How Much Does An American Bully Cost?

Original Article by BULLY KING Magazine

HOW MUCH?

One of the most commonly asked questions that we receive is “how much does an American Bully cost?”  Breeders get asked “how much?” Several times a day, in emails, Facebook, social media messages & under their photos.  As much as I’m sure they would love to respond to every single “howmucher” it could take up their entire day.  Most of the time it will be listed in their post (Read it) or can be found on the kennels’ website. Those seriously interested in a puppy should contact the breeder with questions.

Nonetheless, it is a great topic, and lots of people want to know.. how much does an American Bully cost?

HOW MUCH DOES A QUALITY AMERICAN BULLY COST?

Unfortunately, the answer isn’t that simple.  Prices on average run anywhere from $2500 to $5000, although they can be below or above that range. Quality bloodlines and “bullier” dogs can sometimes cost more than this. When you’re spending $2-$7000 (depending on pedigree, accomplishments, structure, and quality) you have to make sure you’re dealing with a legitimate breeder.  Just because a breeder is asking a higher price on a dog doesn’t mean its better than someone who is selling at a lower price.

THE KEY IS WHO YOU DO BUSINESS WITH

There are several mediocre dogs being sold for over $5000, just like there is some incredible Champion produced American Bullies priced at or below $3000.  The key is who you do business with, make sure it’s someone with a good reputation.  Ask for references.  Of course there are always comments on breeder’s posts “my boy has some for $1500”  And many people end up going the cheaper route-  only to spend several thousand over the course of their dog’s lifetime on supplements like Bully Max, Muscle Bully, and outrageously priced dog food only to realize they’ll never get the build that they would have gotten had they invested a little more in a quality bloodline known for “bullier” traits.

FINDING A GOOD BREEDER

Good breeders won’t hide behind a photo, they’ll have plenty of Video, and can be found at Shows competing and letting the public see their dogs.  The breeder will probably own a Champion or multiple Champions.  Good breeders are proud of their dogs and will want to show them off, not hide them. They will have VIDEO of their dogs, not a couple glamor shot photos (oftentimes photoshopped)  A good breeder will also have productions (in house produced dogs) for you to see to get an idea of the build, structure, color and look that their Stud has produced.

TRUST THE BLOOD?

You’ve probably heard the saying “trust the blood.” What they are referring to, is the dog’s pedigree. The best determinate of the future build of a puppy is the dog’s genetics. Look at the parents. BOTH PARENTS.  Many breeders will use well-known Studs to increase litter sales often pairing the Stud with a below-average female.  Although this sometimes produces a few nice dogs, the majority of the time it does not.  It takes BOTH a quality female and Stud to produce a consistent litter.

Quality females are what separates breeders that are a “flash in the pan” (with a lot of hype behind them) and breeders who produce quality litters time after time.  There is some debate as to the percentage a female contributes to the litter, some say 60% some say more and others say a little less. Who really knows the exact percentage, or if there even is one. All we can say from our own experience, our interviews with some of the top breeders and what we’ve seen produced.  Females play an extremely important role in producing quality litter.

View Our Females

Females don’t get nearly as much love as the Top Males and Best Studs, but mark our words.. they are as important, if not more important.  This is why it takes both a quality male and a quality female to produce impressive litters on a consistent basis.  With a Top Stud-bred with a below-average female, most of the time the offspring will be a watered-down version of what you had initially hoped for.

BIG NAMES IN THE PEDIGREE

The next mistake that many customers make is assuming that just because a top dog is in the pedigree, the Stud or productions will be top of the line.  As Ty Lumley of Double L Kennel’s covered in the last issue, traits are much more important than the names in a dog’s pedigree.  Look at the actual dogs (The Sire & Dam) when making your judgment, don’t just assume it will yield an impressive litter because of a few big names in the pedigree behind them.  The Sire & Dam should carry the traits or “look” you’re hoping to get.

“I focus on what traits each individual dog brings to the table, the positives and negatives, and what traits are strong in their pedigree. Not what names are in the pedigree, but what traits are strong, the traits that are consistent from the parents and the littermates to each individual dog.  I’ve seen scatter bred dogs that are some of the best examples of the breed and tightly bred dogs of a certain line that look nothing like what the line was intended to look like.  In my opinion, the dog itself is what makes the pedigree valuable not the other way around.”

DETERMINING SHOW QUALITY

What to look for when determining if a dog is show quality will probably be an entire article in itself that we will eventually cover.  When choosing a puppy look for defects. Fabian Chichester put it best “what’s small now gets big later.”  Meaning an underbite, bad feet, high rear, roach back, kinked tail, etc. will most likely remain, if not get worse as the dog grows.

Check the bite, look for straight feet and good overall conformation compared to the pup’s littermates. Color is in right now, so a lot of customers will choose color first.  I would take structure over color any day of the week.  With a good breeder, you should be able to find what you’re looking for.  The best video I’ve seen that covers “Determining Show Quality” can be found on Bullybadasstv’s Youtube Channel.  After you watch that, be sure to check out their Video on “Breed Type” to further your understanding.

If you begin attending Shows you’ll repeatedly hear the term “breed type.” the “dog is a great example of breed type”, or maybe the judge says your dog “has excellent structure but lacks breed type.”  So, what is breed type?  The American Bully’s breed type is geared to differentiate this type of dog (The American Bully) from other breeds of dog.  There should be no confusion at first glance what type of breed this is, and its features should clearly differentiate the American Bully from the American Pit Bull Terrier, the American Staffordshire Terrier and the various Bulldog breeds.

Here’s a Video from BullybadassTv that does a great job of explaining “breed type” in detail. Be sure to Subscribe to their Youtube Channel for more great videos, they’re one of the best in the business and have a ton of great videos.