Are American Bullies Easy to Train? 5 Tips You Need

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Have you been thinking about adopting an American bully? American Bullies are known to be very active, fun-loving, and smart dogs. They generally make a great family pet as they are very sociable and can easily get along with almost anyone.

On the other hand, American Bullies are also known to be stubborn and not very great at following commands. But don’t worry, just like all dogs, a bit of consistent training is all they need to become your best well-behaved life-long companion.

Are American Bullies easy to train? American Bullies are easy to train as long as you start training them as puppies and remain consistent with their training. Even though they are known to be a stubborn breed, they are very smart and affectionate. If you start training them as puppies, they will learn fast and stick to their training.

Since I’ve had some experience training my own bullies, I’ll share with you everything I know about training bullies and how it can be different from training other dogs, so keep reading…

Are American Bullies Easy to Train?

American Bullies are generally easy to train, but it’s crucial that you start their training as early as possible.

You might face some hurdles when training your puppy due to the stubbornness and high energy of the American Bully breed, but nothing is unsolvable as long as you remain patient and consistent throughout the training process.

When to Start Training Your American Bully?

It’s best to start training your American Bully as soon as it’s 4 months old. The earlier you start training your puppy, the more effective its training will be, and the more likely it will grow up to be well-behaved and follow the rules.

You can start including training sessions in your puppy’s daily routine to make sure that the rules you teach it are ingrained in its brain.

Common Issues You May Face While Training Your American Bully

Let’s dig in on some of the issues you might face while training your adorable American Bully and how -with some easy tips and tricks- you can overcome them.

Stubbornness

We can’t mention this enough times. American bullies can be very stubborn at times.

Even though they are much more flexible as puppies than they are as adults, you need to be patient with their training and not give up.

High Energy

American Bullies have high energy, which might be fun while playing with them, but it also makes them hard to restrain. American Bully puppies will always want to run, jump and play. You need to be very patient and accept their nature, but never give up your training rules.

What Are the Most Important Things to Train Your American Bully On?

There are many things you can train your dog in. Even though it’s more fun to start by teaching them some cool tricks like extending their paws to shake your hand, you should probably start with basic house rules to make your life a bit easier.

Here are some of the most important things to train your American Bully on:

Potty Training

Just like with toddlers, potty training might be hard and take a lot of hits and misses, but it’s super important and will eventually make life a lot easier for you.

Train your American Bully to potty outdoors at all times. Whenever you see them circle, squat, or sniff around, take them to their designated potty area and wait for them to finish and clean up their mess.

Crate Training

Everyone needs a safe and comfortable space to retreat to, and that is exactly what you want your dog’s crate to become.

Crates are not a punishment for your dog, so you should never force your dog inside and make sure it’s spacious enough to give your dog a good view of its surroundings. You can add a blanket, some toys, and even snacks inside to encourage your dog to use the crate.

Commands Training

There are a couple of very basic obedience commands you should teach your dog early on. “Stay,” “Come,” and “Sit” are some of the most common commands.

The secret to teaching your dog verbal commands is consistency. You should always use the exact same words and whenever they obey, reward them with a tasty treat.

Bite inhibition

Dogs bite for two reasons: either they have tooth pains or, just like toddlers, they like to explore objects around them. But, unlike toddlers, dogs have razor-sharp teeth and can really hurt you.

To train your dog to understand that biting is not okay, you need to verbally express your pain whenever they bite too hard, yelp loudly, and stop playing with them.

During their teething, puppies really need to chew on a lot of stuff for their teeth to grow healthy and strong, but you can redirect their chewing to something other than your hands, legs, shoes, and furniture. You can check out my full guide on chew toys for dogs here.

5 Useful Tips for Training American Bullies

You are now ready to start training your American Bully. So, here are some useful tips you can follow to make the training process easier and more effective

1. Keep training sessions short. A 5-10 minutes daily training session is more than enough for your puppy. Dogs have a short attention span, so long sessions will be a waste of your time.
2. Make sure training sessions are fun. American Bullies are fun-loving creatures. Train them through fun games, so they look forward to your commands.
3. Always be consistent with training. Some days you might feel tired or not in the mood to correct your dog’s behavior, but this gives your dog mixed signals and will mess up any progress you’ve made.
4. Remember that positive reinforcement is key. We all love some praise and small treats when we act good, and so does your dog. Positive reinforcement will encourage your dog to follow your rules.
5. Meal time is great for training. You can teach them commands like “sit.” Make sure they follow your command before you put down their food, then follow it with “good boy.”

Advanced Training for American Bullies

Once your dog is done with all their basic training and you feel satisfied, you can move into more advanced training and fun tricks. 

One of the important advanced skills you can teach your dog is swimming. Most dogs love swimming and will be very willing to learn. You can teach them yourself if you feel confident in your skills, or you can take them to a training facility with professionals. Learn more about teaching your American Bully to swim here.

Even though swimming is usually optional training. If you happen to have a swimming pool at home, it becomes an essential safety measure. Dogs love playing outside, and you don’t want to accidentally fall and drown in your pool, so make sure you go through with swimming training.

As we mentioned, American Bullies are very physical and active, so another advanced skill they will be willing to learn is increased agility. You can take your dog to an obstacle course every week or so and train them to run, jump over obstacles, climb, dodge, and do many other exercises.  

A big part of your dog’s training is not only teaching them good things but also teaching them what things are bad and training them to stop these bad behaviors. You can learn how to discipline your dog (correctly and effectively) in this guide.

Conclusion

In conclusion, adopting and raising an American bully can be a bit challenging and requires a lot of patience, commitment, and consistency in training.

It might take a lot of hits and misses for you to find the best training process for your dog. But once you get the hang of it, adopting an American Bully will be the best thing you’ve ever you’ve

These smart, energetic, sociable dogs are great family pets and will get along wonderfully with everyone in your household. Even if you live on your own, an American Bully will make a great fun-loving companion. 

Related Questions 

Are American Bullies Stubborn? 

American Bullies are known to be very stubborn. Training them can take a lot of time and effort so they may not really be suitable dogs for first-time owners or passive owners. If you want to make the training process easier, you need to start when your is still a puppy.

Are American Bullies High Maintenance?

American Bullies are fairly low maintenance. They have a significantly short coat of hair, and brushing them a few times a week should keep their coat healthy. American Bullies also clean themselves regularly and do not require baths too often as long as they don’t roll in the mud.

Are American Bullies Good for First-Time Owners?

American Bullies are not good for first-time owners. They might not be huge in size but they are very strong, and stubborn, and they require lots of stern training. American bullies are more suitable for people who have previous experience with dogs and know how to train and handle them.

Helpful Resources 

7 Strategies for Training a Stubborn Dog

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