Dog Breeding

A dog breeding establishment is one where 5 or more litters are born to one or more bitches, for the purpose of sale, in a period of one year. Such premises are licensed in the interests of animal welfare and consumer protection. Licences to breed dogs for sale are issued under the Breeding of Dogs Act 1973 and 1991 and are renewable annually.

The Council will arrange for the premises to be inspected by a veterinary surgeon to ensure the accommodation is suitable for the welfare of the animals. the licence will be issued subject to compliance with licence conditions and payment of the licence fee.

The Council has licence conditions and application forms for dog breeding licences in either PDF or MS Word:

• Licence Conditions for Domestic Breeders (Word Document, 0.2 Mb)
• Domestic Breeders Licence Conditions (PDF Document, 0.14 Mb)
• Licence Conditions for Non-domestic Breeders (Word Document, 0.23 Mb)
• Non Domestic Licence Conditions for Dog Breeding (PDF Document, 0.16 Mb)
• Application Form for licence to keep a Dog Breeding Establishment. (Word Document, 0.54 Mb)
• Application Form - Dog Breeding Licence (PDF Document, 1.68 Mb)

When applying for a licence, a completed licence application form must be accompanied with the appropriate fee which is currently £77.00 plus veterinary fees. (Please note that the licence fee for those premises which are licensed dog breeding and animal boarding establishments is currently £88.00 plus veterinary fees)

For new applications, planning permission may be required. Further information can be obtained from Planning Services.