Breeding dogs

If you are involved in either or both of the following:

• Breeding three or more litters of puppies in any 12-month period;
• Breeding dogs and advertising a business of selling dogs.

Then you will require a licence under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.

This means that even if you have one or two litters per year that you may also require a licence and you are advised to discuss your dog breeding activities further with the licensing officer.

Guidance for Animal Activity Licensing

New statutory guidance for animal activity licensing from February 1, 2022 can be found on the Government website.

Application form and fees

Animal Activity Licence Application Form

There is one generic Animal Activity Licence Form that covers all activities. Sections 1 to 4 must be completed for all application, and then complete the relevant sections for the activities that you are applying for.

• Animal Activity Licence Application Form 2024 (Word Document, 0.1 Mb)

Application and Licence Fee

The fees for an Animal Activity Licence are split into an application fee which must be received with the application and a licence fee which is required to be paid once the licence is approved and covers the length of the licence.

All fees are non-refundable, therefore you must ensure that you have read through the licence conditions and guidance before you apply and if you have any concerns then speak to a Animal Activity Licensing Officer.

Animal Activity Licence Fees Summary

Make a payment

You can pay for an Animal Activity Licence by using the online form below:

Pay for an Animal Activity Licence

A veterinary inspector is also required on the granting of a licence for breeding dogs and the operator will be invoiced separately for this once the visit has been carried out.

Additional Information

Licenses will be issued for one, two or three years depending on their risk and star rating. New businesses can only achieve a one or two year licence.

Further information on the new licensing process is available on our Animal Activity Licensing FAQs page.

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

Star ratings

Businesses are encouraged to display their star ratings, which came into effect on October 1, 2018.

Businesses have 21 days to appeal their star rating.

Please see the details of the star ratings in the table below:

Star rating	Description
1 Star / 1 Year Licence	Business that has minor failings against the minimum standards.
2 Star / 1 Year Licence	Business is compliant with both the minimum and they are either a new business (*) or considered higher risk due to previous history etc.
3 Star / 2 Year Licence	Business is compliant with the minimum standards. (**) would be considered compliant with the optional higher standards, but they cannot achieve increasing the unit size by 1.5 times which is required by the higher standards
4 Star / 2 Year Licence	Business is compliant with both the minimum and optional higher standards and they are either a new business (*) or considered higher risk due to previous history etc.
5 Star / 3 Year Licence	Business is compliant with both the minimum and optional higher standards.

List of Animal Activity Licenses

The list of animal activities licensed in Charnwood can be viewed in the document below:

• List of Animal Activity Licences - February 2024 (Excel Spreadsheet, 0.1 Mb)

XL Bully information

From December 31, 2023, breeding, selling, exchanging, advertising, rehoming, gifting, abandoning, and allowing an XL Bully dog to stray will be illegal, and these dogs must be muzzled and on a lead in public. 

From February 1, 2024 it will be a criminal offence to own an XL Bully in England and Wales unless the owner has a Certificate of Exemption. 

Key dates and details are available on the Government website.

LAIA licensed kennelling, home boarding or day care of XL Bullies  

It will still be possible for businesses to provide these services for exempted XL Bully type dogs if they wish to do so. 

It is a requirement of the Certificate of Exemption to keep a prohibited breed type at the same address as the person to whom the certificate is issued except for up to a maximum of 30 days in a 12-month period. During these 30 days, the dog may kept in suitable care which could include licensed kennels, home boarding or day care. 

Licence holders must ensure that they can continue to meet and maintain all their licence conditions should they agree to board an exempted XL Bully. They may also wish to ask the owner of the dog to see their Certificate of Exemption before agreeing to provide their services. 

The owner should ensure that the licence holder, or their designated manager, is aware the dog is a prohibited breed type, show them the Certificate of Exemption, and provide all relevant information to ensure the business can comply with the legislation. This includes that from December 31, 2023 the dog must be kept on a lead and muzzled when in public.  

In general, the licensed premises are unlikely to be considered as a public place for the purposes of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (that is a place which members of the public have access to without the invitation of the person occupying the property). However, depending on the individual set up, some part of the premises used by the licensee may be accessible to the public without the licensee’s permission. We would advise that licence holders that are unsure whether their premises or a part of their premises constitute a public place should consult their own legal team for views. If a licence holder or their legal team do consider the premises to be a public place, then an XL Bully would be required by law to be kept on a lead and muzzled.  

When transporting exempted XL Bully dogs, they should be on a lead and a muzzle at all times when they are in a vehicle as this is considered to be a public place. 

XL Bully owners who are licensed boarding operators   

Owning an exempt dog does not prevent individuals from holding or applying for a licence under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (“the 2018 Regulations”).

The statutory guidance published in support of the 2018 Regulations can be found on the Government website.