Breed dogs for school dogs and school wellbeing dogs? Advertise here
Buyers and trainers use this page to find breeders whose lines do this work. List your kennel free, tick the industries your dogs work in, and advertise litters and stud dogs from proven working lines.
No breeders are listed here yet, so the first profiles get the page to themselves.
- Free basic profile: your breeder or company name, website, social media, location, breeds and industries.
- Litters and stud dogs advertised in their own sections, never mixed with puppies for sale.
- Premium showcase for your services and prices, previous customers, awards, video, gallery and health certificates, with your phone and email shown to buyers.
- Sponsored articles about your breed or industry, written and published by our team.
- Featured placement at the top of this page, labelled as sponsored.
Is it free to advertise here?
Yes. A breeder profile and your litter and stud dog adverts are free. Premium profiles, featured placement and sponsored articles are optional paid extras; see pricing.
Do I need a licence to advertise puppies?
In England you need a dog breeding licence from your council if you breed three or more litters in 12 months or breed and sell dogs as a business, and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own schemes. Licensed breeders show their licence number and issuing council on every advert. Puppies must be at least eight weeks old before they go to new homes.
Is my listing already here?
We add licensed breeders from councils' public registers. Search for your kennel name; if it is listed you can claim it and edit everything.
About school dogs and school wellbeing dogs
Some UK schools keep a school dog, either a resident wellbeing dog belonging to a member of staff or a visiting dog brought in by a charity volunteer. Done well, a school wellbeing dog offers pupils a calm presence, a reason to come in and a gentle incentive to read or talk. Done badly, it puts children and the dog at risk. This page explains who does what, which breeds suit the role, and what a school dog policy needs to cover.
What this work involves
There are two main models. In the first, a charity’s registered visiting dog comes in for scheduled sessions, often reading or small-group work. In the second, a staff member’s own dog comes to school regularly, with a base in one room, planned time with pupils and a quiet space to retreat to.
Either way, the dog’s welfare has to be planned: limits on session length, water, rest breaks, somewhere pupils cannot follow, and a firm rule that the dog is never left alone with children. The school also has to think about pupils with allergies, fears or cultural reasons for avoiding dogs, and about hygiene.
Who trains and supplies these dogs in the UK
No organisation in the UK sells a trained school therapy dog. Visiting dogs come through charities that assess volunteers’ own pets:
- Pets As Therapy sends registered teams into schools, including through its Read2Dogs scheme, free of charge. Schools must complete a risk assessment before registering and arrange any DBS checks the role requires.
- Therapy Dogs Nationwide (registered charity 1167622) volunteers visit schools, including through its Paws & Read reading programme, with assessed dogs and public liability insurance.
- Dogs for Good runs a Community Dog programme in which its own dogs and handlers work in partnership with local services, including schools.
A resident school dog is different. A staff member or the school buys or adopts a puppy, and the owner and school are responsible for its training, insurance and supervision. Pets As Therapy says it does not assess or provide school dogs, and both it and Therapy Dogs Nationwide say volunteers cannot take their own dog into the school where they work under the charity’s banner or insurance. A breeder can supply a calm, sociable puppy to a family planning this role, but not a trained school dog. In 2019 the Kennel Club (now the Royal Kennel Club) advised against schools acquiring a dog ‘for the school’, warned against the ad hoc use of unqualified and poorly supervised pet dogs in schools and pointed schools to the Bark & Read Standards of Practice. The National School Dog Alliance publishes best-practice guidance for schools considering either model.
Breeds and lines
People often ask about the best breeds for a school dog. The individual dog matters more than the breed, but Labrador and Golden Retrievers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels and Labrador x Poodle crosses are often considered. Think about size, grooming and energy. Cocker Spaniels from working lines can need much more exercise and occupation than show-bred Cockers, so ask which a litter comes from. Poodle crosses are sometimes chosen with allergies in mind, but no dog is guaranteed to be allergy-free.
A school dog will spend years around children, so health counts: ask whether both parents meet the Royal Kennel Club Health Standard for their breeds.
What to ask a breeder
- Which puppy in the litter do you think would suit a school wellbeing role, and why?
- How were the puppies socialised with children of different ages?
- How do both parents cope with noise, groups of people and being approached by strangers?
- For crossbreeds, which health tests do both parent breeds need, and have both parents had them?
- Will you take the dog back if the role does not work out?
Legal and welfare notes
There is no statutory scheme for school dogs. Each school sets its own school dog policy, risk assessment and insurance, and should confirm that its insurer covers a dog on site. The person responsible for the dog, usually the owner, has a legal duty of care: in England and Wales, section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 requires them to meet the dog’s needs, including a suitable environment and diet, the ability to exhibit normal behaviour, and protection from pain, suffering, injury and disease. Scotland and Northern Ireland impose equivalent duties under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 and the Welfare of Animals Act (Northern Ireland) 2011. A school dog is not an assistance dog and has no special access status under the Equality Act 2010.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best breed for a school dog?
There is no single best breed. Calm, sociable, people-focused dogs of moderate size tend to cope best, which is why retrievers, Cavaliers and some spaniels and poodle crosses are often considered. Choose the individual puppy and its lines, not just the breed.
What should a school dog policy include?
Who owns and is responsible for the dog, its insurance, where it may and may not go, supervision rules, how pupils with allergies or fears are protected, hygiene, rest and retreat space, and what happens if the dog shows signs of stress.
Can a breeder sell a trained school dog?
No. A breeder can raise a well-socialised puppy, but training, assessment, insurance and daily responsibility sit with the school and the dog’s owner.
Do you breed calm, family-minded dogs that have gone on to work as school wellbeing dogs? List your breeding on caninebreeder.co.uk and explain how you socialise puppies with children. We don’t certify school dogs, but we help staff and families find breeders whose dogs have the right aptitude.