The Responsible Dog Ownership Taskforce report, published on 24 September 2026, makes 20 recommendations covering data, enforcement, education and training. It primarily concerns England, with some relevance to Wales. The recommendations do not themselves introduce new legal duties.
For My Licensed Breeder Network, it opens a useful discussion about how councils, breeders and owners can work together to support dogs throughout their lives.
What is a responsible dog owner?
The taskforce’s definition covers preparation, careful acquisition with regard to the dog and its parents, lifelong welfare, protecting others through responsible behaviour, training and socialisation, and compliance with the law.
In everyday terms, we would encourage prospective owners to ask themselves:
- Can I meet this dog’s needs throughout its life?
- How will I manage daily care, training and changing circumstances?
- Where will I turn if I need help?
li>Have I carefully considered where my puppy comes from?
These conversations can begin with the breeder, well before collection day.
What could change for local authorities?
Recommendations include:
- Restarting enforcement webinars.
- Updating and consolidating guidance.
- Encouraging preventative intervention.
- Introducing a statutory recording duty.
- Exploring a shared dog control database.
- Requiring councils to provide a dog control service for lower level problems.
A statutory duty would make providing that service a legal responsibility. Its precise requirements would depend on future legislation.
For MLB, the practical questions are how councils would staff and fund the service, how responsibilities would be shared with police, and what residents could expect after reporting a concern.
Afterall, councils have to report on breeding liecnces and fees. They should be aware when a litter is born from licenened breeders but judging fron Naturewarches latest report, that information is fragmented and very few councils are able to produce that data.
What could this mean for owners?
The report explores possible ownership requirements, including licensing models, without agreeing a scheme. It states that government is not currently considering reintroducing dog licensing.
For owners reading about these proposals, there is no reason to assume a new application or test is now required.
Our view is that any future system should make responsibilities understandable and support people in meeting them. We would want to know how it would reach owners who avoid engagement, how affordability would be addressed and what evidence would demonstrate an improvement.
For new puppy buyers, preparation remains something they can act on immediately. Planning care during working hours, agreeing household routines and identifying sources of help can all form part of conversations before a puppy comes home.
Dog walkers, trainers and behaviourists
The taskforce also proposes exploring regulation of professional dog walkers, trainers and behaviourists. Further work is needed before new arrangements are established.
From MLB’s perspective, buyers should feel confident asking questions about anyone entrusted with their dog.
For a walking service, those questions might cover how dogs are grouped, how individual needs are assessed and what happens in an emergency. For training or behavioural support, owners should ask about experience, methods and how the professional assesses the help their dog needs.
Breeders can encourage these conversations when buyers explain their plans for ongoing care. Where a concern goes beyond the breeder’s knowledge, helping an owner find appropriate veterinary or specialist support is a useful part of the relationship.
How education can help
At MLB, we believe education should be practical, accessible and available when people need it.
A new owner may have questions about settling a puppy into the home, introducing family members, managing time alone or recognising when to seek help. Those questions will change as the dog develops.
We see value in short explanations, useful demonstrations and opportunities to ask questions. Information provided at collection should also be easy to revisit: an exciting handover is not always the best moment to absorb everything.
The same principle applies to professional learning. Breeders and enforcement colleagues can benefit from discussing real situations and identifying where clearer guidance would help.
How licensed breeders and the MLB network can contribute
Licensed breeders have an opportunity to support buyers through honest conversations about suitability, clear handover information and an agreed route for questions after collection.
Through MLB’s workshops and member support, we can help breeders review those conversations and identify gaps in the information they provide. We also welcome input from enforcement colleagues about recurring problems and areas where better preparation could help.
This gives us a practical way to develop resources around the questions people actually encounter.
The next stage of Digital PawPrint
We are working on the next stage of Digital PawPrint, which will allow breeders to transfer a puppy’s card to its new owner. Alongside the puppy’s information, we plan to include videos to help buyers prepare for life as a new dog parent.
This feature is in development. Our aim is to give owners information they can return to as they settle into life with their puppy, connecting the breeder’s preparation with support at home.
We invite members and enforcement colleagues to share the topics they would find most useful. Your experience can help us develop guidance that answers common questions and supports responsible ownership from the start.
[Read the Responsible Dog Ownership Taskforce report on GOV.UK](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/responsible-dog-ownership-report/responsible-dog-ownership-taskforce-report).
