XL bully.

[PinkSyCo]

Does anybody have one? My grown up son’s friend’s bully had pups two months ago and my son has offered to buy me one. I have seen photos and they are adorable, but their mum looks….well scary. 🥺 I have been assured that she’s not at all and have done some research, which tells me that they have had any aggressive behaviours intentionally bred out of them and are fantastic family dogs, but I am still a little bit dubious as I look after my toddler grandson 3 days a week. Can anyone reassure me that bullys are indeed good with children like I am being told.

I'm not an XL bully owner but have a family member with 2.
They are both truly loveable dogs, huge babies that constantly want cuddles, think they can sit in your lap but forget their own size. However, neither were given proper training and chewed through no end of furniture whilst they were pups - they're both better now.
When you look online, you do tend to see pictures of XL bullies that nearly look like they've been on roids! I think they're on a certain diet because the two I know (which are naturally Massive!!) are definitely not bulging with muscle like you seen in many pictures!
As someone else mentioned, any dog has the potential to turn and I do believe they can be a product of their environment but it's just whether you're confident that you can restrain a dog of that size. In context, one of the dogs I know is as tall as my 6'2 husband when on hind legs.

Thankyou bunnygeek for your measured and helpful reply. You can tell who the people who REALLY care about dogs are on here.

Your reasons for buying a pup are questionable and so is the method of purchasing. For that reason YABU.

But the breed prejudice here is disgusting. I have a bull breed and I'm neither a twat nor have a small penis (obviously). What an idiotic comment.

XL bullies I don't really know about but our breed is a lovely family pet, yes he's strong and can be boisterous but he is also incredibly loving and playful. Certain bull breeds were used as nanny dogs so this perception of them being savage is false.

However I wouldn't enter into getting one lightly. You really need to think it through and be aware that you will get uneducated, prejudiced morons who cross the road to avoid you. Their loss.

“As someone else mentioned, any dog has the potential to turn and I do believe they can be a product of their environment”

Genetics plays a huge part though... and what most XL bullies in the U.K. actually are, are dogs bred to look aggressive, by not particularly careful breeders - so the chances are fairly high that they’ll ignore any behavioural issues that could be passed on the same way they do joint and skin problems.

A horrific incident happened recently with one of these dogs. I would never consider having one, I would not even like to live on the same street as one!
The damage they can do to a person is terrifying, yes all dogs can 'turn' if pushed but not all dogs can do the same amount of damage!
Lion cubs are cute, but you wouldn't want one as a pet!
Dont do it!

I'd cross the road to avoid an XL bully precisely because i have educated myself about them, and I'm not risking anything happening to my small dogs. They'd be mincemeat if one of them got hold of them and anecdotal evidence is that they are prone to being dog reactive.

Your hurt feefees about me crossing the street are not worth my dogs being hurt or killed by someones monster of a dog.

My main concerns would be:

• Big bouncy puppy / adolescent + a toddler sounds v hard to manage
• Strong dog - my 16kg spaniel nearly pulled me over on slippery mud, no way could I restrain a dog that size
• Heavy dog = bigger vets bills (antibiotics, painkillers etc are dispensed according to weight)
• As dog ages, mobility could become an issue - if it collapsed I could never lift it. My nan sadly struggled with this with her great Danes- one of my criteria was a breed I could pick up in an emergency
• Another tall dog issue - they can reach everything. Nothing is safe 😂
• I've heard some people have trouble getting insurance for XL bullies as they aren't a breed as such yet. Might be something to check before committing.

They are ABKC registered tabulahrasa, ears intact ( I know you didn’t ask that, but someone else did on here). This is all I know so far-even the age I am just guessing- as it was only a late last night discussion with my son and he is at work today. I am basically just doing some research online and putting the feelers out on here before asking him all the more important questions before even considering visiting the dogs.

If you did visit the dog op could you just meet the mum on the first visit instead of the puppy? Or any other adult dogs they have - it's far too easy to come home with the cute puppy!

Oh that’s horrible GingerFoxInAT0phat. This sort of story puts me off adopting any breed of older dog to be honest because you just don’t know what could trigger it, and I would hate to have to give up a dog. I wonder what kind of life the poor thing is leading now. Just tied up and used as a guard dog probably.

Your reasons for buying a pup are questionable and so is the method of purchasing. For that reason YABU.

May I ask why?

Ones just killed a 10yo boy in wales. The majority here are owned and bred by idiots who have found a loophole into owning pitbulls (which make up the majority of their dna), except they’re generally even larger and more powerful. They have dog aggression tendencies, they are also responsible for a higher than normal percentage of attacks on humans compared to the population of their breed. And the simple fact is that if the dog does decide to attack another animal or a human there is literally not a single thing you will be able to do to stop it. Yes the majority of well bred and well brought up ones can be great with kids, when one decides it wants to kill a child though, then that child is going to die. Why not choose a less destructive breed?

I wouldn’t.

Someone I know has just got a puppy that’s a huge powerful breed and she has her grandchildren who are toddlers regularly, it scares me. She’s never owned a dog before either.

• My main concerns would be:

• Big bouncy puppy / adolescent + a toddler sounds v hard to manage
• Strong dog - my 16kg spaniel nearly pulled me over on slippery mud, no way could I restrain a dog that size
• Heavy dog = bigger vets bills (antibiotics, painkillers etc are dispensed according to weight)
• As dog ages, mobility could become an issue - if it collapsed I could never lift it. My nan sadly struggled with this with her great Danes- one of my criteria was a breed I could pick up in an emergency
• Another tall dog issue - they can reach everything. Nothing is safe 😂
• I've heard some people have trouble getting insurance for XL bullies as they aren't a breed as such yet. Might be something to check before committing.*

Some really interesting points/cons there that I hadn’t even considered. Thank you!

My neighbours have an XL Bully....she's huge! I wouldn't have one, just purely on the size and strength of the dog. I have a GSD but she's quite small - 32kg. I can hold her, lift her, restrain her etc. but I wouldn't have a large male. My inlaws have a 50kg Rottie and she's pulled them to the ground on walks...they'd have no chance if she ran at something or someone.

If you did visit the dog op could you just meet the mum on the first visit instead of the puppy? Or any other adult dogs they have - it's far too easy to come home with the cute puppy!

Now this is a very good idea. Do you think it might be an idea to meet it in the park too. I’m thinking that way I may be able to see how both owner and dog are around other dogs.

I love large dogs and generally find them to be soppy lovebugs. However, my dog was playing in the park with a lovely 8 month old mastiff puppy, similar in size and build to the dog you are talking about. At some point it jumped up on me with its paws on my thigh. Just this totally friendly movement left a 20cm very bad bruise running down my thigh and a cut where each claw was. The dog was doing nothing really wrong except jumping up a bit but the sheer weight of the dog caused injuries. If I had been an older person or a child that could have been quite debilitating. I would think twice even without any of the other considerations just from the combination of a big uncoordinated heavy pup plus children plus getting older myself.

This was the thread I was thinking of regarding insurance issues:
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/the_doghouse/4238034-xl-bully-insurance?pg=2

Lots of paperwork needed and one poster who managed to get quotes says they were quoted £170-180 a month.

Also worth reading up on Breed Specific Legislation - a dog does not need to have any pitbull ancestry to fit the "type" of pitbull in the UK. I dont agree with BSL but worth being aware of it with any chunky bully mix which could potentially fit the "type".

Ones just killed a 10yo boy in wales. The majority here are owned and bred by idiots who have found a loophole into owning pitbulls (which make up the majority of their dna), except they’re generally even larger and more powerful. They have dog aggression tendencies, they are also responsible for a higher than normal percentage of attacks on humans compared to the population of their breed.

Ok I didn’t know all of this. I read that the aggression was bred out of them and that’s what made them great family pets, which is what I want-not a guard dog, a status symbol and DEFINITELY not a penis enhancer haha. I think I’ve been persuaded 100% against getting one now. My grandson is far too precious to risk it. Thanks all x

Ive owned big large bully breeds before and i Currently have a miniature dachshund the size of a shoe. I dont leave her alone with my toddler and she has every capability of biting as much as a bull breed. I prefer bully breeds but ive owned them before and can keep on top of them and enjoy their personalityand the challenges that comes with it. They can be very stubborn and if you give them an inch theyll take a mile and never forget it. If your not on top of them and they know they rule the roost or can get one over on you, THATS where your problems will start and very difficult to correct. Short version is unless your confident you can manage a bull breed, dont get one. They are absolute derps until they mature which is around 2 years if not longer as well

You cannot breed the aggression out.

Let’s think about guide dogs. There are hundreds of a scientists whose sole job is to monitor and select the right genetics. Breed the best of the best and raise them under very strict socialisation and training protocols.
At the end, you should have solid guide dogs, an excellent pairing of genetics and correct raising (nature and nurture).

And yet less than 40% of puppies graduate to guide dogs.

Because in 60% of cases their inherent traits (gundogs- tendency to chase, easily distracted, impulse control etc) show through. Sometimes as puppies, sometimes as they mature.
Nothing has happened to make this behaviour change. The instinct was there all along, suppressed. And 60% of the dogs will fail because of this instinct.

Now if this happens in probably the strictest and most rigorous selective breeding program in the world, overseen by top scientists, what on Earth makes you think Paul and Sue from down the road have managed to somehow 100% breed out the inherent, instinctive ‘Attack’ temperament that bullbreeds are wired for in just a few generations?

The pitbull that make a nice family pet and lives a long happy life is genetically an anomaly. And breeding an anomaly with another anomaly (“both parents have lovely temperaments”) does not guarantee an anomaly.

I'd never let my 4-year-old DS go into the home of someone with an XL bully, no matter how nice/kind/gentle they said it was. Humans can't control a dog of that size if it goes bonkers for whatever reason.

In fact, DS doesn't go into the home of anyone with a dog bred for attacking (staffies, bulldogs...etc.) - it's really not worth the risk for me.

You are right alpinia. A playful muscular puppy could I’m sure easily knock my 18 month old grandson over. I’m not risking it. Thank you.

I dont think you should. I think if you want a dog, then try rescue first, or at least if youre buying a puppy, get one that hasnt been overbred to within an inch of its life, and thats without getting an extra large bull breed from your sons mate. Of course the puppies are adorable. Baby animals are usually very cute, but they dont stay like that for long