Dog Ownership Act

The State Dog Act NRW (LHundG NRW) requires a certificate of competence for keeping certain groups of dogs. The certificate of competence is intended to verify whether dog owners possess the necessary knowledge and skills (competence).

A certificate of competence is required for the following groups of dogs:

1. "Dangerous Dogs" (§3 LHundG NRW)

• Pitbull Terrier,

• American Staffordshire Terrier,

• Staffordshire Bull Terrier,

• Bull Terrier

• as well as their crossbreeds with other dogs
  

"Dogs of Specific Breeds" (§10 LHundG NRW)

• Alano,

• American Bulldog,

• Bullmastiff,

• Mastiff,

• Mastino Espanol,

• Mastino Napoletano,

• Fila Brasileiro,

• Dogo Argentino,

• Rottweiler and

• Tosa Inu

• as well as their crossbreeds with each other or other breeds
  
  

3. "Large Dogs" (§11 LHundG NRW)

Dogs that, when fully grown, reach a height at the withers of at least 40 cm or a weight of at least 20 kg.            

Only those who can prove their competence will receive permission from the local regulatory office to keep one of the dogs listed under 1 and 2.

The keeping of "large dogs" listed under 3 must be reported to the local regulatory office with the certificate of competence.

The certificates of competence for "dangerous dogs" (§3 LHundG NRW) and "dogs of specific breeds" (§10 LHundG NRW) can be obtained at the Veterinary and Food Monitoring Office of OBK.

The certificates of competence for "large dogs" (§11 LHundG NRW) can be obtained at authorized veterinary practices. A list of recognized veterinarians can be found on the website of the Veterinary Chamber Nordrhein under the keyword "Certificate of Competence".

Please note that the certificate of competence for large dogs (§11 LHundG NRW) cannot be obtained at the Veterinary and Food Monitoring Office of OBK.