies too.
However, it would be best to take precautions regardless of your dog’s breed.
Safety Precautions
Even though American Bully is a great family companion, keeping the breed comes with a few challenges, and you must take necessary precautions.
- Before introducing your child to the dog, train your Bully.
- Give behavior training early to avoid awkward or hazardous interactions with children, adults, or other animals.
- Socialize the Bully to bring out the gentle side of its nature.
- Teach the Bully to control its jaws, paws, and overall body as they are built to be powerful.
- Take them to a training school or consult a professional dog trainer.
- Dont leave the child and the Bully alone and always supervise their interaction.
FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions
Is American Bully a Good Family Dog?
American Bully is an excellent family dog with a gentle, calm, and happy nature. Bullies are perfect for families with kids and require less maintenance.
Do American Bullies Get Aggressive?
Yes, if not adequately trained, American Bullies and any dog breed will become aggressive. To avoid such instances with your Bully, train and socialize them from an early age.
Are American Bullies Destructive?
American Bullies are very powerful and have very strong jaws that can rip apart almost anything.
American Bullies can quickly destroy any toys you may have bought as they love to chew everything in sight to learn more about their world. Always buy sturdy toys so they can last a long time.
What is the Personality of An American Bully?
American Bully has a very charismatic personality with a calm and sweet demeanor. Bullies are full of energy but know when to be gentle because they are brilliant. Regarded as highly loyal, American Bullies protect their owner and family.
Conclusion
American Bullies are perfect for your family and make great friends with your children. No breed is exceptional to misfortune, and incidents do happen.
You must do your part in maintaining a good relationship with your Bully. How the Bully behaves is entirely contingent on how you train them. A good owner always has a good dog, and a good dog is always a best friend.
