HEART OF TEXAS BULLDOGGES

 THE HISTORY OF THE OLDE ENGLISH BULLDOGGE

There are references in history of the bull dog as far back as roman time.The Roman Claudian who lived from 395 AD
to 404 AD describes a dog as "The British Hound that brings the bull'sforehead to the ground." (from "The New Complete
Bulldog" by Colonel Bailey C Hanes). But the first time the name bulldog is used was in 1209 in "The Survey of Stamford."
    
"William Earl Warren, Lord of this town in the reign of King John (1209), standing on his walls of his castle at Stamfod,
saw two bulls fighting for a cow in the castle meadow, until all the butchers dogs pursued one of these town bulls,which
maddened by the noise and multitude,the bull ran through the town.This so pleased the Earl that he gave the meadow
(where the two bulls combat began), for a common yo the butchers of the town.After the first grass was mowed, on the
condition that they should find a mad bull, on a day six weeks before Christmas for the continuance of that sport forever"
(Bull Baiting.)
   
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.It would be
the one to attract a bull's attention, hence the name bulldog. The reason why  these dogs are so low to the grow is so
that it can do a better job at avoiding the bull's horns. A bigger moreheavyweight dog would have been at a very big
disadvantage when it came to dealing with bulls. If the bull ever caught a dog, it would send the dog flying.Anyone who
has read about the sport of Bull Baiting must have been concsious of its extreme cruelty.From this we gather that the
original Bulldog had to be a very ferocious animal.Beauty and synnetry of form were in no way desirable, the apperance
of the dog counting for nothing.The extraordinary courage possessed by these dogs is hardly believable.Bred from a long
line of fighting ancestors,they grew to be so savage, so courageous as to be almost insensitive to pain.Such was the Bulldog
of British sporting days.

Around 1835, laws were passed in England prohibiting bull baiting and the Olde English Bulldogges 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 English Bulldog.  Unfortunately though, this modern dog is wrought with all kinds of genetic
health problems.

David Leavitt developed the Olde English Bulldogge by crossing various genetic crosses .He crossed the English
Bulldog with the American Pit Bull Terriors, Bullmastiff.He wanted to develop a breed (the modern Olde English Bulldogge)
that looked like the original Olde Bulldogge of the 17th and 18th century.

These dogs  were used very selectively in various combinations to obtain the desired physical and mental traits  of the
original Olde English Bulldogge, but had the improved temperament of today's breed without health problems.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.

The IOEBA's detailed breed standard is the best guide as to what the perfect Olde English Bulldogge should look like
according to the International Olde English Bulldogge Association. It is recommended that it be used by today's Olde
breeders in an effort to maintain the high standards that the breeders of the past and the IOEBA have set fourth.  

Whenever you look at Olde English Bulldog puppies, you can tell right away that the dog is going to grow up to be very
muscular. The dog is only of medium size, but it is very strong and has great athleticism. The dog, unlike other bulldogs,
has no exaggerated features at all. The appearance of this dog does a great job of capturing the image of the dog that it
was made to recreate.However, they do have very extreme strong aggression against dogs of the same sex. If you are
going to have more than one dog, you have to make sure thatone of them is a female and the other is a male. If you want
you can have two females together, that seems to work out pretty good. 

As you may have been able to guess, the temperament of the OldeEnglish bulldogs is very confident. Not only that, but
they are very courageous and, of course, very alert. They know what is going on all the time. Although they are made to
take on bulls, the Olde English bulldog is a very friendly and loving dog.  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.

On top of all this, the Olde English Bulldog does have a high level of energy. They do need a lot of exercise.When dealing
with the health of the Olde English Bulldog, you may be happy to know that they are a pretty healthy breed. They are even
more healthy than the modern Bulldogs of today. This dog is quickly becoming one of the most respected dogs alive today.
That is because this dog is a working dog and it is willing to help its master. These dogs will do such things as pull weights
and can even do therapy training with people. They do, however, have great stamina and will keep working until any job is
done. They use to have a lot of genetic disorders,but thanks to modern genetic testing, we have been able to prevent almost
all of the genetic disorders in domestic animals.If you want a dog that is willing to work to make you happy, then the Olde
English Bulldogs are for you. These dogs are willing to do whatever you need them to do and a whole lot more.Olde English
Bulldogges are so eager to please that they may overexert themselves in an effort to do whatever is asked of them.