Walk into a dog park and tell people you have an Olde English Bulldogge and most of them will picture the wrinkled, snorting, low-slung dog from the Mack Truck logo. That's an English Bulldog. They are not the same dog.
The Olde English Bulldogge - OEB - was specifically bred starting in 1971 to undo what the show ring did to the English Bulldog over the previous 130 years. Same root ancestry, very different modern dog.
One-sentence summary. An English Bulldog is the show-bred companion version that snores, can't whelp without surgery, and lives 8–10 years. An Olde English Bulldogge is a re-creation of the working bulldog of the 1700s - taller, longer-muzzled, more athletic, healthier, and lives 9–14 years.
Size and structure
English Bulldog: 14–15 inches at the withers, 50–55 pounds. Wide chest, very short legs, heavy jowls, very short muzzle, exaggerated wrinkles.
Olde English Bulldogge: 16–20 inches at the withers, 50–80 pounds. Athletic frame, longer legs, longer muzzle, fewer face wrinkles, more functional structure overall.
The OEB is a working-shaped dog. The English Bulldog is a couch-shaped dog. That difference shows up in everything else.
Breathing
The biggest difference. The English Bulldog is a brachycephalic (short-skulled) breed and most have some degree of Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome (BOAS) - they snore, snort, struggle to breathe in heat, and many need soft-palate surgery to live a normal life.
The OEB has a longer, more functional muzzle and most dogs do not have BOAS. They can breathe normally at rest, exercise without distress, and tolerate moderate heat. That's the entire reason the breed was created in 1971.
Lifespan
English Bulldog: Median 8–10 years. Health-related early death is common. The breed has been listed in multiple veterinary studies as one of the shortest-lived purebreds.
Olde English Bulldogge: Median 11–12 years, range 9–14 years. Healthy OEBs commonly live to their early teens.
Exercise tolerance
English Bulldog: Short walks, low intensity. Cannot tolerate heat, cannot tolerate sustained exertion. Many will refuse to walk at all in summer.
Olde English Bulldogge: Moderate-to-high exercise needs. Long walks, hiking, tug, structured play. Will overheat in extreme conditions but tolerates a 70°F afternoon comfortably with reasonable hydration.
Whelping
English Bulldog: 80%+ of litters require C-section. Females cannot typically deliver naturally because puppies' heads are too large for the dam's pelvic opening.
Olde English Bulldogge: Free-whelps in the great majority of cases. One of the explicit goals of the breed's reconstruction.
Temperament
English Bulldog: Affectionate, stubborn, calm. A couch breed. Low drive. Generally good with kids. Not especially trainable in a working sense.
Olde English Bulldogge: Confident, friendly, alert, courageous. Working temperament. More drive. More trainable. More protective. Generally good with kids when socialized.
Price
English Bulldog: $2,500 to $5,000 USD for a pet from a registered breeder. Show-quality dogs $5,000+. Higher prices reflect the cost of artificial insemination, C-section deliveries, and ongoing health care.
Olde English Bulldogge: $1,500 to $3,500 USD from an OBBA-registered breeder. Lower upfront cost partly because the breed costs less to produce - natural breeding, natural whelping, lower vet bills over the life of the breeding stock.
Lifetime health costs
The English Bulldog's lower lifespan and higher rate of chronic problems usually mean higher lifetime vet bills than the OEB. Soft-palate surgery alone is $2,000–$5,000. The OEB isn't problem-free, but the baseline is healthier and the bills are smaller.
Who should pick which
Pick an English Bulldog if: you want a low-energy companion dog, you live in a temperate climate, you have the budget for proactive vet care, and you want the iconic look that the breed is famous for.
Pick an Olde English Bulldogge if: you want a bulldog that can actually exercise, you want longer life expectancy, you want a more trainable working dog, you don't mind a less-typed, more athletic appearance, and you want lower lifetime vet costs.