KENAI
Olde English Bulldogge

The breeds · working

UKC Guardian

Olde English Bulldogge.

UKC history: Bulldogs were created for the English sport of bull baiting (approximately 1100 to 1835); once the sport was banned the athletic bulldog quickly began to disappear, and breeding for the show ring compromised the health and lifespan of the modern English Bulldog. In 1971 a breeding project using a linebreeding scheme from Dr. Fechimer of Ohio State began to return the bulldog to the look of the Regency-period bull-baiting dog, named the Olde English Bulldogge; the UKC recognized the breed January 1, 2014. UKC: 'first and foremost, excellent companions', with the drive, temperament and agility for working venues and service dogs; the goal is a healthy dog with the longevity 'to live well into its teens'. Wikipedia: developed from the early 1970s by David Leavitt of Coatesville, Pennsylvania; foundation crosses one-half Bulldog, one-sixth American Bulldog, one-sixth Bullmastiff and one-sixth other breeds; the aim was the look, health and athleticism of the old bull-baiting dog with a much less aggressive temperament; listed in the UKC Guardian Dog Group; the Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club is the UKC parent club..

Breed sets the odds. The parents set the dog. Every number here shows its source, its spread and how sure we are. Nothing on this page is a prediction about one dog.

0INHeightdogs null, bitches null. An ideal from the standard, not a range.
50–80LBWeight, all linesbreed dogs 60 to 80 lb; breed bitches 50 to 70 lb.

The body

What the breed is built like. Registry standards give an ideal, not a range.

Height at the shoulder

dogs 17 to 20 in · bitches 16 to 19 in

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2018

UKC prints a range; center blank.

Weight

dogs 60 to 80 lb · bitches 50 to 70 lb

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2018

Range as the UKC prints it (Wikipedia repeats it); no single ideal, so center is blank.

Coat

UKC: short, close, of medium density, shiny, showing good health; fringe, feather or curl a fault; brindle (red, fawn, brown, grey) and solids (white, fawn, red, black), with or without white; albinism, blue, and black with rust, mahogany or tan trim disqualify. Wikipedia: short, tight and medium to short.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2018

Heat tolerance

4 of 5 · UKC: coat short, close, medium density, shiny; the dog is 'appearing capable of performing without any breathing restrictions in either heat or in cold'; muzzle square, wide and deep, nose-to-stop distance not over one-third of nose-to-occiput; bite undershot or reverse scissors.

DerivedUnited Kennel Club, 2018

Derived from a short close coat (4); the breed has a short, wide muzzle, and the UKC says only that the dog should appear capable of working without breathing restriction. No source states a measured heat finding.

The work

What it was built to do in the field, and what a test or trial asks of it.

Role

UKC history: Bulldogs were created for the English sport of bull baiting (approximately 1100 to 1835); once the sport was banned the athletic bulldog quickly began to disappear, and breeding for the show ring compromised the health and lifespan of the modern English Bulldog. In 1971 a breeding project using a linebreeding scheme from Dr. Fechimer of Ohio State began to return the bulldog to the look of the Regency-period bull-baiting dog, named the Olde English Bulldogge; the UKC recognized the breed January 1, 2014. UKC: 'first and foremost, excellent companions', with the drive, temperament and agility for working venues and service dogs; the goal is a healthy dog with the longevity 'to live well into its teens'. Wikipedia: developed from the early 1970s by David Leavitt of Coatesville, Pennsylvania; foundation crosses one-half Bulldog, one-sixth American Bulldog, one-sixth Bullmastiff and one-sixth other breeds; the aim was the look, health and athleticism of the old bull-baiting dog with a much less aggressive temperament; listed in the UKC Guardian Dog Group; the Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club is the UKC parent club.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2018

UKC and Wikipedia agree on the 1971 or early-1970s start and 2014 recognition. No source read describes field or hunting use; this entry carries no game rows.

Also used on

UKC: companion, service dog, and 'numerous working venues'. Wikipedia: listed in the UKC Guardian Dog Group.

Breed clubUnited Kennel Club, 2018

How common the problems are

Evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock; the numbers are still the best there are.

Hip dysplasia

73% · 319 OFA hip evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026; 73.0% dysplastic (mild 41.1, moderate 24.5, severe 7.5), 24.5% normal

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA breed statistics. OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, with normal results over-represented, so this likely understates the breed as a whole. Hips rank 1 in the OFA table, the highest dysplastic share of any breed listed. The sample is small (319) and from a breed the UKC recognized only in 2014, and its owners who submit films are a self-selected group, so read it with caution; it still contradicts the registry's health aim. Olde English Bulldogge rows only; not the Bulldog.

Elbow dysplasia

35.3% · 215 OFA elbow evaluations, current all-data, accessed Oct 9 2026; 35.3% abnormal (grade 1 30.2, grade 2 3.7, grade 3 1.4), 63.7% normal

MeasuredOrthopedic Foundation for Animals

OFA breed statistics. OFA-evaluated dogs skew toward breeding stock, with normal results over-represented, so this likely understates the breed as a whole. Elbows rank 6 in the OFA table. Small sample (215).

Most common disorders

Wikipedia: the breed may be healthier than many modern bulldog breeds though it can be affected by the same disorders; a 2016 study in Canine Genetics and Epidemiology of 102 registered Bulldogs named the Olde English Bulldogge a candidate outcross to introduce new genetics to the English Bulldog; proponents say it does not suffer the same disorders as the purebred Bulldog. UKC: the revival's goal is a healthy dog living well into its teens; serious faults include excessive wrinkle and lack of pigment around the eyes, nose or mouth; wry jaw, overbite and cryptorchidism are disqualifications. The OFA table here shows the breed at the top of the hip dysplasia ranking.

EditorialWikipedia

The health claims are proponents' goals and one Wikipedia-cited study that was not opened; the OFA figures are the only measured health data and point the other way on hips.

How to read this page

Every value carries a label. Measured means peer-reviewed data on many dogs. Studied means peer-reviewed, smaller or indirect. Breed club means a club or registry states it. Editorial means expert opinion with no measurement behind it. Where two good sources disagree, both are shown and neither is averaged.

Published when the entry rests on the best information available from no fewer than three independent sources, checked by a second pass that did not write it. 3 sources on this page. Found something wrong? Tell us and the correction is logged with its date.

Also called
OEB

Every breed, read the same way.

The breed index grows as entries clear the standard. Gun dogs first.

All published breeds

Your olde english bulldogge, on the record.

Log the days, the miles and the birds, and the KENAI app keeps the dog’s story beside the breed’s. Free to start.

Get the app