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LEAVITT BULLDOG BREED STANDARD
Working Group
 

HISTORY  
Bulldogs were created for the English sport of bull baiting, which was widely practiced from 1100 till 1835, when it was made illegal.  Once his work was outlawed the Bulldog rapidly started disappearing.  In the 1860's the breed was revived as a conformation show dog.  The Bulldog has been made progressively more extreme through selective breeding until his health and life span have been severely compromised. Today's English Bulldog is a far different dog than his healthy, agile ancestor.  In 1971 David Leavitt started his project of breeding back to a dog with the appearance of the Regency period Bulldog.  He named the breed Olde English Bulldogge (OEB) to clearly differentiate it from the modern English Bulldog.  Leavitt used a line breeding scheme developed by Dr. Fechimer of Ohio State, to rapidly achieve a pure bred dog.  Today's Olde English Bulldogge matches the looks of the bull baiting dog.  They are first and foremost excellent family companions while also possessing the drive, temperament and agility to perform in numerous working venues.

GENERAL APPEARANCE
 The Olde English Bulldogge is a muscular, medium sized dog of great strength, stability and athleticism.  He is well balanced and proportioned, with no feature exaggerated or standing out. He has the appearance of a dog capable of doing his original job, bull baiting.  Remember that excessive height would have been detrimental for the old working Bulldog because he had to "play low" to avoid the bull's horns and fasten onto his nose. A heavy weight dog would have also been at a disadvantage because the bull's nose would have been more likely to rip, sending the dog flying.

CHARACTERISTICS
 The disposition of the Olde English Bulldogge is confident, courageous and alert. OEB's 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.
 Fault:  Shyness in a mature dog.

HEAD
 The OEB head is prominent and dramatic.  The circumference of the head is at least equal to the dog's height at the withers.  The cheeks are large, well developed and display powerful jaw muscles.  A slightly wrinkled forehead is acceptable. 

SKULL - The skull is large but well proportioned to the dog's muscular body and prominent shoulders.  There is a crease from the stop to the occiput.
 Serious Faults:   Narrow skull; domed forehead.

MUZZLE - The muzzle is square, wide and deep, with definite layback. Distance from the tip of the nose to the stop does not exceed one-third of the distance from the tip of the nose to the occiput.  Height of the muzzle, from the bottom of the chin to the top of the muzzle, is equal to or greater than the length of the muzzle, thus producing the deep square muzzle.  There is slight to moderate wrinkle on the muzzle.  Flews are semi pendulous.  The bite is undershot and horizontally straight. Underbite is ¾" or less.  Lower jawbone is moderately curved from front to back.

Faults: A slightly longer or shorter muzzle; excessive wrinkle.
 Disqualifications:  Wry jaw; overbite.

EYES - Eyes are round to almond shape and medium sized. They are set wide apart, with the outside corner of the eye intersecting with the outside line of the skull and are set low, at the level of the muzzle, where the stop and muzzle intersect.  Eye color is brown, with black pigmented eye rims.

Fault:   Any pink on the eye rims.
 Disqualifications:  Any eye color other than brown; wall eyes; crossed eyes.

TEETH - Canine teeth are large.  Broken, chipped or extracted teeth are acceptable.  There are 6 corn row teeth between canines.
 Fault:  Exposed canine teeth   

NOSE - Nostrils are wide with a line running vertically between nostrils from the tip of nose down to the bottom of the upper lip.  Nose is large and broad in relationship to the width of the muzzle.  Nose color is black.

Faults: Any pink on the nose or in the nostrils. 
Serious Fault:  Slit nostrils
 Disqualification:  Any color nose other than black

EARS - Ears are rose, button or tulip, with rose preferred.  They are set high and to the rear of the skull.  The ears are positioned as wide as possible on the outside of the skull.  They are small to medium in size.

NECK - Neck is medium length, wide, and slightly arched. It is a little smaller than the head where the two meet. and gets wider from that point to the shoulders.  It is slightly loose from jaw to chest, forming a double dewlap.
 Serious Fault:  A single dewlap.

FOREQUARTERS   
SHOULDERS - They are broad, heavily muscled and have a separation between shoulder blades. The scapula (shoulder blade) should be at an approximate 35 degree angle to vertical and forms an angle approximately 110 degrees to the humerus (forearm).  Scapula and humerus should be roughly equal in length.

ELBOWS - A vertical line drawn from the point of the scapula (top) to the ground will pass directly through the elbow.  The elbows are not turned in or out.

FORELEGS - The legs are set wide apart, coming straight down from the shoulders.  They are straight vertically on inside of legs and well muscled giving a bowed appearance of front quarters. The forelegs have medium bone and are in proportion to the body.

PASTERNS - The pasterns are medium in length.  They are straight, strong, flexible and nearly perpendicular to the ground.
 Faults:  Foreleg bones too heavy or too light.
Serious Faults:  Loose shoulders; upright shoulders; loose elbows; weak pasterns (either too vertical or too horizontal).

BODY   
Body is sturdy and powerful. The length from tip of breastbone to rear thigh is slightly longer than the height from ground to withers.

BACK - The back is wide and muscular, showing power.  Top-line has a slight roach (or wheel back).  There is a fall in the back, to its low spot behind the shoulders.  From this point the spine rises to the loin.  The high point of the loin is a little bit higher than the shoulders, then there is a gentle curve, forming an arch, down to the tail.  Loin (back of rib cage to hips) is muscular, medium in length and slightly arched.

 CHEST - The chest is wide and deep with a muscular brisket. Ribs are well sprung and rounded, being at their fullest directly behind the shoulders.  Shoulders to forelegs are well muscled.
 Faults:  Narrow rib cage.  Very long or short loin.

HINDQUARTERS
Hips and thighs are strong and muscular. Hind legs are well muscled and slightly longer than the forelegs.  In a natural stance they are straight, parallel and set apart when viewed from the rear. Distance between hind legs is less than distance between front legs.    Angulation is moderate.  Stifles have a gentle convex curve when viewed from the side. Stifle angle roughly matches the angle of the pelvis.  Hocks are perpendicular to the ground when viewed from the side and back.  They are parallel to each other when viewed from the back.  A line drawn from the rear most part of the buttocks, perpendicular to the ground, should fall to the front of the toes.  A line drawn from the upper (front) point of the pelvis, perpendicular to the ground, should pass through the knee (the two preceding tests of good angulation must be performed with the dog's hocks set perpendicular to the ground).
Fault:  Hips which are equal to shoulders in width.
 Serious Faults:  Straight stifle.  Severely cow hocked or bow hocked.

FEET
 Feet are of medium size and are well arched and rounded (cats' foot).  They are straight when viewed from the front.  Rear feet are smaller than front feet.
 Faults:  Feet turning in or out; long toes.
 Serious Faults: Flat feet; hare feet; and splayed toes.

TAIL
 Tail should be set low and tapering from base to end.  It can be pump handle or straight with pump handle being preferred.  Tail should reach the hocks or be slightly shorter.   Tail is carried down, horizontal or high.
Faults:  Tail curling 360 degrees.  Same circumference from base to tip.
 Disqualifications:  Kinked, docked, bobbed or screw tail (a kinked tail is a tail with one or more sharp bends).

COAT  
Coat is short, close and of medium density.  It should be shiny, showing good health.
 Faults:   Fringe, feather or curl in the coat.

COLOR
 Color can be brindle of red, gray, fawn or black; either solid or pied (with white).  Solid white.  Fawn, red or black; solid color or pied.
 Disqualifications:   Blue (Neapolitan Mastiff color), as well as black with rust or mahogany (Rottweiler colors)

HEIGHT and WEIGHT
 Dogs are 60 to 80 lbs. and 17 to 20 inches at the withers         
Bitches are 50 to 70 lbs. and 16 to 19 inches at the withers.
 Deviation from this range of height and weight will be faulted according to the extent of the deviation.
Weight should be proportioned to height and the dogs must not be squat nor rangy.

GAIT
 Gait is smooth, powerful, energetic and confident.  Travel is straight.  Feet should move forward and back in the same plane.  Foot falls approach the centerline as trot speed increases. There is a slight under step as rear feet land just short of where front feet land.  Front and rear reach are balanced.  Feet must not cross or interfere with each other.  Dog should have proper movement when viewed from the side and back.

DISQUALIFICATIONS
 Eyes - Any eye color other than brown.  Wall eyes or crossed eyes.
 Nose - Any color nose other than black.
Bite - Wry jaw.  Overbite.
Tail -Kinked, docked, bobbed or screw tail
Color - Blue/gray (Neapolitan Mastiff color) and black and rust/mahogany (Rottweiler color)
Males lacking two fully descended normal testicles.

Registries:
 The parent clubs of the Olde English Bulldogge are the Leavitt Bulldog Association and the Olde English Bulldogge Kennel Club.  The American Rare Breed Association and the United Kennel Club will only register OEB's from these two parent clubs. 


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English Bulldog Breed Standard
Non-Sporting Group

General Appearance
The perfect Bulldog must be of medium size and smooth coat; with heavy, thick-set, low-swung body, massive short-faced head, wide shoulders and sturdy limbs. The general appearance and attitude should suggest great stability, vigor and strength. The disposition should be equable and kind, resolute and courageous (not vicious or aggressive), and demeanor should be pacific and dignified. These attributes should be countenanced by the expression and behavior.

Size, Proportion, Symmetry
Size--The size for mature dogs is about 50 pounds; for mature bitches about 40 pounds. Proportion--The circumference of the skull in front of the ears should measure at least the height of the dog at the shoulders. Symmetry--The "points" should be well distributed and bear good relation one to the other, no feature being in such prominence from either excess or lack of quality that the animal appears deformed or ill-proportioned. Influence of Sex In comparison of specimens of different sex, due allowance should be made in favor of the bitches, which do not bear the characteristics of the breed to the same degree of perfection and grandeur as do the dogs.

Head
Eyes and Eyelids--The eyes, seen from the front, should be situated low down in the skull, as far from the ears as possible, and their corners should be in a straight line at right angles with the stop. They should be quite in front of the head, as wide apart as possible, provided their outer corners are within the outline of the cheeks when viewed from the front. They should be quite round in form, of moderate size, neither sunken nor bulging, and in color should be very dark. The lids should cover the white of the eyeball, when the dog is looking directly forward, and the lid should show no "haw." Ears--The ears should be set high in the head, the front inner edge of each ear joining the outline of the skull at the top back corner of skull, so as to place them as wide apart, and as high, and as far from the eyes as possible. In size they should be small and thin. The shape termed "rose ear" is the most desirable. The rose ear folds inward at its back lower edge, the upper front edge curving over, outward and backward, showing part of the inside of the burr. (The ears should not be carried erect or prick-eared or buttoned and should never be cropped.) Skull--The skull should be very large, and in circumference, in front of the ears, should measure at least the height of the dog at the shoulders. Viewed from the front, it should appear very high from the corner of the lower jaw to the apex of the skull, and also very broad and square. Viewed at the side, the head should appear very high, and very short from the point of the nose to occiput. The forehead should be flat (not rounded or domed), neither too prominent nor overhanging the face. Cheeks--The cheeks should be well rounded, protruding sideways and outward beyond the eyes. Stop--The temples or frontal bones should be very well defined, broad, square and high, causing a hollow or groove between the eyes. This indentation, or stop, should be both broad and deep and extend up the middle of the forehead, dividing the head vertically, being traceable to the top of the skull. Face and Muzzle--The face, measured from the front of the cheekbone to the tip of the nose, should be extremely short, the muzzle being very short, broad, turned upward and very deep from the corner of the eye to the corner of the mouth. Nose--The nose should be large, broad and black, its tip set back deeply between the eyes. The distance from bottom of stop, between the eyes, to the tip of nose should be as short as possible and not exceed the length from the tip of nose to the edge of underlip. The nostrils should be wide, large and black, with a well-defined line between them. Any nose other than black is objectionable and a brown or liver-colored nose shall disqualify. Lips--The chops or "flews" should be thick, broad, pendant and very deep, completely overhanging the lower jaw at each side. They join the underlip in front and almost or quite cover the teeth, which should be scarcely noticeable when the mouth is closed. Bite--Jaws--The jaws should be massive, very broad, square and "undershot," the lower jaw projecting considerably in front of the upper jaw and turning up. Teeth The teeth should be large and strong, with the canine teeth or tusks wide apart, and the six small teeth in front, between the canines, in an even, level row.

Neck, Topline, Body
Neck -- The neck should be short, very thick, deep and strong and well arched at the back. Topline -- There should be a slight fall in the back, close behind the shoulders (its lowest part), whence the spine should rise to the loins (the top of which should be higher than the top of the shoulders), thence curving again more suddenly to the tail, forming an arch (a very distinctive feature of the breed), termed "roach back" or, more correctly, "wheel-back." Body--The brisket and body should be very capacious, with full sides, well-rounded ribs and very deep from the shoulders down to its lowest part, where it joins the chest. It should be well let down between the shoulders and forelegs, giving the dog a broad, low, short-legged appearance. Chest--The chest should be very broad, deep and full. Underline--The body should be well ribbed up behind with the belly tucked up and not rotund. Back and Loin--The back should be short and strong, very broad at the shoulders and comparatively narrow at the loins. Tail--The tail may be either straight or "screwed" (but never curved or curly), and in any case must be short, hung low, with decided downward carriage, thick root and fine tip. If straight, the tail should be cylindrical and of uniform taper. If "screwed," the bends or kinks should be well defined, and they may be abrupt and even knotty, but no portion of the member should be elevated above the base or root.

Forequarters
Shoulders--The shoulders should be muscular, very heavy, widespread and slanting outward, giving stability and great power. Forelegs--The forelegs should be short, very stout, straight and muscular, set wide apart, with well developed calves, presenting a bowed outline, but the bones of the legs should not be curved or bandy, nor the feet brought too close together. Elbows--The elbows should be low and stand well out and loose from the body. Feet-- The feet should be moderate in size, compact and firmly set. Toes compact, well split up, with high knuckles and very short stubby nails. The front feet may be straight or slightly out-turned.

Hindquarters
Legs--The hind legs should be strong and muscular and longer than the forelegs, so as to elevate the loins above the shoulders. Hocks should be slightly bent and well let down, so as to give length and strength from the loins to hock. The lower leg should be short, straight and strong, with the stifles turned slightly outward and away from the body. The hocks are thereby made to approach each other, and the hind feet to turn outward. Feet--The feet should be moderate in size, compact and firmly set. Toes compact, well split up, with high knuckles and short stubby nails. The hind feet should be pointed well outward.

Coat and Skin
Coat--The coat should be straight, short, flat, close, of fine texture, smooth and glossy. (No fringe, feather or curl.) Skin--The skin should be soft and loose, especially at the head, neck and shoulders. Wrinkles and Dewlap--The head and face should be covered with heavy wrinkles, and at the throat, from jaw to chest, there should be two loose pendulous folds, forming the dewlap.

Color of Coat
The color of coat should be uniform, pure of its kind and brilliant. The various colors found in the breed are to be preferred in the following order: (1) red brindle, (2) all other brindles, (3) solid white, (4) solid red, fawn or fallow, (5) piebald, (6) inferior qualities of all the foregoing. Note: A perfect piebald is preferable to a muddy brindle or defective solid color. Solid black is very undesirable, but not so objectionable if occurring to a moderate degree in piebald patches. The brindles to be perfect should have a fine, even and equal distribution of the composite colors. In brindles and solid colors a small white patch on the chest is not considered detrimental. In piebalds the color patches should be well defined, of pure color and symmetrically distributed.

Gait
The style and carriage are peculiar, his gait being a loose-jointed, shuffling, sidewise motion, giving the characteristic "roll." The action must, however, be unrestrained, free and vigorous.

Temperament
The disposition should be equable and kind, resolute and courageous (not vicious or aggressive), and demeanor should be pacific and dignified. These attributes should be countenanced by the expression and behavior.
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