From 1 November 2026, it becomes illegal to leave a child under 12 in close contact with certain dogs in a private setting without adult supervision. The change affects owners of dogs on the UK's banned breeds list who hold a certificate of exemption, and a dog trainer warns that even "simply nipping to the loo could mean breaking the law for some dog owners".
Owning these dogs is prohibited, but a certificate of exemption allows people to keep them, and tens of thousands currently live across the UK. It is also illegal to sell, abandon, give away or breed from a banned dog. Whether a dog is classified as a banned type depends on its physical appearance rather than its breed or name, so authorities may deem a dog a banned type if it matches the characteristics of a banned breed.
Which breeds are affected
The banned dogs in the UK are the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro and XL Bully. The XL Bully was not banned until February 2024, while the other breeds were all named in the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. The XL Bully was held responsible for the deaths of 23 people in the two years preceding the ban, yet fatalities continued even after it came into effect.
By the end of 2024, more than 57,000 XL Bullies were registered with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), though they were being put down at a rate of more than 100 a month at that time. Other prohibited dogs also reside in Britain: according to the UK Parliament website, in 2021 there were 3,655 Pit Bull Terriers listed on the Index of Exempted Dogs, 20 Dogo Argentino dogs and three Japanese Tosa dogs.
Conditions for keeping an exempted dog
Owners who hold a certificate of exemption must comply with stringent regulations throughout the dog's entire life. The dogs must be neutered, fitted with a microchip, kept on a lead and muzzled at all times when in public, and kept in a secure place so they cannot escape.
Sharon Bolt, a dog trainer and founder of Good Dogs, said: "Simply nipping to the loo could mean breaking the law for some dog owners! Yes, you read that right! A new legal requirement comes into force on Sunday, 1 November, which says that children under 12 cannot be left in close contact with exempted banned-breed dogs, including XL Bullies, without appropriate adult supervision in their home or garden."
She added: "What this means in everyday life is that if you're at home with your young child and dog and need to pop upstairs, have a shower or even nip to the loo, you can't leave them alone together. You'd need to take your child or dog with you, or make sure they're safely separated."
What happens if you own a banned dog
The UK Government states that police or local council dog wardens are entitled to seize and detain a banned dog, even if it is behaving perfectly safely or no complaints have been made. If the dog is on private property, the police must obtain a warrant to do so.
A police or council dog expert will subsequently assess what breed of dog you own and whether it poses, or could pose, a risk to the public. The dog could then be returned to you, placed in kennels or put down. It is the owner's responsibility to demonstrate that their dog is not a prohibited breed.
If the owner succeeds in proving this, a court will order the dog's return. If they are unable to prove it, or admit it is a banned breed, they will be convicted of an offence and could face an unlimited fine or imprisonment for up to six months (or both), and the dog will be destroyed.
