Many people don’t know that a pit bull isn’t a breed of dog. Pit bulls are actually any dog breed that consists of several bully breeds. However, in day to day conversation, it’s only certain pit bulls that are considered pit bulls. This is because countless breeds of bully dogs are entirely peaceful and well-behaved.
The Great Dane, for instance, is known for being a very gentle dog despite its massive and lanky appearance. The Great Dane is also a bully breed. The American Bully, very obviously a bully breed, even ranks as one of the most well behaved dog breeds today. Even some of the more dangerous bully breeds, dogs like the Dogo Argentino and Cane Corso, rank highly in temperament.
This is because bully breeds tend to be intelligent, loyal, and protective. Certain breeds can become aggressive and territorial, but only if improperly trained. The advantage of any modern pet owner is knowledge. Knowledge of training, socialization, and treatment have all evolved rapidly in recent years. Bully breeds tend to be large, strong, and short-coated. A wild bully breed can be pretty dangerous, but a domesticated one is only dangerous when improperly trained.
So are bully breeds bullies? No, many just need to be respected as the bigger and more active dogs that they are. After all, even the French Bulldog, a tiny little dog, is a bully breed at the end of the day. The French Bulldog, even when horribly trained, isn’t a bully, it’s a nuisance. What makes a bully breed a bully is a big dog being improperly trained.
