Last updated: [DATE]
Status of reviews
Reviews are not yet enabled on caninebreeder.co.uk. This policy sets out how they will work when we switch them on, so breeders and buyers know what to expect. We may pilot reviews with a small group of breeders first. Until reviews are live, please use the report tools described on Reporting content, complaints and appeals to raise concerns about a breeder.
The law we follow
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 made fake reviews a banned commercial practice from 6 April 2025. It is unlawful to submit or commission a fake review, to publish a review that hides the fact it was incentivised, or to publish reviews or review information (such as star ratings and averages) in a misleading way. Any business that publishes consumer reviews must take reasonable and proportionate steps to prevent and remove fake or misleading reviews. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has published guidance (CMA208) on what those steps look like, and can fine businesses up to £300,000 or 10% of global turnover. This policy is our way of meeting those duties.
Who may leave a review
You may review a breeder only if you have had a genuine, direct interaction with them through the Site in the previous 12 months: you sent an enquiry, visited their premises, or bought a puppy or used a stud dog. One review per interaction.
You may not review a breeder if you are the breeder, a member of their household or family, an employee, a competitor, or anyone who has been paid or asked to write the review. Breeders may not review themselves under another name, or arrange for others to do so.
How we verify reviews
- Every review must be linked to an enquiry or interaction recorded on our system, and the reviewer’s email address must be confirmed.
- Reviews are labelled Verified purchase where the reviewer confirms, and if challenged can evidence, that they bought a puppy (for example with a Puppy Contract or microchip transfer record), or Verified enquiry where we can only confirm the enquiry.
- We may ask the reviewer or breeder for evidence if a review is disputed.
- Reviews that cannot be linked to a real interaction are not published.
Incentives
Breeders must not offer money, discounts, free items, priority on a waiting list or anything else of value in return for a review, a positive review, or the removal or amendment of a negative review. We do not pay for reviews. If we ever run a prize draw to encourage reviews, entry will not depend on the rating given, and any review entered will carry a clear disclosure. A review that was incentivised without disclosure is removed and the breeder receives a strike.
No suppression of negative reviews
Breeders cannot delete, hide, reorder or select which reviews appear on their profile. We do not remove a review because it is negative, because a breeder objects to it, or because a breeder pays us. We publish every review that passes verification and moderation, in date order by default, and we show the total number, the average rating and the distribution of ratings so that averages cannot mislead. We do not publish only a favourable selection.
When we remove a review
We remove or decline to publish a review only on these grounds:
- it is fake, or not from someone with a genuine interaction;
- the author has a conflict of interest described above;
- it was incentivised without disclosure;
- it contains unlawful content, including statements of fact the author cannot support after a valid defamation notice, harassment, hate speech, threats or another person’s personal data;
- it is about a different breeder, about us rather than the breeder, or concerns only a price negotiation;
- it duplicates a review already published;
- a court order or other valid legal notice requires removal;
- the reviewer asks us to delete it.
Every removal is recorded with its reason. The reviewer is told why and can appeal through Reporting content, complaints and appeals.
Business responses
A breeder may post one public response to each review about them. Responses must be civil, must not disclose the reviewer’s personal data beyond what the reviewer published, and must not contain threats or offers. Responses are clearly labelled as coming from the breeder. We may remove responses that break these rules.
How we detect fake reviews
- Linking each review to an enquiry, account and confirmed email.
- Checking for shared devices, IP addresses or payment details between the reviewer and the breeder.
- Looking for bursts of reviews in a short period, near-identical wording, and reviewers who only ever review one breeder.
- Acting on reports from users and breeders.
- Sampling published reviews for manual audit each quarter.
- Refusing to deal with, and reporting to the CMA, any service that offers to sell reviews.
Editing and updating
Reviewers may edit their review within 30 days of publication, for example after a puppy has settled in. We keep the original for our records and show that the review was edited.
Complaints
If you believe a review is fake, unlawful or breaks this policy, use the Report button beside it or see Reporting content, complaints and appeals. If you believe a review about you is defamatory, follow our Defamation complaints procedure.