History of the American Bully Breed

In order to determine the history of the American Bully Breed, I had to dive deep and really dig.  There are a lot of articles on the internet with different information as to where these dogs actually came from. Along with the article posted yesterday, more research was needed.

According to the American Kennel Club, they originated from the English Bulldog.  According to the American Bully Kennel Club, they originated from the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier.

However, because of the controversial information that I found, I decided to dig a little deeper.  I wanted to know where this breed actually originated from.

Beginning History of the American Bully Breed Dogs

The American Bully Breed dogs are a fairly new breed as recognized by the ABKC.  This particular breed has been around since 1990, they weren’t actually recognized by the ABKC until 2004.

If a breed isn’t recognized by the AKC, ABKC or other National Clubs, then they can not be papered.  Meaning, they can’t be sold as purebred nor can they be entered into shows.

According to the AKC, the American Bully breed is bred from the English Bulldog breed.  This is actually only partially true.  I wanted to dig a little deeper than this.   Several Bully Breed sites state that they only originated from the American Pit Bull Terrier and the Staffordshire Terrier.

More History – Digging Deeper into the History of the American Bully Breed.

Since I’m a research fanatic, I like to try to focus on .org sites in order to find factual information versus just .com’s.  I found this breed started in the 1980s.  Several kennels started in the breeding process of this particular dog.  They wanted to create an Americanized version of the bulldog.

The two main breeds used in the initial breeding process were the American Pit Bull Terrier and the American Staffordshire Terrier.  Because the kennels wanted a more Bulldog-like appearance.   The English Bulldog, the American Bulldog, the Olde English Bulldogge and the French were all included in the making of the American Bully according to Wikipedia.org.

Why did the Breeders use so many Breeds?

I tried looking into why the initial kennels used so many breeds to make the American Bully.  It’s pretty hard to locate this information since the Razor’s Edge Kennels were difficult to find. Razor’s Edge dogs are around, but those are the original breeds that formed the Bully breed.  Many kennels have the Razor’s Edge line, but the Kennel or original breeder is hard to locate.

From the information I gathered, the initial kennel’s wanted a dog that wasn’t as aggressive.  They mixed the breed until the aggressive traits were eradicated.  What stemmed from them was the loyal, hard-working dog that’s known today as the American Bully.

In overall appearance, the American Bully looks nothing like the American Pit Bull Terrier, or the American Staffordshire Terrier.  Rather, they have similar traits with the Olde English Bulldogge.  In pulling up images of this particular breed, I can see a lot the facial features in my American Bully, especially the muzzle and the jowls.

I can see why the original kennels would’ve mixed so many breeds together.  To form the current American Bully dog; they exhibit several traits among all the breeds listed above.

Different Sizes of the American Bully Breeds Today

The American Bully Breed originally wasn’t the small version that many see today, also called the Pocket, the Micro or Exotics.   They started off as medium-sized dogs, also known as the Classic and the Standard.  Both are similar in overall size which the males are usually 17 to 20 inches and the females are 16 to 19 inches in height.

The only difference between the Standard and the Classic size is the overall muscular structure between the two. The Classic American Bullies are more thin in comparison while the Standard’s are the thick muscular dogs we typically associate with the American Bullies.

There are also the Pocket size dogs, which are the smallest of the breed that is recognized by the ABKC.  Some breeders have gone smaller as mentioned above, the Micro size or Exotic size dogs.   However, they haven’t actually been recognized as of yet.  Maybe one day?

The largest of the breed are the XL’s measuring between 20 inches and 23 inches from their shoulders to the floor.  The females are usually 19 to 22 inches in height.

There is Still More to Learn.

Since the internet has an abundance of information in the history of this breed, I am still diving into their factual history every day.   There are a ton of breeders out there that claim the history of this dog stems strictly from the American Pit Bull and the Staffordshire’s.   I believe, based on the information that I’ve found over the course of several days, that they do have the original Bulldog breed’s in them.

Their demeanor, appearance, and temperament, all exhibit bulldog qualities on a regular basis.  Are they slightly similar to American Pit Bulls and American Staffordshire’s?  Of course, that’s part of their lineage.  Bulldogs are notoriously docile, friendly and very calm dogs which is precisely the demeanor of the American Bullies I’ve been around.

Bullies will have different qualities to them based on how they’re raised.   The docile nature of the bulldog matches the docile nature of not only my Bully, Atlas, but her brother as well.

If I’m able to locate some original kennels that initially bred these dogs, then I will share my knowledge with the world so that we all have a better understanding of these awesome dogs.

Which qualities and traits do you see with your Bully breed? Does your dog seem more like the American Pit Bull, the American Staffordshire, or Bulldog?  With so many breeders out there now raising these wonderful dogs, I’d love to hear about how your American Bully acts at home with you.   How about around other dogs?  And of course, with kids?

Comment below with your best stories! Attach pictures of your dogs for the world to see how beautiful they are!