Are American Bullies Stubborn? Quick Tips to Deal with Stubborn Dogs
American bullies breed are considered among the best companion dogs. They are affectionate, loyal, and smart. But, they also have a tendency to be stubborn which makes them hard to train.
So, are American Bullies stubborn? American Bullies can be very stubborn sometimes. They aren’t the best breed for first-time owners, as they don’t always follow commands, especially when they are not properly motivated. They require persistent training from a strong, confident owner to prevent them from developing stubborn behavior.
Keep reading to learn more about why American bullies are stubborn and how to train them properly to prevent them from being stubborn.
Are American Bullies Stubborn?

American bullies are very smart dogs, but sometimes they act stubborn, which makes it hard to train them.
They won’t obey your commands blindly as they require some effort and patience to make them convinced and motivated enough to obey your commands.
They need a special way of communication. They need to understand why do they have to obey the commands.
It’s best for American Bullies to be trained by confident owners with experience in dealing with stubborn dogs. It’s not recommended for beginners or first-time owners to adopt an American bully.
So, if you are thinking about adopting an American Bully, make sure you can provide the time and effort needed to train these dogs. You also need to make sure that you will remain patient and persistent throughout the training process.
Why are American Bullies Stubborn?
Some American bullies owners are always wondering why their dogs are so stubborn. So, here are the main reasons that lead your American Bully to be stubborn:
- Rushing the dog and not giving it enough time to fully understand what you want from it.
- Spending a long period without training your dog will cause the dog to forget the commands it has learned.
- Forcing your dog to do a certain command when he refuses will make it more stubborn.
- Not giving your dog positive reinforcement and good incentives to make him focus during the training session.
- Making the training too long without properly motivating the dog will cause it to become bored and stop engaging.
- Changing the training methods too often will cause the dog to become confused
- Training the dog in a distracting environment with too many people or noises
How to Train American Bullies?

American Bullies require regular training sessions to teach them how to follow commands and control their behavior.
Here are some tips you can follow to train American Bullies and prevent them from being stubborn:
Keep the training sessions short
Keeping the training session short will make training your American Bully more productive since these dogs tend to lose interest quickly. It will help the dog remain focused and engaged.
It’s recommended to make each session about 15 minutes and to have multiple training sessions throughout the day.
Try not to have too many training sessions throughout the day so that they wouldn’t get bored and refuse to follow your commands.
If you notice that your dog is getting bored, make sure to give it a break so that it can get energized and motivated again.
Keep the training sessions fun and positive.
American bullies are very energetic and playful dogs. You can make them enjoy training by making the training sessions fun and positive.
You can do that by challenging the dog constantly. Try not to focus on one single command; instead, make mix up the commands up and make them more advanced as the dog makes progress.
You can also use positive reinforcement to get the dog to obey the commands more. All dogs s get motivated when they get a positive return on what they are doing.
When using positive reinforcement, make sure that you’re giving the dog a good incentive to follow the command and prevent it from being stubborn. It has to be something that the dog likes such as toys, treats, or words of praise like “good boy.”
Try to remain patient and consistent with the training process.
Consistency is the key when it comes to training your American Bully. You need to establish a schedule for training sessions and to have at least one training session every day.
If you skip the training sessions for too long, it’s going to make your dog confused about what you are asking him to do, which will result in refusing to obey your commands and being stubborn.
You also need to remain patient and persistent throughout the training process as you might not get positive results at each session.
If the dog is acting stubborn and taking more time than usual to obey a certain command, just keep repeating the command until it finally obeys.
However, keep in mind that repeating the command over and over at the dog might not always work. So, don’t force your dog to do the command and give it a short break before trying again.
How to Deal with Stubborn Dog?

Dealing with a stubborn dog can be challenging, but it’s not entirely impossible. You just need to be consistent and patient throughout the training process, and eventually, you will notice positive results.
Here are some quick tips to help you deal with a stubborn dog:
- Try to make your dog understand your command or what you exactly want from them.
- Do not suddenly change the command words you usually use, as this will confuse the dog.
- Make sure to motivate the dog by giving it treats whenever it successfully follows a command.
- Try to strengthen your bond with your dog by spending quality time with it doing fun activities outside training. The more your dog likes you, the more likely it will respond to your command.
- Make sure to train your dog in a distraction-free environment away from any noises so that the dog can stay focused on the training and obeying commands.
You can check out more tips in my guide to dealing with a stubborn pitbull here.
When to Seek Professional Help with Stubborn Dogs?
You should seek professional help with stubborn dogs if you find that all your efforts to stop them from being stubborn are not working.
If the dog’s behavior becomes increasingly stubborn or escalates to become more aggressive, then you need to take it to a trainer that will be able to use more effective methods to get to behave properly.
Teaching and training your dog will always need a great effort and time from you to see a positive change in his behavior. It’s possible that you have done something wrong during the training process that led the dog to become more stubborn.
A professional trainer will help you figure out what you’re doing wrong and give you more tips on how to deal with your dog properly, which will save you a lot of time and effort in the future.
It might also be a good idea to take the dog to the vet for a check-up, as its bad behavior might be the result of an underlying health problem.
Related Questions
Are American Bullies Easy to Train?
Bullies are easy to train as long as you spend the appropriate time and effort on teaching them. They are smart and affectionate dogs. Once you bond with them and train them regularly daily, they will learn very quickly.
How Do American Bullies Usually Behave?
American bullies are very smart, energetic, playful, and funny dogs. They are considered the best companion dog due to the high level of affection and passion they have towards their owners. They could do anything to please them.
What Are the Most Stubborn Dog Breeds?
The most stubborn dog breeds are American Foxhounds, Basset Hounds, Bulldogs, Bull Mastiffs, Chinese Shar-Peis, Pekingese Dogs, and Siberian Huskies. These breeds tend to be independent and headstrong, which causes them to display stubborn behavior like disobeying commands.
Helpful Resources
The 10 Most Stubborn Dog Breeds
7 Strategies for Training a Stubborn Dog
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