Other considerations:
● American Bulldogs are big, powerful dogs; hence they’re best suited for active owners.
● If you’re limited on time, consider adopting an adult American bulldog instead of pup.
● American Bulldog pups need significant time to train and socialise.
● These dogs can have larger litters. Females can get litters of up to eleven pups.
● They are generally not an aggressive breed. As long as they’re well-socialised and trained, they should be tame.
How can I take good care of my American Bulldog or American Bulldog Puppy?
Nutrition
Being a working breed, these dogs need the right amount of foods to fuel their active lifestyles. Choose a diet that’s formulated for large to giant breeds.
For puppies, feed them approximately 3 – 4 cups of food every day. This can be split between four feedings. When they’re older, you can reduce to approximately three feedings of 2.5 – 3 cups of food daily.
Grooming
American Bulldogs need hygienic care almost every day. Due to their signature wrinkled faces, moisture accumulates in their skin folds. This leads to bacterial and fungal infection. To prevent this, check their skin for dryness or infection.
Fortunately, they only need minimal grooming when it comes to their coats. Their fine, short hair requires brushing only once per week.
Recommended Grooming Tips:
● American Bulldogs are prone to ear infections more than other breeds. Therefore, you should check their ears weekly for signs of infection.
● Brush their teeth 1 – 2 times per week to prevent decay and bad breath.
● Trim your dog’s nails as needed.
Exercise
Aim to give your dog 1 – 2 hours of exercise every day. If you fail to meet their exercise requirements, it’s likely that they’ll take it out on your home.
Activities can range from agility to farm work, jogging and chasing balls. You can also take them to obedience training classes.
If you live in an apartment, you’ll need to find a way to exercise them outdoors everyday, otherwise these dogs are not suited for apartment living. The ideal environment for this breed is a home with a large fenced yard.
Training
Puppyhood is the perfect time to train your American Bulldog. At that time, their personalities are still developing and are easy to mould.
Before starting the training sessions, it’s advisable to get your dog a collar. Since they have a broad head and thick neck, ensure you get one that leaves plenty of room to prevent choking.
Next, owners should socialize their puppies with kids, other people and friendly dogs. These dogs become very protective of their families, but once they see you interacting with other people, they quickly learn that not everyone is dangerous.
