Luxembourg's law of 9 May 2008 classifies certain dogs as susceptible to being dangerous and attaches a distinct set of obligations to owning one. It is breed-based legislation rather than behaviour-based, which is precisely why it has been publicly contested for the better part of two decades, and why anyone considering one of these dogs needs to understand the position before, not after, they commit.
The breeds named in the law
- Staffordshire bull terrier
- American Staffordshire terrier
- Mastiff
- Tosa
The list does not stop at pedigree animals. The law extends to dogs that are comparable by their morphological characteristics to those breeds without being entered in a pedigree register recognised by the minister. These are the dogs commonly referred to as pit-bulls and boer-bulls.
The practical consequence is significant and often misunderstood. A crossbreed of unknown parentage, adopted from a shelter, can fall within the scope of the law on the basis of how it looks. Supporting regulation describes the type in terms of a massive, thick body, heavy bone structure, a thick neck and a broad head, with the head and chest as the essential recognition features.
If you are adopting a dog of uncertain ancestry with a broad head and heavy build, ask the shelter directly how the dog is classified, and get the vet's assessment in writing before you take it home. Discovering afterwards that your dog is on the list is an unpleasant and entirely avoidable surprise.
What owners are required to do
Owning a listed dog involves obligations well beyond the ordinary declaration every dog owner makes:
- An approved training course for the owner, leading to the certificate widely known as the Hondsführerschäin
- An authorisation from the competent ministry, which must be obtained before acquiring, importing or taking on the dog, and which is granted only on the basis of that certificate
- A second declaration to the commune, in addition to the standard one, with the certificates attached
- A dog training course with an examination, completed with the dog within eighteen months of its birth. The diploma is valid for three years and has to be renewed
- Castration, for the breeds and types where the law requires it
The sequence matters. The authorisation comes first. Acquiring the dog and then applying is the wrong way round, and it is how people end up in a situation with no good outcome.
Who may hold the lead
The training course and the ministerial authorisation attach to the owner, the person who holds the dog. The law then restricts who may keep these dogs at all: not minors, not adults under guardianship (unless a judge has allowed it), and not people with certain criminal convictions. Those same exclusions apply to whoever holds the lead, because the dog must be kept on a lead everywhere, in the hands of a person who is not excluded, unless the dog's own training diploma expressly exempts it.
In practice this means that the adult who is the owner must hold the course certificate and the authorisation, and that the lead should only ever be held by an adult. A family cannot hand the lead to a teenager under eighteen, and anyone you ask to walk the dog should be a responsible adult with no disqualifying conviction. The dog must be on a lead at all times unless its training diploma exempts it, so a handover to someone who cannot control it is a real risk for everyone.
It also means a dog walker cannot simply add a listed breed to their round. The walker must be an adult who is not barred under the law, and must be able to hold a strong dog on a lead in all circumstances. Ask any professional who offers to walk a listed dog what experience they have with these dogs, and put the arrangement in writing.
Insurance
Every dog owner in Luxembourg needs civil liability cover to register the animal. For listed breeds, do not assume your existing household policy extends to it. A number of insurers exclude these breeds outright, price them separately, or apply conditions that are not obvious from the summary documents.
Ask the question explicitly, name the breed, and get the answer in writing before you register. An insurer's verbal reassurance is not something you want to be testing after an incident.
Daily life with a listed dog
The legal obligations sit on top of a social reality. Listed breeds attract attention, and not the friendly kind. Owners report being asked to leave terraces, having people cross the street, and being challenged by strangers who have read something.
There is not much to be done about the strangers. There is a great deal to be done about everything else:
- Invest heavily in visible calm. A listed dog walking on a loose lead, ignoring other dogs, does more for the argument against the list than any petition
- Muzzle-train properly and early, not because you must in every context, but because a muzzle-trained dog gives you options in the contexts where it helps
- Carry the récépissé and the authorisation. Being able to produce them immediately ends most conversations
- Do not let the dog approach people or dogs uninvited. The margin for a misjudged greeting is smaller for you than for other owners, whether or not that is fair
Where the law may be heading
Public petition 966, which called for the abolition of the breed list, gathered 4,805 signatures in six weeks and was debated in the Chamber of Deputies in June 2018. The list was not abolished as a result.
The argument against breed lists is well rehearsed and has substantial support in veterinary and behavioural circles: aggression is individual rather than breed-determined, morphology is a weak proxy, and a poorly socialised dog of any type can bite. The argument for them is essentially about consequence rather than frequency, namely that the damage a large, powerful dog can do is categorically different.
As things stand the list remains in force. If you are considering one of these breeds, check the current position rather than relying on an article, because this is the area of Luxembourg's dog legislation most likely to change.
If you already own one
Comply fully, document everything, and keep the paperwork somewhere you can reach it from your phone. Make sure only responsible adults handle the dog. Confirm the insurance position in writing. If the dog goes missing, the loss has to be reported to the Police grand-ducale within twelve hours.
Then think about care arrangements earlier than you otherwise would. Finding a walker, a sitter or a boarding option that is willing and able to handle your dog is materially harder and takes considerably longer. Leaving it until you have a business trip booked is how people end up with no good option and a dog left with someone who should not have taken the job.
The same applies to holidays abroad. Several European countries operate their own breed restrictions, and they are not aligned with Luxembourg's. A dog that is legal here can be refused entry, required to be muzzled in public, or barred from public transport across a border forty minutes away. Check the destination and every country you will transit, not just the one you are staying in.
PAWLY does not currently accept bookings for breeds on the list, because the legal conditions attached to these dogs are not something to improvise. If you own one, look for a professional with real experience of these dogs, who understands the lead rule and the owner's obligations, and who will agree the arrangement in writing.
A note on the dogs themselves
Nothing in this article is a comment on the temperament of any individual animal. Plenty of Staffordshire bull terriers are gentle, patient family dogs, and plenty of unlisted breeds are not. The law makes a categorical judgement that the evidence does not fully support, which is a legitimate criticism and one shared by a good part of the veterinary profession.
It is still the law. Owning one of these dogs in Luxembourg means accepting a set of obligations that owners of other breeds do not carry, and the only sensible response is to meet them completely and visibly. An owner who is fully compliant, whose dog is visibly well handled, and who can produce the paperwork on request is the strongest argument available against the list.
The PAWLY breed guide. 198 breeds described honestly, with history, temperament, health and what each is like in a Luxembourg flat. Browse the guide.
General information for dog owners in Luxembourg, not veterinary or legal advice. For your own dog, ask your vet, a qualified behaviourist or your commune. How this journal is written and checked.
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