Suffolk dog trainers worry XL Bullies will be crossbred to avoid the ban
It's been a year since it became a criminal offence to own or possess one of these dogs in England without a valid certificate of exemption
Dog trainers in Suffolk say they're worried some people will choose to cross-breed XL Bullies so they gain characteristics that mean they do not meet the requirements of the ban.
It's exactly a year since it became illegal to own this breed of dog in the UK- without an exemption. The law was enforced after several people were seriously injured or killed by these animals across the country, in 2024.
Under these rules t’s also an offence to:
- Sell an XL Bully dog
- Abandon an XL Bully dog or let it stray
- Give away an XL Bully dog
- Breed or breed from an XL Bully dog
- Have an XL Bully in public without a lead and muzzle
We spoke to Lyn Alton who's from Wagtail Training in Ipswich she tells us she's concerned about people who will try and find loop holes in the law.
"There may be derivatives of crossbreeding, so they (the dog) may be shorter, so they're not the right height, so they can say my dogs exempt from that situation, you can't insist that I muzzle it or castrate it because it's not the right height."
When speaking to Lyn, we asked if she was worried about the government banning other breeds of dogs, she told us she is, but overall, she believes the way a dog behaves is down to their training.
This comes from personal experience from her carer, but also in rescuing a dog that was illegally trained to fight.
"He was a softy, but in the wrong hands. No, he wouldn't have been (a softy)... it's about the people, is about the environment."
Subsequently, she want's to see training become a mandatory requirement for anyone with or hoping to have a dog.
"We deal with every kind of breed, I personally think everyone should have training with their dog, training should be something that's regulated because anyone can say they're a trainer.
"If everybody were to buy or rescue a dog, a part of that expense needs to be you go to a minimum of four weeks of training for that dog, it becomes part of the expense.
"You could add to that and say, this dog went to this kind of training. Kennel Club do Kennel Club level awards from puppy foundation up to gold. Maybe there could be a discount for insurance for this training, it would entice people in that direction."
Her husband Mike Alton, who also runs Wagtails Training, agrees: "It is about people within their training, encouraging the puppy making their decisions, those first steps and thinking, am I doing it right, not talking to the dog and saying 'you've got to do this'. No, they're not a robot, they are a thinking, caring, feeling beings. "