Olde English Bulldogge - TOP 10 Interesting Facts

1) Origin
Back in 18th and beginning of the 19th century, there was a dog named Old English Bulldog. It was a very strong and powerful and quite agressive dog breed, that was used for a bloody dog sport called bull baiting, which was banned in 1830s. This breed was ancestor of today Bulldog breeds, but it was a very agile, strong and muscular dog. When the Bullbaiting was banned, these dogs the athletic bulldog quickly began to disappear and new Bulldogs were bred solely for the conformation and as companion dogs, which is why they became smaller and lost most of their athleticism.
2) David Leavitt
The Olde English Bulldogge is an attempt of David Leavitt to recreate this old athletic Old English Bulldog from 18th and 19th century. He wanted to recreate their athleticism, agility and better health, but these dogs should not be that agressive as the original Bulldog. The Olde English Bulldogge is a blend of the English Bulldog, Bullmastiff, American Pit Bull Terrier and American Bulldog. After a while, many other breeders started breeding their own lines of OEBs, so Mr. Leavitt decided to name his line as Leavitt Bulldog to to maintain his original breeding aims and to distinguish his line of Olde English Bulldogges from those of other breeders.
3) English Bulldog
You can see on the first sight, that there is a big difference between the English Bulldog and Olde English Bulldogge. The Olde English Bulldogge is taller, not so wrinkly and overall much less extreme in terms of bulliness. It is also much much healthier breed which can reproduce itself naturally, unlike the English Bulldog who very often must be born by Cesarean Section. The OEB also does not have that big problems with breathing nor with overheating. The Olde English Bulldogge is also more lively, playful and energetic than the English Bulldog.
4) Companion
Great fact is, that even though these dogs look intimidating, their temperament is very friendly, affectionate, eager to please and totally outgoing. These are just amazing family companion dogs. Some of them might have protective instinct and be a little bit territorial, but this is vastly influenced by early socialization. Most of the Olde English Bulldogges love its family and they want to be around its owners all day long. They are also good playful partners for kids, but you should never leave any dog breed with a very young child unsupervised. These dogs are also okay with other dogs and other pets in the household, especially if they are raised together from the puppyhood.
5) Training
Even though this is quite intelligent breed with eager to please personality, they are not total pushovers to train. It is mostly due to the typical Bulldog stubborness, which most of them exhibit from time to time. The training sessions should be short, but regular and the training should be very patient and consistent. Overall, it is not terribly hard to teach the Olde English Bulldogges all the basic obedience commands and even some fun tricks as well.
6) Exercise
Olde English Bulldogges are big individuals and while some are quite energetic and lively, others are typical apartment coach potatoes. On average, these dogs have moderate exercise needs. They do need regular exercise that will occupy their mind and body. Several daily longer walks accompanied with good playtime or fun training sesions should be enough for these dogs.
7) Size
This is an athletic and muscular dog breed with average height between 16-20 inch, which is 40-50 cm and weight is typically between 50-80 lbs, which is 22-36 kg. The females tend to be slightly smaller than males.
8) Coat
The Olde english Bulldogge has a short and coarse coat with medium density. The coat should be shiny, showing good health. Officially, according to the breed standard, you can find this breed in brindle, white, fawn, red or black, all with or without white spots and patches. But these dogs can be found in other than these accepted colors as well.
9) Maintenance
The grooming and maintenanec of Olde English Bulldogge is very easy. They are moderate shedders and you should brush their coat from time to time to remove dirt from it and also any loose and dead hair which will minimize the shedding. But the shedding is nothing terrible. There is no need for any other special care about the coat. You should také proper care about the skin between wrinkles and keep it dry and clean so they dont develope any infections. Just like with all dogs, you should also regularly check their eyes, ears, nails and teeth and clip them or clean them if needed.
10) Health
Great fact is, that the Olde English Bulldogge tends to be healthier breed than most of other Bulldog breeds. But it does not mean that they can not suffer from any health issues. The major health concerns include bloating, hip dysplasia and some skin problems. The average lifespan is between 11-14 years.