Olde English Bulldogge

Olde English Bulldogge

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The Olde English Bulldogge aka Leavitt Bulldog is a breed of dog that resulted from one American breeder, David Leavitt. In 1971, Leavitt began breeding to restore the English Bulldog to its original standard of the now extinct Old English Bulldog, but without its aggressive tendency.

The Olde English Bulldogge is a muscular, medium sized dog of great strength, stability and athleticism. It is well balanced and proportioned with no exaggerated features. It has the appearance of a dog capable of doing it’s original job of bull baiting. Excessive height would have been detrimental for the old working Bulldog as it had to “play low” to avoid the bull’s horns and fasten onto it’s nose. A heavyweight dog would also have been at a disadvantage as the bull’s nose would have been likely to rip sending the dog flying.

The disposition of the Olde English Bulldogge is confident, courageous and alert. Olde English Bulldogges are very friendly and loving. They are extremely strong and occasionally display same sex dog aggression, so socialization and obedience training are important. It is best to channel high energy individuals to some type of work and exercise.

Temperament: The Olde English Bulldogge is a “thinking” breed. Their intelligence is readily demonstrated by their problem solving ability and their adaptability. They are extremely sensitive dogs who bond closely with their owners and family. The Olde English Bulldogge is generally kind and peaceful with its family and friends, often extending the family circle to include other household pets as well as people. Many of these dogs have been raised with cats and it is not unusual to see them playing together around the house or in the yard, or to see cats in the kennel. Olde English Bulldogges can be territorial and should be introduced to other dogs with care. Again, many of these dogs have been raised with other dogs and carefully supervised. There is a certain degree of same-sex aggression, but training and careful supervision may help to overcome this behavior. Neutering of non- breeding animals is highly recommended after the dogs first year. In most cases, it will reduce tensions and aggression. In general, Olde English Bulldogges are highly social animals who enjoy good company in any form. 

The Olde English Bulldogge is generally very accepting of strangers. In fact, they can be very outgoing and friendly. However, their friendliness is the result of their profound intelligence and their absolute confidence. In other words, while they might appear gentle and friendly, they are not indiscriminately submissive. Olde English Bulldogges are, above all, “thinking dogs” that can and will form their own perspectives of people, their environment, and situations. 

Although the Olde English Bulldogge is instinctively protective, some dogs mature slowly and may not exhibit this trait until around 1 ½ to 2 years of age. The OEB is very receptive to many types of training, provided the individual Bulldogge selected for such work is outgoing, stable, confident, and the training methods employed are positive. A Bulldogge lacking confidence or harshly trained will not be reliable under pressure or capable of good judgment in all situations. 

Olde English Bulldogges are generally very willing to please their owners and learn readily as a result. They can however, be stubborn about simple things like going into their kennel for the day when they would prefer to be taken along in the car. They are, after all, “thinking dogs” and they sometimes exercise this intelligence at inconvenient times. Their intelligence, sensitivity, and desire to please, combine to make them very trainable dogs. But all training should be undertaken from a positive and motivational perspective. The Olde English Bulldogge does not respond well to harsh correction or compulsion and such measures will not bring about reliable results. 

The bull breeds are generally excellent with children and the OEB is no exception. They are often at their very best with children, as their intelligence, sensitivity, desire to please, and astonishing capacity for play make them excellent companions for children. Their natural protectiveness is also an asset for a family pet. As with ANY dog, young children should be supervised when playing with an Olde English Bulldogge, while the dogs are acutely aware of their size and strength, these powerful animals can easily frighten a small child if the game gets too lively. Most often, the dogs demonstrate a natural ability to adapt their games to the child’s size and strength. Fetching games and play involving simple obedience commands given by the child are excellent ways to build a rapport between child and dog.

History: Bull baiting dogs, referred to today as “Bulldogs”, were bred to bait animals; mainly bulls and bears. Baiting sports, often referred to as “Blood Sport”, were extremely popular from their inception around the 1100s until they started being banned across Europe in 1835. During “Bull-baiting” the dog would attempt to flatten itself to the ground, creeping as close to the bull as possible, then darting out and attempting to bite the bull in the nose or head area. The bull would often be tethered by a collar and rope which was staked into the ground. As the dog darted at the bull, the bull would attempt to catch the dog with his head and horns and throw it into the air. The dog owners would often try to catch the dog before it fell to the ground to minmimize the dogs injuries so that the dog could continue tormenting the bull.

In 1835, the Cruelty to Animals Act was passed in Parliament that outlawed “Blood Sport” in Great Britain. The Bulldog’s work was suddenly over and the Bulldog rapidly started dying out. Around 1865 dog fanciers began developing dog clubs which eventually culminated into conformation shows. Many fanciers utilized various remnants of the dog utilized for “Blood Sport” to resurrect the “Bull” dog and ultimately developed today’s modern English Bulldog.

The “Olde English Bulldogge” is a specific re-creation of the “Regency Period Bull Baiter”, developed by David Leavitt, of Coatesville, Pennsylvania. In 1971 Mr. Leavitt began his project by utilizing a cattle line breeding scheme of Dr. Fechimer from Ohio State University. The goal was to create a dog with the look, health, and athleticism of the original bull-baiting dogs, but with a much less aggressive temperament. The composition of the Olde English Bulldogge was ½ Bulldog, 1/6 Bullmastiff, 1/6 American Pit Bull Terrier, and 1/6 American Bulldog. After many carefully planned crosses, the Olde English Bulldogge emerged and began to breed true. Thus, Leavitt formed the Olde English Bulldogge Association (OEBA) to maintain the breeds stud book and issue registration papers to future offspring.

During the 1980s Ben and Karen Campetti from Sandisfield, Massachusetts, worked closely with Leavitt in breeding the Olde English Bulldogge. Soon they achieved great success showing the breed in Molosser breed shows across the country and internationally. For several years the Olde English Bulldogge was the top rare breed in rare breed conformation shows across the US. In 1993 Leavitt stopped breeding and turned the OEBA registry as well as his personal breeding stock over to Working Dog Inc. which was owned and operated by Michael Walz of Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania. In 2005, due to the OEBA’s inefficiency, Leavitt re-emerged and joined the Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club. Leavitt declared that he was merging the OEBA registry with the registry of the Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club before he developed another club called the Leavitt Bulldog Association.

Despite recent controversy over the name that Leavitt assigned to the breed, today’s Olde English Bulldogge is still breeding true to form and possesses excellent health, agility, temperament and a consistent look to that of the old working Bull Baiter of the English Regency Period. The Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club and Leavitt Bulldog Association are recognized as the only breed clubs of the Olde English Bulldogge and are working to protect and maintain the bloodlines that make the Olde English Bulldogge a purebred dog breed.

The Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club and the Leavitt Bulldog Association are currently in the process of achieving United Kennel Club recognition and have unified a single breed standard that is currently under review by the UKC.

The Olde English Bulldogge was developed in the early 1970′s by David Leavitt, of Coatesville, PA. Mr. Leavitt used a line breeding scheme that was designed and developed by Ohio State University for breeding cattle. The goal was to recreate a specific breed of Bulldogge with the look, health and athleticism of the original bull baiting dogs, but without the extreme tenacity. The foundation crosses consisted of ½ English Bulldog, 1/6 Bullmastiff, 1/6 APBT, and 1/6 American Bulldog. After many carefully planned crosses, the Olde English Bulldogge emerged and began to breed true. To keep track of his work, Mr. Leavitt developed the Olde English Bulldogge Association (O.E.B.A.). Detailed records of the foundation stock had been maintained and this information was converted into the O.E.B.A. registry.

By 1985, three true lines had been developed, and the breed was deemed sound, stable, and well suited for modern life. In the early 1980′s Ben and Karen Campetti from Sandisfield, Massachusetts became deeply involved in breeding Olde English Bulldogges. At this time, the Campetti’s began showing the breed in Mollosser shows. Through their efforts, the Olde English Bulldogge achieved much success in the Conformation ring, and spurred the interest of many rare breed fanciers. Due to this success, many breeders became interested in producing this dog. 

One unwelcome by-product of the Olde English Bulldogges’ success in the Conformation ring, obedience trials, and therapy work, was a rise in the use of the dog in Personal Protection training. Most of this training was being conducted by people that were unqualified to do so. The popularity of this breed in PP work can only be attributed to the breed’s excellent health, agility, temperament, and it’s classification as a Working Breed, thus creating much controversy over the breed’s intended function. At this point, Mr. Leavitt turned the OEBA registry as well as his personal breeding stock over to Mike Walz of Working Dog Inc. Over time, the decision to turn over the registry turned out to be a bad one. Due to the inefficiency of the Registrar and the organization, Olde English Bulldogge owners and breeders could not get necessary information and registration papers. It is important to note that many fine examples of the Olde English Bulldogge were produced by Mike Walz and Working Dog Inc. 

In 2001, recognizing that the needs of the breed, the owners, and the breeders were not being met by the OEBA, The Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club was formed. For more information about the OEBKC, please visit our About Us page.

Olde English Bulldogge Breed Standard: Several of the breeds main attributes from the recently revised breed standard of the Olde English Bulldogge, written (August 2007) by the Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club and Leavitt Bulldog Association, are listed below. This Standard was written at the request of the United Kennel Club as they prepare to recognize the Olde English Bulldogge breed as a purebred dog breed within their foundation stock registry program called, The Canine Developmental Health and Performance Registry.

Health: The Olde English Bulldogge is a significantly healthier breed of dog than many modern Bulldog breeds. The Olde English Bulldoge is quickly becoming well respected in many working venues such as weight pull, therapy training, French Ring Sport and several others. They have become excellent breathers and do not have to be kept in an air conditioned environment on hot days. 

They not only possess excellent stamina and athletic ability, they can breed and give birth on their own. Artificial insemination is not a standard protocol when breeding Olde English Bulldogges, natural ties are the standard. Caesarean sections are only needed in the event of unexpected complications at delivery like with almost any breed of dog. Breeders from both the Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club, Inc. and Leavitt Bulldog Association are working vigorously on educating new breeders among the breed on genetic disorders and the benefits modern genetic testing for these disorders can have on preventing genetic disorders in domestic animals. Many breeders are also becoming more aware of how important selective breeding can be to the breed as a whole.

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