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These rules apply to every profile, litter, puppy and stud listing on caninebreeder.co.uk. They are based on the minimum standards published by the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG), which brings together animal welfare charities, veterinary bodies and trade associations, and on the law in each part of the UK. Where the law is stricter than these rules, the law wins. Breaking these rules can lead to removal, a strike or a permanent ban under our Advertiser and breeder terms.
Seller type
Every listing must show one seller type:
- Private seller: an individual who does not need a dog breeding licence.
- Licensed seller: anyone who holds a licence to breed or sell dogs. In England, Scotland and Wales, licensed sellers are legally required to include their licence number and the name of the local authority that issued it in every advert. We display both, and we may check them.
- Rescue or rehoming organisation: a registered charity or recognised rehoming group.
Selecting the wrong seller type is a serious breach.
What every listing must include
- A recent, recognisable photograph of the actual dog being advertised. No stock images, screenshots or photos taken from other websites.
- The dog’s age or date of birth.
- For a litter or puppy: a recognisable photo of the puppies with their mother, taken at your premises.
- Breed or type, and sex.
- Microchip status: whether the dog is, or will be, microchipped before transfer. Breeders in England must microchip puppies by eight weeks old and register as the first keeper under the Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023; compulsory microchipping applies across the UK.
- Country of residence (where the dog is now) and country of origin (where it was born), plus the region or county within the UK.
- Price in pounds sterling.
Age, weaning and separation from the mother
No puppy may be sold, transferred or permanently separated from its mother before it is eight weeks old. You may advertise a litter before that age, but the “ready to leave” date must be at least eight weeks after birth, and no puppy may be offered for transfer before it is fully weaned.
Puppies must be shown to buyers together with their mother, at the place where they were born and reared. In England, Schedule 6 of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 makes it unlawful for a licensed breeder to show a puppy without its mother, and since 6 April 2020 it has been unlawful for anyone other than the breeder to sell a puppy under six months (Lucy’s Law). Comparable third-party sales bans apply in Scotland and Wales.
Banned types
We do not accept listings for any dog of a type banned under section 1 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991: the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and XL Bully. The XL Bully was added in England and Wales from 31 December 2023, in Scotland from 23 February 2024, and in Northern Ireland during 2024, with ownership without a Certificate of Exemption a criminal offence there from 1 January 2025. It is an offence to breed, sell, advertise, exchange, give away or rehome these types, even where the owner holds an exemption certificate. We run automated word checks and human review for these types and for descriptions that suggest them.
Ear cropping and tail docking
Listings must not include dogs with cropped ears. Ear cropping is illegal in the UK under section 5 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and equivalent legislation in Scotland and Northern Ireland, and it is an offence to arrange for it to be done abroad.
Tail docking is illegal except for specified working types docked by a vet within their first five days of life, with a certificate. Under the Docking of Working Dogs’ Tails (England) Regulations 2007 and the equivalent Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish rules, the exemption covers certain spaniels, terriers and hunt point retrieve breeds. If you advertise a docked puppy, you must upload the vet’s docking certificate, and the breed must be an exempt type in your nation. We remove adverts for docked dogs of non-exempt breeds.
The right section
- Puppy section: puppies and dogs for sale as pets. Pregnant bitches, bitches in season and stud dogs must not appear here.
- Breeding section: stud dogs only. No animals “for loan”, “for rent” or “for swap”.
- Working section: dogs advertised for working, hunting or guarding. These must not appear in the pet section.
Prohibited content
We remove listings that:
- offer swaps or exchanges for other animals, goods or services;
- offer to loan or rent a dog;
- offer delivery, couriers, transporters or postage for a dog, or a handover at a service station or other neutral location;
- advertise puppies imported into the UK for resale;
- ask for a deposit or payment before the buyer has seen the puppy with its mother;
- make health claims (such as “health tested” or “hip scored”) without naming the test and being able to show the result on request;
- offer a dog “free to a good home” without following our rehoming guidance;
- hide contact details, links or prices in images, or use another seller’s photos;
- describe any dog in a way that suggests aggression or fighting.
Frequent sellers
In line with PAAG standards, an account offering a third different dog or litter within twelve months is reviewed, and may be asked for a licence number or reclassified as a trader.
Monitoring and takedown
We use automated checks and human review. We aim to remove listings that break these rules within 12 working hours of finding them or receiving a report. Serious breaches earn a strike; three strikes within 24 months mean a permanent ban. Where we suspect a crime, we may report it to the police, the local authority or an animal welfare charity.
Reporting a listing
Use the “Report” button on any listing, or see Reporting content, complaints and appeals. Buyers should also read Buying a puppy safely.