XL Bully Legislation NI
New legal safeguards come into effect for XL Bully type dogs in Northern Ireland from 5 July 2024. If you own an XL Bully or a dog who is likely to come under the physical 'type' as assessed by an official, it's important that you follow the rules to ensure your dog's safety.
Before XL Bully type dogs were added to the list of 'Banned Breeds' in Northern Ireland, there were already four different breeds or types on this list.
It is an offence to breed, sell, offer for sale or make a gift of a dog of a banned type. If you are found guilty of any of these offences you face a sentence of up to six months’ imprisonment and a fine of £5,000.
A dog identified as banned by a dog warden will be presumed to be so, unless the owner can prove that it's not banned in court.
In most cases, a court will order a dog seized as a banned breed to be put down, even where the council decides not to prosecute the owner.
An owner of a seized Pit Bull must let the court know that they plan to give evidence that the dog is not a banned dog type at least 14 days before the hearing is due to take place.
Once seized, your dog will be kept in kennels before a court hearing - this could be for several weeks or months.
A council dog warden, or an expert used by the council, will assess your dog's physical characteristics. They will judge the type of dog you have and whether it appears to be a banned breed. Following the assessment, the council will decide either of the following:
- Your dog will be released if it is not believed to be a banned breed
- Your dog will be kept in kennels while the council applies to a court for a destruction order
However, owners applying for an Exemption Certificate for XL Bully type dogs will need to make a self-assessment using the UK Conformation Standard. It is expected that those who do not apply for an Exemption Certificate for their XL Bully type dog before 31st December 2024 will then have to go through the court process to have their dog exempted (and risk having their dog destroyed if the court decides), if they are caught with a typed dog that has not been exempted.
Identifying an XL Bully Type Dog
In Northern Ireland, the definition used for an XL Bully type dog will be the same as the one that the UK Government set out for England and Wales, and which is also used in Scotland. It is known as a physical conformation standard.This detailed guidance sets out descriptions of height, head, teeth, neck, forequarters, body, hindquarters, feet, tail, and coat.The XL Bully is not officially recognised as a breed by the Kennel Club UK and due to the lack of recognition of the breed, there is no guarantee that the dogs are bred responsibly. Potential inbreeding may exaggerate behaviours such as aggression, and the strength and size of these dogs means any attacks or bites are more likely to be serious.
General impression
Large dog with a muscular body and blocky head, suggesting great strength and power for its size. Powerfully built individual.
Height
- Adult male from 20in (51cm) at the withers
- Adult female from 19in (48cm) at the withers
Head
- Heavy, large and broad
- The length from the tip of the nose to a well-defined stop (indentation between muzzle and the head) is equal to around one-third of the length from the tip of the nose to the back of the head
- Muzzle blocky or slightly squared to fall away below the eyes
-
Topline of muzzle straight
Prominent cheek muscles with strong, well-defined jaws and lips semi-close - Often having prominent wrinkles on face
- Nose is large with well opened nostrils
Teeth
Level or scissor bite.
Neck
- Heavy, muscular, slightly arched, tapering from the shoulders to the base of the skull
- Medium in length
Forequarters
- Shoulder blades are long, well-muscled and well laid back
- Upper arm length is about equal to the length of the shoulder blades and joined at a 35 to 45 angle to the ground
- Front legs straight, strong and very muscular with dog standing high on the pasterns (area between feet and ankles)
- Elbows set close to the body
- Distance from the withers to elbows about the same as the distance from the elbow to the bottom of the feet
Body
- Heavily-muscled
- Large, blocky body giving impression of great power for size
- Broad, deep chest with well sprung ribs
- Chest may be wider than deep
- Topline level and straight
- Loin short and firm
- Generally appears square shaped from point of the shoulder to the point of the buttocks compared with the withers (tallest point on the dog’s body excluding head and shoulders) to the ground
Hindquarters
- Strong, muscular and broad
- Thighs well developed with thick musculature
- From behind, both pasterns are typically straight and parallel to each other
- Muscular development, angulation and width in balance with forequarters
Feet
- Rounded, medium in size and in proportion to body
- Compact and well arched
Tail
- Medium length and low set
- Tapers to a point to end at about the level of the hocks
- Generally assumes a straight or pump handle shape when dog relaxed
Coat
Glossy, smooth, close, single.
Note: descriptors such as ‘medium in length’ and ‘long’ will be assessed by Dog Legislation Officers relative to the conformation of the rest of the dog.
Glossary
Bite: the relative position of the upper and lower teeth when the mouth is closed.
Coat: the hairy outer covering of the skin.
Croup: part of the back from the front of the pelvis to root of the tail.
Forequarters: the front part of dog excluding head and neck.
Hindquarters: rear part of dog from behind the loin.
Loin: the region between the last rib and the beginning of the pelvis.
Musculature: the muscles on an animal’s body.
Muzzle: the length from the tip of the nose to the stop.
Pasterns: the pastern is the lower part of the foreleg, just above the foot and below the wrist. Similarly, in the hind leg, the pastern is the portion located above the foot and below the heel (also known as the hock). Every canine possesses a pair of front and rear pasterns.
Scissor bite: the upper front teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws.
Spring of rib: degree of curvature of rib cage.
Tail set: the position of the tail on the croup.
Tapering: becomes progressively smaller towards one end.
Topline: an outline after the withers to the tail set. Viewed from the side of the dog or from above.
Withers: the highest point of body immediately behind the neck where height is measured.
Examples of XL Bully breed types
These pictures are indicative of what an XL Bully dog looks like. A dog does not have to look exactly like this to conform with the standard.
Note: some of these dogs have cropped ears. The cropping of a dog’s ears is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.





