FrenchBulldogs.co.uk
6 of the 13 statements below were read from the primary source — the legislation itself, or the court's own record. The rest are reported by credible secondary sources and are marked reported. We publish the difference rather than smoothing it over, because a law tracker that mixes the two is no use to the people most likely to quote it.
England
A law exists. It applies to licensed breeders only.
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No dog may be kept for breeding if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype, phenotype or state of health that breeding from it could have a detrimental effect on its health or welfare or the health or welfare of its offspring.
primary source Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, Schedule 6, paragraph 6(5)
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"Phenotype" means the dog's physical form, so conformation is inside the wording. Nothing in the paragraph names brachycephaly, and no breed is listed.
primary source Reading of the same paragraph
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The requirement binds licensed breeders. A licence is needed for breeding three or more litters in any 12-month period, or for breeding dogs and advertising a business of selling dogs.
primary source Same Regulations, Schedule 1, Part 5, paragraph 8
Scotland
The same rule, worded slightly wider — it says conformation outright.
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No dog may be kept for breeding if it can reasonably be expected, on the basis of its genotype, conformation, behaviour or state of health, that breeding from it could have a detrimental effect on its health or welfare or the health or welfare of its offspring.
reported Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (Scotland) Regulations 2021, schedule 6
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Where England says "phenotype", Scotland says "conformation" and adds "behaviour". Same effect on a flat-faced dog, but it does not need anyone to explain what phenotype means.
reported Comparison of the two instruments
Netherlands
The strictest regime in Europe — and since 2025, French Bulldogs there can no longer be given pedigrees.
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Article 3.4 of the Besluit houders van dieren prohibits breeding in a way that harms the welfare or health of the parent animal or its offspring.
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From 2019 the agriculture ministry applied enforcement criteria based on the craniofacial ratio: a dog whose muzzle is shorter than half its skull length should not be bred from, with a stricter line below one third.
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In 2023 the government announced an intention to extend restrictions beyond breeding, to the import, sale and advertising of affected dogs. Existing pets were not to be taken from owners.
reported Reported by NL Times
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On 4 June 2025 the Amsterdam District Court, in a case brought by Dier & Recht, ordered the Dutch Kennel Club to stop issuing pedigrees for dogs whose muzzle is less than one third of skull length — around 25 breeds, the French Bulldog among them. The court held that issuing pedigrees for dogs bred in breach of the law was itself unlawful.
Norway
Widely reported as a bulldog ban. The Supreme Court permitted bulldog breeding.
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Continued breeding of the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was held to violate section 25 of the Animal Welfare Act. The Court divided 3-2.
primary source Norwegian Supreme Court, HR-2023-1901-A, 10 October 2023
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Continued breeding of the English Bulldog was held NOT to be a violation, provided a specific breeding programme is followed.
primary source Same judgment
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The judgment does not address the French Bulldog.
primary source Same judgment
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An earlier Oslo District Court decision in 2022 had found against both breeds. That is the ruling most press coverage still describes.
reported Widely reported; superseded by the 2023 Supreme Court judgment above
What this means if you own one here
Nothing. No UK rule touches owning, buying or selling a French Bulldog, and none of the restrictions above is retrospective — the Dutch measures were explicitly written so that existing pets stay with their owners. What is changing, in the countries that have moved, is whether more may lawfully be bred.
England, Scotland, the Netherlands and Norway. Germany's Tierschutzgesetz section 11b, Austria's 2024 reform and the Flemish breeding rules also bear on brachycephalic breeding and are not covered here yet — their omission is scope, not a finding that nothing exists there.
This page is general information, not legal advice. It quotes the law and says where each statement came from; it cannot tell you how any of it applies to you.
Use this
Free to use with a link back. If a fact here is out of date, tell us — this page is only worth citing if it is current.
Cite this page
FrenchBulldogs.co.uk, "Flat-faced dog breeding law by country", https://www.frenchbulldogs.co.uk/data/flat-faced-dog-law/ (reviewed 2026-09-09).
Common questions
Are French Bulldogs banned in the UK?
No. No UK law bans owning, buying, selling or breeding a French Bulldog. England and Scotland both have a rule that no dog may be bred where its genotype, physical form or state of health means breeding could be detrimental to it or its puppies — Scotland says conformation outright where England says phenotype. Both bind licensed breeders only, and a licence is needed only at three or more litters a year or where a breeding business is advertised.
Did Norway ban bulldog breeding?
Not as it is usually reported. An Oslo District Court decision in 2022 went against both the English Bulldog and the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and that is the ruling most coverage still describes. In October 2023 the Norwegian Supreme Court held that breeding the English Bulldog is not a violation provided a specific breeding programme is followed, while upholding that breeding the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is. The judgment does not address the French Bulldog.
What is the Dutch rule on muzzle length?
The Netherlands applies enforcement criteria based on the craniofacial ratio — the muzzle measured against the skull. A dog whose muzzle is shorter than half its skull length should not be bred from, with a stricter line below one third. Most French Bulldogs, Pugs and Bulldogs do not meet it. We have not checked that criterion against the ministry’s own published text, and it is marked as reported on this page for that reason.
Could the UK follow?
It would not need a new principle to. The wording is already on the statute book in both England and Scotland, and Scotland names conformation outright. What would have to change is scope and enforcement: the rules reach licensed breeders only, and nothing in either names brachycephaly or sets a measurable test the way the Dutch criteria do. The Dutch route is worth noting — the decisive step there came through a civil court, not new legislation.