Dog breeding licences
If you breed dogs for sale, you must get a licence from us.
Anyone keeping a breeding establishment for dogs should apply. A person is keeping a breeding establishment for dogs if at any premises they carry on a business of breeding dogs for sale.
A person carries on the activity of dog breeding if that person keeps on premises 3 or more breeding bitches and:-
- breeds on those premises 3 or more litters of puppies in any 12-month period;
- advertises for sale from those premises a puppy or puppies born from 3 or more litters of puppies for sale in any 12-month period;
- supplies from those premises a puppy or puppies born from 3 or more litters of puppies for sale in any 12-month period; or
- advertises a business of breeding or selling puppies from those premises.
An expanded explanatory note is available from the area licencing office. See contact details on this page.
Application forms can be obtained from the Trading Standards Service using the contact details on this page. Please complete the form and return it with the fee to the area licencing office.
You will be charged a fee for this licence.
If you fall below the threshold for requiring a Dog Breeders Licence, i.e. you keep less than 3 breeding bitches, and or breed less than 3 litters within any 12 month period, you may still require a licence under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Wales) Regulations 2021.
Schedule 1 of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Wales) Regulations 2021 defines the licensable activities of selling pets. The licensable activity is restricted to businesses or those operating on a commercial basis, including those that operate from a domestic premises to hold a licence if they: -
(a) make any sale by, or otherwise carries on, the activity with a view to making a profit; or
(b) earns any commission or fee from the activity
HMRC have advised that you would be considered a business if you make a profit which HMRC defines as over £1000.
In scope criteria Activities that fulfil one or more of the following criteria are subject to licensing:
- The import, distribution and sale of animals by a business.
- Businesses registered with Companies House.
- Businesses or individuals operating from domestic premises for commercial purposes (it should be noted that many may not be listed with Companies House).
- Premises open to members of the public, or to other businesses where animals are available for purchase. Guideline indicators of running a business of selling animals as pets The following may assist consideration of the criteria listed above:
- The import, distribution and sale of animals by means of a fixed fee; • The purchase of animals with the express intent to sell them on;
- Where animals are bought and then re-advertised for sale, or sold within a short period of time;
- The number, frequency and/or volume of sales - systematic and repeated transactions using the same means of advertising are likely to indicate a commercial activity;
- High volumes of animals sold or advertised for sale, or a high number of litters or progeny could indicate a business; 2 The Aquatic Animal Health (England and Wales) Regulations 2009 WG43756 8
- Low volumes of animals sold or advertised could indicate a business where high sales prices or large profit margins are involved;
- High range and variability in the animals traded. A wide variety of species or taxa being traded could indicate the commercial nature of the activity;
- High numbers of advertisements of animals for sale, including on classified websites, could indicate commercial behaviour, even where there is no actual sale taking place via the internet. This could be high numbers of advertisements at any one time or over a short period of time, and/or regularly.
- Advertising through a variety of sites, forums or media could indicate a commercial activity.
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