The American Bully is a recently formed companion dog breed, originally recognized by the American Bully Kennel Club (ABKC). It has been recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) since July 15, 2013. It is a small to large breed which has been divided into four categories; Pocket, Standard, Classic and XL.

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Founded in the United States between 1980 and 1990, the American Bully was produced using a foundation of American Staffordshire Terriers and American Pit Bull Terriers bred to several bulldog-type breeds. It was created with the purpose of being a family companion dog.

 

While some of the founding kennels, namely Razor's Edge owner Dave Wilson, affirmed that they used only the two first aforementioned breeds to produce the desired dogs, it is consensus that at least five other breeds were used to attain the more "bully" physical traits desired. These are assumed to be the American Bulldog, English Bulldog, Olde English Bulldogge, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and French Bulldog.

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According to ABKC the initial desire for this breed was to produce a dog with a lower drive and more of the "bully" traits than the American Staffordshire Terrier. Mass and heavy bone was prioritized to ensure such a look, and due to this many of the dogs shown today display the wide front for which they were originally bred.

 

The breed was first recognized by its breed club, the American Bully Kennel Club, in 2004. This registry first acted as a means to document pedigrees and show the breed against its written standard.

 

During the early years of the breed, a wide spectrum of dogs were shown, many displaying physical traits of the other introduced breeds; these were penalized heavily by the registry, forcing owners and breeders of such dogs to create new means to show their style of dog without being rejected.

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