Do American Pocket Bullies Need Exercise? 8 Best Exercises for Bullies

Exercise is considered an important aspect of a dog’s daily routine to help it maintain a healthy and active lifestyle. It can also be a part of the dog’s training process to help improve its discipline.

When it comes to breeds such as American Pocket Bullies, pet parents often wonder whether these dogs need to be exercised often because of their stocky muscular build.

So, do American Pocket Bullies need Exercise? American Pocket bullies do need exercise. They’re highly energetic dogs and they require healthy outlets for their energy as well as mental stimulation. It’s recommended for American Pocket Bullies to do about 60 minutes of physical and mental exercises every day.

Keep reading to learn more about the American Pocket Bully breed, how much exercise these dogs need, and some of the best exercises for them.

What Is the Origin of the American Pocket Bully?

The American Bully is a crossbreed between American Pitbull Terriers and American Staffordshire Terriers. The breed is also influenced by other Bulldog breeds including the American Bulldog, English Bulldog, and Pacific Bulldog.

The American Bully breed is different from its ancestors, not only in genetic makeup but also in physical appearance and temperament. It is classified into three main classes according to size which are standard, pocket, and XL.

The American Pocket Bully is simply a shorter version of the Standard American.

When it comes to physical appearance, American Pocket Bullies have a muscular bulky build and blocky head but with a slightly lighter bone structure. The males stand at 14 to 17 inches in height, while the females stand at 13 to 16 inches.

When it comes to their temperament, any negative traits related to the breed’s ancestors, such as aggression toward other animals, were bred out as they have no future purpose for this breed.

Many of the positive traits were kept intact which is why American Bullies are known to be loyal, intelligent, energetic, and friendly toward humans, particularly children. You can learn more about the other types of American bullies in my guide to the unique and rare Merle bullies here.

Are American Pocket Bullies Energetic?

As mentioned before, American Pocket Bullies have retained an abundance of energy from their ancestors.

Because these dogs are highly energetic and enjoy being active, you need to provide them with enough exercise regularly to help them burn off all the excess energy in a healthy manner. Otherwise, they can become bored or depressed which can lead to destructive behaviors that might escalate to aggression.

How Much Exercise Do American Pocket Bullies Need?

The amount of exercise dogs need depends mainly on the dog’s age.

Younger puppies should be exercised less than older dogs because their bodies are not fully developed yet and over-exercising will do more harm to your dog. 

On average, an American Pocket Bully puppy should get around 30 minutes of physical exercise in a day while an older American Pocket Bully should get around 60 minutes of physical exercise in a day.

Mental exercise is just as important as physical exercise. That is because American Pocket Bullies are intelligent dogs so stimulation through engaging activities and games that allow them to use their brain should also be a part of their daily routine.

When to Exercise Your American Pocket Bully?

The most important part of exercising your American Pocket Bully is setting a daily routine your dog can keep up with. It’s also a good idea to implement the exercises with the dog’s training sessions to improve discipline.

When it comes to scheduling the exercise routine, it’s recommended to break it into small manageable sessions with different kinds of exercises throughout the day instead of doing one long continuous session. This will help your dog burn off energy during different parts of the day and prevent it from getting too tired or overwhelmed.

You can start with a 30-minute session of intense physical exercise at the beginning of the day, then do multiple 15-minute sessions of mental exercise or other lighter activities for the rest of the day.

If your dog feels overwhelmed or tired during an exercise session, they will stop responding to your commands and might end up harming themselves. So, it’s very important to allow your dog to take breaks whenever needed.

How to Exercise Your American Pocket Bully?

To exercise your American Pocket Bully, there are some things you need to keep in mind aside from the exercise itself.

First, you need to make sure your dog can follow basic commands like “stop” “sit” “stay” “come” and “down”. You should find opportunities throughout the exercise to incorporate these commands and even progress to more advanced commands as this will help develop your dog’s discipline levels.

Next, you need to make sure your dog can walk properly on a leash as this will help you maintain control of the dog when doing outdoor exercise and avoid any possible accidents or injuries.

To train your Pocket Bully to walk properly on a leash, you need to walk it around the house first before taking it outside. If your dog pulls roughly on the leash or walks ahead of you, stop and wait for them to calm down before continuing.

Make sure to maintain a positive attitude and reward our dog’s good behavior with treats or words of praise until your dog gets used to walking on a leash. You also need to choose a well-fitting collar and leash for your dog as it will respond best to leash training when they feel comfortable.

Finally, you need to be aware that there are certain activities or exercises that should be avoided while your Pocket Bully is in the early stages of their development.

Pocket Bullies are a short and stocky breed so pushing them too hard with exercise can cause extra stress on their joints and bones while they’re developing which could lead to more serious damage as the dog grows.

What Kind of Exercises Are Best for American Bullies? 8 To Try Today

Each dog has its own personality and will prefer doing certain exercises or activities over others.

American Pocket Bullies are energetic and intelligent so they will enjoy doing anything that offers them a challenge and engages them both physically and mentally, especially if it involves interacting with their owlet parents.

It’s recommended to try various kinds of exercises and activities with your American Pocket Bully, so you can find out what you both enjoy and keep things fun.

It’s also recommended to gauge the intensity level of each exercise based on your dog’s age and energy levels to ensure the exercise routine wouldn’t be too straining for them.

Walking, Jogging, or Running

The best form of physical exercise for most dogs is going daily walks and it should be a part of your American Pocket Bully’s routine as they enjoy being outdoors.

Walking will also strengthen your bond with your dog and help with socialization as your dog will be able to encounter and explore new environments, sights, smells, and people when it’s outside.

It’s recommended to keep the walks short at the beginning, for approximately 15-20 minutes, then increase the duration gradually as your dog becomes more comfortable. When you feel like your dog is comfortable enough with walking, you can also try leveling up the exercise by jogging or running.

Make sure to gauge your dog’s energy levels during the walk as they might suddenly get overtired and avoid pushing it to walk on difficult terrains or in extreme weather conditions.

Hiking is also a great variation of walking/running and the change of scenery will definitely be welcome by your dog, but you do need to be prepared and know what you’re doing. You can check out my guide to hiking with your American Bully here.

Climbing Stairs

If you’re looking for a way to exercise your American Pocket Bully physically while remaining indoor, then the best exercise would be making your dog climb stairs inside your house or apartment building.

You can ask your Pocket Bully to follow you while you are climbing the stairs or you can throw a ball or soft toy upstairs for them to fetch. This can also be a good opportunity to train your dog to follow commands.

Make sure to give your dog treats and praise when they successfully follow a command to keep them motivated.

Flirt Poles

A flirt pole is a kind of catch and release toy for dogs. It’s basically a long stick made of light wood or plastic and attached to it is a long string or rope that has a lure or a dog toy attached to its other end.

It’s a great form of physical exercise for your American Pocket Bully and it can help it develop its coordination skills. It’s also ideal when you want to exercise with your dog in a small space.

My own bullies absolutely love this flirt pole by Outward hound, and you can check it out here or by clicking on the image below. It’s really the best out there for the price.

Fetch Game

A classic game of fetch is an ideal form of physical exercise for American Pocket Bullies.

It will be a fun activity you can enjoy with your dog and also a great opportunity to incorporate some commands as you can ask your dog to sit and wait before you release them to fetch as well as drop and return the ball to you.

Tug of War Game

Tug of war is another game your American Pocket Bully can get some physical form and enjoy doing with you, especially if your dog is teething. It’s also a good opportunity to practice release and drop commands.

Just make sure to get a good tug toy or rope that your Pocket Bully would enjoy playing with.

Nose Work Games

Nose works games help your American Pocket Bullies develop and enhance their scent recognition and tracking abilities, but that doesn’t mean your dog won’t physically benefit from them.

These games are great for stimulating your dog mentally while keeping them physically active at the same time.

You can also easily play these kinds of games indoors with your dog by placing treats or toys in little boxes around your home and leaving a scent trail to the boxes.  Make sure to praise your dog and give it a treat when they succeed at following the trail and finding the boxes.

Related Questions

Are American Pocket Bullies Aggressive?

American Pocket bullies are not aggressive by nature. However, they can be territorial and protective, so they will become aggressive if they sense a threat or a stranger coming into their territory. Their behavior also depends on their training and socialization.

Are American Pocket Bullies Hard to Train?

American Pocket Bullies are not hard to train as long as you start training them at a young age. This will help build a stronger bond with them and ensure they’re properly socialized. Training an older Pocket Bully might be more challenging, but not impossible.

What Kind of Diet Do American Pocket Bullies Need?

American Pocket Bullies need a balanced diet that contains regular nutrient-filled meals. They also need to consume around 200-300 calories per every pound of their body. The number and quality of calories your dog consumes have a great effect on how fast it grows and the size it can reach on full growth.

When Do American Pocket Bullies Become Fully Grown?

American Pocket Bullies become fully grown when they reach 1 or 2 years of age. Once they’re fully grown, they will weigh around 30-60 pounds and their height will be at 13-17 inches. Their growth rate mainly depends on the dog’s genetic makeup as well as its diet.

How Much Does an American Pocket Bully Cost?

An American Pocket Bully costs between $3000 and $8000 on average. Their cost depends mainly on the dog’s quality and bloodline. It can also depend on where the dog was purchased, whether it’s from a reputable breeder, a backyard breeder, a rescue shelter, or a pet store.

Helpful Resources 

The Standards of the American Bully – UKC

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