Have you ever seen a tiny bulldog? Is there really such a thing as a pocket-sized Pitbull? Find out more about its size and appearance here!
The Pocket Bully is a miniature version of the American Pitbull. It is a hybrid dog that was developed by crossbreeding American Pitbull Terriers and Patterdale Terriers to create a smaller version of the Pitbull for companionship. It has increasingly become popular for its build and fierce looks.
In this article, you will learn everything about the Pocket Bully. First, you will learn about the Pocket Bully’s history and how the breed was developed. Next, you’ll learn about the Pocket Bully’s personality and appearance. You’ll then learn about how to take care of a Pocket Bully. Finally, you’ll read about the common health problems that Pocket Bullies have.
The History of the Pocket Bully
Since it is a fairly new designer breed, little is known about the origin of the Pocket Bully. The only definite thing about the Pocket Bully is that it was developed when Patterdale Terriers were crossbred with American Pitbulls.
When the first few Pocket Bullies were made, the litters were merely accidentally produced. The first intentional litter of Pocket Bullies was produced in the early 2000’s. The Pocket Bully was developed to create a breed that had the best traits of the American Pitbull and Patterdale Terrier.
However, it’s believed that it was actually developed to create an American Pitbull with a smaller size that would attract owners that wanted an American Pitbull but were put off by the breed’s intimidating build.
To help you better understand the Pocket Bully, it’s important to get to know each of its parent breeds. The parent breeds are the Patterdale Terrier and the American Pitbull Terrier.
Do you want to know the difference between a micro bully and a pocket bully? Check out This Article.
The Patterdale Terrier
The Patterdale Terrier is a small breed that originates from Great Britain. The Patterdale Terrier was bred to be a hunting dog and it was often used as a companion for fox hunts. Patterdale Terriers are known to be great at burrowing and this made them ideal for hunting down small foxes in their dens.
Patterdale Terriers are known to be energetic dogs with bright personalities. Their energy seems to be endless and they will show by running around all over your house and yard. Without an outlet for this energy, Patterdale Terriers can easily become anxious and aggressive so it’s important to give them lots of time to play.
The American Pitbull
The American Pit Bull Terrier is a breed that originates from England. It was developed from the English Bulldog and was bred to have leaner and taller builds for more agility. It was bred by American farmers to help protect their crops. American Pitbulls are also great hunting companions because of their muscular builds, helping hunters take down bears and wild boars.
The American Pitbull is known to have docile and manageable personalities. This is because the United States made it illegal to produce fighting dogs which led to slowly wiping out the aggressive traits of the American Pitbull. Despite its strong appearance, the American Pitbull is a gentle giant that gets along great with kids. Read more about this in This Article.
The Pocket Bully’s Personality
The Pocket Bully, much like the American Pitbull is a loving and docile breed. However, it can be hard to predict your Pocket Bully’s temperament because it’s a designer breed. Pocket Bullies can develop a temperament that’s a mix of both the American Pitbull and Patterdale Terrier’s personalities or lean more towards the personality of one parent.
In general, the Pocket Bully is a loyal breed. Pocket Bullies are playful and energetic dogs that are easy to train. This is one of the reasons why the breed’s demand has only increased over time. Pocket Bullies are protective of their owners and won’t hesitate to be brave when they sense danger.
Pocket Bullies are patient with children and won’t do anything to harm a child even if they engage in rough play. Pocket Bullies will only become aggressive if they sense that their family is in danger and will be hostile towards anyone that seems to want to harm their owners.
The Pocket Bully is known as a “nanny dog” because of its protective nature towards small children. Kids easily get attached to Pocket Bullies because of how well they treat kids. Pocket Bullies are highly sociable dogs that can easily be trained to be friendly around strangers.
Appearance
The Pocket Bully is a small and short dog that has a strong and muscular body. It has a short and glossy coat that feels smooth and thick to the touch. Its body is stocky and carries a sturdy figure. Pocket Bullies have large and wide heads that look exactly like that of an American Pitbull’s.
Your Pocket Bully will have a broad and shallow chest, short legs, and a low back. It has small ears that flop down and a strong rear. The Pocket Bully’s tail is thin and medium-length and most owners prefer to have it docked. It simply looks like a miniature American Pitbull.
Size
Like the name suggests, the Pocket Bully is a small dog. However, it definitely isn’t pocket-sized. Pocket Bullies grow up to be 17 inches in height when fully grown. Male Pocket Bullies weigh about 11 to 22 lbs while female Pocket Bullies weigh anywhere between 10 to 20 lbs.
It’s possible for Pocket Bullies to be larger than you expect because it’s a breed that is still in development. There isn’t much consistency in the breed’s size and can be larger than usual because of its American Pitbull genes.
How much does a pocket bully cost you may ask, This Article has the answer.
Coat
The coat of a Pocket Bully varies because it’s a designer breed. Some Pocket Bullies can have wiry coats similar to that of a Patterdale Terrier while others will have smooth and short coats like an American Pitbull.
However, the apparent standard for a Pocket Bully is the short and smooth coat of the American Pitbull. Its coat comes in various colors and it can either have a single solid color or markings of another color. Pocket Bullies can also have blue ticking.
Below are the most common colors that the Pocket Bully can have:
- Black
- Blue
- Brown
- Buckskin
- Fawn
- Red
- Black and Tan
- Blue and Tan
- White & Seal
Take Care of a Pocket Bully
Now, you’ll learn about how to take care of your very own Pocket Bully. Pocket Bullies are easy to groom but it can be difficult to meet their dietary needs. It’s important to make sure that your Pocket Bully has a healthy and balanced diet because, without it, your Pocket Bully can quickly become unhealthy and develop obesity.
Grooming
The good news is, Pocket Bullies don’t really need professional grooming. Their short and smooth coat is easy to manage and will only need to be brushed about once or twice a week. It only takes a few minutes to thoroughly brush your Pocket Bully.
When brushing your Pocket Bully, be sure to use a gentle slicker brush. Pocket Bullies are generally light shedders but it can also be a heavy shedder if it inherits the Patterdale Terrier’s heavy shedding genes.
Like other dogs, your Pocket Bully will need to get its nails trimmed and ears cleaned regularly. It’s important to clip your Pocket Bully’s nails once a month. Be sure to use pet-friendly nail clippers to avoid accidentally harming your dog. After trimming your dog’s nails, you should file them to prevent any cracks and to dull them.
To clean your Pocket Bully’s ear, use dog ear cleaning wipes. Simply take a wipe and swipe if over your Pocket Bully’s ears. It’s important to do this once a day to prevent ear infections and earwax buildup.
Feeding
The Pocket Bully has a unique body structure which also has unique dietary needs. Pocket Bullies need to have strict diets to prevent obesity and bloat. It’s important to divide your Pocket Bully puppy’s food into 3 to 4 meals a day. Once it reaches adulthood, you can divide its food into 2 meals a day.
A Pocket Bully Puppy will need to eat about 0.4 lbs of food a day. Once it becomes an adult, your Pocket Bully will need to eat 0.8 lbs of food a day.
Below is a table comparing different brands of dog food to feed your Pocket Bully puppy:
| Puppy Food Brand | Quantity per bag | Bags per year | Unit price | Price per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bully Max | 40 lbs | 4 | $139.99 | $560 |
| Royal Canin | 30 lbs | 5 | $87.58 | $440 |
| Natural Balance | 24 lbs | 6 | $56.89 | $341 |
| Hill’s Science | 33 lbs | 4 | $60.99 | $244 |
| Purina Pro | 34 lbs | 4 | $52.48 | $210 |
Below is a table comparing different brands of dog food to feed adult Pocket Bully:
Again, it’s important that your Pocket Bully has no access to food outside of its meal times. You should also provide your Pocket Bully with water after every meal to make help it digest its food better. This will help prevent bloat and keep your dog from gaining too much weight.
| Dog Food Brand | Quantity per bag | Bags per year | Unit price | Price per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bully Max | 40 lbs | 8 | $139.99 | $1120 |
| Royal Canin | 30 lbs | 10 | $69.74 | $698 |
| Natural Balance | 28 lbs | 10 | $56.83 | $568 |
| Hill’s Science | 30 lbs | 10 | $54.99 | $550 |
| Purina Pro | 34 lbs | 8 | $52.48 | $420 |
We have made a seperate post where we cover The Best Foods for Pocket Bullies in greater detail, check it out.
Dental Care
Like most dogs, Pocket Bullies need to have their teeth brushed once a day. Brushing your Pocket Bully’s every day is important because it can prevent plaque buildup, tooth decay, and gum diseases. You can brush your Pocket Bully’s teeth using a pet-friendly toothbrush and toothpaste.
You should start brushing your dog’s teeth early on to help it get used to the routine. Most dogs don’t enjoy having their teeth brushed but if you do it regularly, your dog will eventually get used to it. If you prefer not to brush your dog’s teeth, you can also use flavored enzymatic toothpaste.
It’s easier to give your dog flavored enzymatic toothpaste because it tastes like a treat for your Pocket Bully. Your dog won’t even realize that you’re taking care of its teeth and will instead think that it’s just getting a fun snack. Enzymatic toothpaste is formulated to break down plaque and tartar in your dog’s teeth and gums. It helps prevent mouth and gum diseases in dogs.
You can also go even further and give your Pocket Bully water additives. Water additives are formulated to give your dog fresher breath and fight tartar and plaque buildup. To use water additives, you just need to pour a capful of it into your Pocket Bully’s water once a day.
Exercise
Aside from making sure your Pocket Bully has a healthy diet, you need to make sure that your Pocket Bully gets regular exercise. Pocket Bullies need plenty of space to be able to move around, play, and exercise.
Pocket Bullies need about an hour of regular exercise. It’s best to give your Pocket Bully leash-free exercise so that it can have fun while exercising. You will also need to walk your Pocket Bully twice a day to get enough time outdoors.
Your Pocket Bully also needs some mental stimulation. You can keep your Pocket Bully interested by playing various games. Playing with your Pocket Bully helps keep your dog’s mind sharp and makes your relationship with your dog stronger.
Pocket Bullies love to tug and chew on things. A great way to play with your Pocket Bully is by using a tug rope. You can also use heavy-duty chew toys to keep your Pocket Bully entertained.
Training a Pocket Bully
Pocket Bullies are highly intelligent dogs that make them easy to train. Your Pocket Bully should be able to pick up any trick you teach it with enough effort and patience. It’s important to train your Pocket Bully because it helps build positive relationships between your pet and your family.
The best way to train your Pocket Bully is with positive reinforcement. Pocket Bullies respond well to treats as rewards and will more easily understand your commands if it knows that it will be rewarded. Positive reinforcement or rewards-based training is a method wherein you teach your dog a command and give it a reward whenever it successfully performs the command.
You can use this method to teach your dog basic things like manners and gentle attitudes towards others and more complex tricks such as fetch, sit, or speak. It’s important that you do reward your dog consistently. You must only reward your Pocket Bully when it does the command successfully. Never give your dog a treat for no reason because this will keep your dog from making the connection between following your commands and being rewarded.
When it’s early in the training, you need to have treats ready to reward your dog. If your dog isn’t used to the command yet and you fail to provide a reward, it might not take your commands seriously. A great treat for Pocket Bullies is jerky because it has an interesting texture that a Pocket Bully can appreciate. With enough training, your dog will eventually follow your commands with or without treats.
Common Health Issues in Pocket Bullies
The Pocket Bully is a designer breed which means that it can inherit the common health issues that each of its parent breeds has. It’s important to know that your Pocket Bully’s medical history. You should discuss this with your puppy’s breeder and ask about the possible health conditions that its parents have. This way, you can be mindful and keep an eye out for any relevant symptoms.
Below are some of the health issues commonly found in Pocket Bullies:
- Hypothyroidism
- Glaucoma
- Skin Fold Dermatitis
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a medical condition that affects a Pocket Bully’s thyroid gland. When a dog has hypothyroidism, its thyroid gland is unable to produce enough thyroxine. Thyroxine is a hormone that converts food into fuel or energy for a dog.
The symptoms of hypothyroidism include hair loss around the back and rear, dull skin, weight gain, muscle loss, loss of energy, and ear infections. More severe symptoms include seizures, heart problems, and sterility.
If your Pocket Bully has at least three of these symptoms, you need to take it to the vet for a diagnosis. Your vet will diagnose your Pocket Bully through a series of blood tests that will cancel out other potential causes of the symptoms you find.
Although hypothyroidism isn’t a life-threatening disease, it cannot be cured. If your Pocket Bully is diagnosed with hypothyroidism, your vet will prescribe your dog L-thyroxine which is a replacement for a lack of thyroxine.
L-thyroxine is relatively cheap and easily accessible. It’s available in most drugstores and veterinary clinics. The dose that your dog will take depends on your vet’s prescription and your Pocket Bully will also need to take L-thyroxine for the rest of its life. Without his medication, your dog will suffer an unhealthy living condition.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a medical condition wherein too much fluid builds up in your Pocket Bully’s eyes and increases pressure. This pressure can destroy your dog’s retina and cause blindness. There are two types of glaucoma: open-angle glaucoma and closed-angle glaucoma.
Open-angle glaucoma is a slow and gradual development of vision loss over a period of time. Close-angle glaucoma is a fast and sudden increase in eye pressure accompanied by pain, redness, and blindness.
The symptoms of glaucoma include dilated and unmoving pupils, redness in the eyes, enlargement of the eyes, and frequent blinking or winking. If you observe these symptoms in your dog, you must take it to the vet immediately.
Treating your Pocket Bully will depend on the type of glaucoma it has. The treatment for glaucoma is normally a mix of both medicine and surgery. The surgery will remove the pressure from your Pocket Bully’s eye to reduce and minimize the damage caused by swelling. If it’s a severe case, your veterinarian might need to remove your dog’s affected eye entirely.
Skin Fold Dermatitis
Skin fold dermatitis is a disease where your Pocket Bully develops a skin infection between the wrinkles in its skin. This is common among dogs with wrinkly skin, including the Pocket Bully. These infections occur because the pockets in the skin folds can get moist and become prone to bacteria.
The symptoms of skin fold dermatitis include foul odors coming from the skin folds, redness between skin folds, swelling, and excessive itching. Dogs normally have yeast and bacteria in its skin but when that bacteria overgrows, it causes an infection.
Veterinarians normally diagnose skin fold dermatitis by doing a thorough check-up of your dog’s skin. Once the skin fold dermatitis is identified, your veterinarian will then determine if it can be treated with cleaning or if it needs to be treated with medication.
The treatment for skin fold dermatitis depends on the severity of the condition. Mild cases will be cleaned by veterinarians using a special solution for skin fold dermatitis. After cleaning, your Pocket Bully will be prescribed anti-microbial shampoo. More severe cases will need to be medicated with certain creams to alleviate the infections.
A good way to prevent skin fold dermatitis is by keeping your dog in a clean and cool environment. Your Pocket Bully is more prone to skin fold dermatitis during hotter seasons so you must check on your dog’s skin folds every now and then during the summer. You can also keep your Pocket Bully’s skin clean by keeping them away from dirt or mud and bathing it regularly with treatment shampoo.
Is your Pocket Bully breathing hard? If so, you might want to check This Post.
Final Thoughts
The Pocket Bully is a dog that has it all. It has a small manageable size, a strong and muscular look, and a gentle and loving personality. It’s easy to see how the Pocket Bully has become so popular among dog-lovers because it’s such an attractive breed.
Pocket Bullies might look intimidating at first, but once you get to know this adorable puppy, you’ll realize that it’s gentler than any other dog. If you have a family with young children, you should definitely look into getting a Pocket Bully of your own. These loyal and affectionate dogs are sure to keep you and your kids safe.
Since the Pocket Bully is still a new and developing breed, it’s sure to improve over time. It’ll be exciting to see how else the Pocket Bully can become an even better dog as its breeders work towards creating a perfect combination of the Patterdale Terrier and American Pitbull. Hopefully, the breed becomes healthier in the future and gets to a point where it has no inherent health issues.
Hey there! I’m Matt and I’m a content writer from the Philippines. I’ve raised over 10 dogs and 5 cats. I love taking care of my rescue dog Kewpie and my two rescue cats, Misty and Rosy.