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 The
Olde English Bulldogge originated in England between 1600 and 1700.
These were the early ancestors to many of the Bull breeds that exist
today including the English Bulldog and the
American Bulldog. They were bred to participate in blood sports like
bull baiting. This so called sport, became quite popular in England
through out the middle of the 18th Century. Bull baiting primarily
 consisted
of staking out a bull and allowing several Bulldogges to attack it.
A dog of great courage and agility was needed for bull baiting. This
dog was of medium size; larger dogs were considered to be the result
of mastiff crosses.
Around 1835, laws were passed in England prohibiting bull baiting
and the Olde English Bulldogge's main purpose of existence vanished.
 Within
a decade the numbers of bulldogs declined drastically almost to
extinction. Dog show fanciers eventually decided to reconstruct the
breed, but wanted to tone down the aggressive temperament of the
original Olde English Bulldogge. They crossed the remnants of the
existing stock with the pug and over the years that followed they
developed the modern AKC English Bulldog. Unfortunately though, this
modern dog is wrought with all kinds of genetic health problems.
The modern Olde English Bulldogge is a reconstruction of the
original Olde
Bulldogge of the 17th and 18th
century. Various
genetic crosses have been used in carefully and thoughtfully planned
breeding programs to obtain this goal. The foundation of most of
today's Olde English Bulldogges can be traced to English Bulldog,
American Bulldog and Mastiff.
 These dogs were used very selectively in various
combinations to obtain the desired physical and mental traits of the
original Olde English Bulldogge. The result has been a good looking
Bulldogge of great athletic ability that is much healthier and
physically fit without most or all of the problems that plague
today's modern English Bulldogs. The goal of all Olde English Bulldogge breeders should be to produce genetically healthier
Bulldogges that are free breathers, free breeders, and free whelpers.
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