The ancestors of the Olde English Bulldogge originated in England between 1600 and 1700. These early Bulldogges were also the ancestors to many of the bull breeds that exist today including the English Bulldog and the American Bulldog. The original Bulldogges were bred to participate in blood sports like bull baiting.

This so called sport became quite popular in England throughout 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 various mastiff crosses.

Around 1835, laws were passed in England prohibiting bull baiting and the original Bulldogges main purpose of existence vanished. Within a decade the numbers of Bulldogges declined drastically almost to the point of extinction. Dog show fanciers eventually decided to reconstruct the breed, but wanted to tone down the aggressive temperament of the original Bulldogge.

To do so they crossed the remnants of the existing stock with other breeds and over the years that followed they developed the modern English Bulldog. Unfortunately though the majority of today’s modern English Bulldogs are wrought with all kinds of genetic health problems.

Today’s Olde English Bulldogge is a reconstruction of the original 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 back to English Bulldogs, American Bulldogs, APBTs and Mastiffs. These various dog breeds were used very selectively in various combinations to obtain the desired physical traits of the original 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 many of 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.