The Royal Kennel Club has produced this guidance to support dog owners in understanding the ban on XL Bully dogs. The information is correct at the point of publishing, however, guidance is being updated regularly, so it is recommended that owners of XL Bully type dogs and dogs which might be deemed to be XL Bully types regularly visit the relevant Government webpages for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to check for new updates.
You can find the Royal Kennel Club’s position on dangerous dog law and breed specific legislation here.
Outline of the ban
England and Wales
It is now a criminal offence to possess an XL Bully breed type in England and Wales unless the dog is registered on the Index of Exempted dogs and they follow certain rules, which include microchipping, neutering, and muzzling them and keeping them on a lead in public.
The Government has announced a new legal requirement will be implemented from 1 November 2026. Once the new rules come into force, owners must not leave a child under the age of 12 in close proximity to a banned breed dog in a domestic setting or other private settings place without adult supervision. This will be a condition of the Certificate of Exemption, which allows owners to legally keep a banned breed
Scotland
In Scotland, it is now a legal requirement for all XL Bully dogs to be kept on a lead and muzzled when in public. It is also illegal to breed or breed from an XL Bully, sell, give away or rehome an XL Bully or abandon an XL Bully or let it stray. It is now illegal to own an XL Bully type dog if the owner does not have a certificate of exemption for it
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, it is now a legal requirement for all XL Bully dogs to be kept on a lead and muzzled when in public. It is illegal to breed or breed from an XL Bully, sell, give away or rehome an XL Bully or abandon an XL Bully or let it stray. It is also illegal to own an XL Bully type dog if the owner does not have a certificate of exemption for it
How are XL Bully dogs identified?
By law, a dog will be determined to be an XL Bully type purely based on its appearance. The UK Government has produced a conformation standard that details the physical characteristics which must be assessed to determine whether a dog is deemed to be an XL Bully and subject to the ban, or not.
Owners are encouraged to ensure they check the relevant official webpages for the nation they live in to ensure compliance with the relevant laws.
DNA tests will not be considered when determining whether a dog is an XL Bully type or not.
It does not matter whether the dog was sold or rehomed as a different breed or type. Some dogs which were sold as an XL Bully may not meet the criteria set out by Government, and therefore not subject to the legal restrictions. Conversely dogs which were sold as another breed, type or cross breed may be determined to be an XL Bully type.