In much of Australia you now need a number before you can advertise a single puppy, and in some states the law decides how many litters a bitch may have in her lifetime — so a breeding plan made without checking your state’s rules can be unlawful before it starts.
The most important first
- There is no national breeding law: each state and territory sets its own, and the main ones have changed recently. Check the current rules for where you live, not where a forum poster lives.
- New South Wales requires everyone breeding dogs to hold a free breeder identification number from December 1, 2025, with limited exemptions, and adverts for dogs born from that date must include it.
- New South Wales also introduced a lifetime limit of five litters per breeding dog, or up to three cesarean litters with veterinary approval, whichever comes first, and a cap of 20 non-desexed female dogs over six months of age for new premises.
- Queensland requires a breeder to have a supply number within 28 days of the birth of a litter, and the number must be quoted whenever a dog is sold, given away, supplied or advertised.
- Victoria sorts breeders by the number of fertile females and whether they belong to an applicable organization such as Dogs Victoria, and adverts must show each animal’s microchip number and the seller’s source number.
Rules last checked: November 1, 2026
We checked this page against the official sources listed below on the date above. Rules can change after that date, and no single page can cover every situation, so something that matters to you may have been amended since, or may not be covered here at all. Before you rely on it, check these as well:
- Your state or territory: the legislation, codes of practice and breeder registration rules are being reformed in several states. Read the current version for where you breed.
- Your local council: registration, permits, limits on the number of dogs and rules for domestic animal businesses are often handled by councils.
- Your breed organization: if you are a member of Dogs Australia or a state body, its rules and code of ethics apply, and in some states membership changes your legal category.
- Consumer law: what you promise a buyer about health and suitability can be governed by consumer protection law.
- Moving dogs between states and abroad: interstate rules and import and export requirements are separate from breeding law.
Check the current rules at the source before each breeding year and before any sale that is new to you, such as a first litter or a first buyer in another state or country. Ask the authority in writing when the answer matters, and keep a dated note of what you checked and what you were told.
Why the state matters more than the country
Animal welfare and companion animal management in Australia are state and territory matters, so a breeder in Sydney, one in Melbourne and one in Brisbane work under three different systems. The national registry, Dogs Australia (the ANKC), and its state member bodies set breeding rules and codes of ethics for their members, but membership is a condition of registration, not a substitute for state law; in Victoria, as described below, membership changes which legal category you fall into. If you sell as a business, the Australian Consumer Law’s guarantees (acceptable quality, fit for purpose, matching the description) can apply to what you tell buyers; most guarantees do not apply to private sales. The general structure is in laws, regulations and kennel clubs.
New South Wales: breeder numbers and lifetime limits
The NSW Office of Local Government has set out a staged reform. From December 1, 2025, all persons breeding dogs must obtain a breeder identification number, issued free when you create a breeder profile on the NSW Pet Registry, with limited exemptions such as farmers breeding working dogs that stay on their land, or rehoming organizations caring for a surrendered pregnant dog. From the same date, advertisements for dogs born on or after that date must include the number; a breeder number from a dog breeding association no longer suffices, and the rule applies to non-commercial breeders, including when rehoming for free.
The reforms also limit breeding directly. From December 1, 2025 a breeding dog may have a maximum of five litters in her lifetime, or up to three cesarean litters with veterinary approval, whichever comes first. New premises have been subject to a cap of 20 female dogs over six months of age that are not desexed since November 21, 2024, and from December 1, 2025 breeders must have one staff member for every 20 dogs over 12 weeks of age; a litter under 12 weeks counts as one dog for staffing. From December 1, 2029, compliance with the animal welfare code of practice becomes mandatory for all dog breeders. If you breed in NSW, a bitch’s litter count is now a legal record — keep it in her file, as in record-keeping and documentation, and plan cesarean decisions with your veterinarian with the limit in mind.
Penalties are significant. The Office of Local Government lists fines of up to $11,000 for breeding without a breeder identification number, and up to $16,500 for an individual (up to $82,500 for a corporation) who advertises without the required number.
Queensland: the supply number
Queensland’s Dog Breeder Register requires anyone whose female dog has a litter born on or after May 26, 2017 to register and obtain a supply number within 28 days of the birth of the litter. The number must be quoted whenever a dog born after that date is given away, supplied, sold or advertised, and breeders who supply dogs through pet shops must display it as the breeder of the dog. Registration is free and lasts 12 months. Primary producers breeding working dogs for other primary producers on rural land are exempt, and people who supply dogs they did not breed may need a breeder exemption number instead.
Victoria: categories, councils and source numbers
Victoria classifies breeders by how many fertile females they keep and whether they belong to an applicable organization. Animal Welfare Victoria describes a microbreeder as someone with one or two fertile female dogs or cats who breeds to sell; microbreeders do not need to register as a domestic animal business or follow the code. A recreational breeder is a member of an applicable organization, such as Dogs Victoria, with up to ten fertile females, and follows that organization’s rules and code of ethics. A breeder with three to ten fertile females who is not a member of an applicable organization is a domestic animal business, must register with the local council and must follow the code. Keeping more than ten fertile female dogs requires commercial dog breeder approval; breeders with 11 to 50 must first register as a domestic animal business and then apply to the Minister for Agriculture.
Advertising has its own rule: any advertisement selling or giving away a dog in Victoria must show the individual microchip number of each animal and the seller’s valid source number, obtained through the Pet Exchange Register. That affects how you write marketing and litter presentation.
Other states and territories
Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory each have their own legislation, and several have reformed breeding rules in recent years. The pattern across states is similar — registration or identification numbers for breeders, numbers in advertisements, microchipping before sale, and limits on breeding — but the details differ. Check the responsible state agency or your local council before your next litter, and recheck every year.
- South Australia: if you breed dogs for sale or trade, you must register as a breeder with the Dog and Cat Management Board through Dogs and Cats Online, even after an accidental litter. Registration runs for a year and ends on June 30.
- Western Australia: under the Stop Puppy Farming reforms, pet shops need an approval and, from May 26, 2025, may only sell dogs from approved refuges or dog management facilities. Further steps have been announced, including an approval to breed and sterilization of dogs by two years of age with exemptions, but when we checked, the government page did not confirm a start date. Check with your local government.
In practice
A breeder in New South Wales has always advertised with her breed club membership number. Preparing to advertise a litter born in December 2025, she checks the Office of Local Government page and finds that the club number no longer meets the requirement. She creates a breeder profile on the NSW Pet Registry, receives her breeder identification number the same day, and rewrites her advertisement template so the number appears first. She also adds each bitch’s lifetime litter count to the front of her file.
(Illustrative, composite scenario.)
Minimum age at sale
Most states set 8 weeks. The New South Wales breeding code says puppies must not be rehomed before 8 weeks of age; Victoria’s codes say puppies must not be separated from their mother before 7 weeks or sold or given away before 8 weeks; and Western Australia requires a puppy to be at least 8 weeks old and fully weaned before it leaves the dam and littermates. Check your own state’s code before you set a going-home date.
What the kennel clubs say
Dogs Australia appears on the FCI’s list of members and partners, so the FCI’s International Breeding Rules form the baseline.
Its National Code of Practice says a member must not breed a bitch so that she whelps more than twice in 18 months or more than six times in total, must have a current veterinary health certificate to mate a bitch aged 8 or over, and must not sell or transfer a puppy under 8 weeks of age without the approval of the member’s Member Body. State member bodies, such as Dogs Victoria and Dogs Queensland, may set stricter rules.
Last updated: November 8, 2026
Rules change, so always check with your own kennel club.
Work on it
A few minutes here will teach you more than re-reading the article.
Ask yourself
- Which category or number does my state require me to hold, and does every advertisement I publish show it?
- How many litters has each of my bitches had, and how does that compare with any lifetime limit where I live?
- If my breed club membership currently decides my legal category, would that change if I let my membership lapse?
Find out & check
- Look up your state or territory’s current breeder requirements on the government website and confirm with your local council what registration applies to you.
Do one thing
- Add your breeder or source number to your advertisement template and each bitch’s lifetime litter count to her record today.
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Sources & further reading
- NSW Office of Local Government — Changes to dog breeding laws. olg.nsw.gov.au
- Queensland Government, Dog Breeder Register — Applying, or renewing a Supply Number. qdbr.dpi.qld.gov.au
- Agriculture Victoria, Animal Welfare Victoria — Regulations for cat and dog breeders. agriculture.vic.gov.au
- Agriculture Victoria — Microchip numbers needed in pet sale advertisements. agriculture.vic.gov.au
- Government of Western Australia — Stop puppy farming. wa.gov.au
- Australian Business Licence and Information Service — Dog and Cat Breeder Registration (South Australia). ablis.business.gov.au
- Australian Competition and Consumer Commission — Consumer guarantees. accc.gov.au
- Dogs Australia — National Code of Practice of Responsible Dog Ownership (amended February 2023). dogsaustralia.org.au
- Dogs Australia — National Code of Practice of Responsible Dog Ownership (July 2023). dogsaustralia.org.au
- Dogs Australia (ANKC) — National Code of Practice, April 2020 (clause 18, puppies under 8 weeks). dogsaustralia.org.au
- RSPCA Australia — How old should a puppy be before they are adopted or purchased?. kb.rspca.org.au
- FCI — Members and contract partners. fci.be
Where evidence is limited, recommendations rest on established practice and expert judgment, and may be updated as knowledge develops. This is general information, not legal or financial advice: requirements differ between jurisdictions and change over time — confirm the current rules with the authority named here and have your own situation reviewed by a qualified professional where you breed.
Next steps
- Read next: Breeding and selling puppies in Hong Kong.
- Related: Marketing and presenting a litter responsibly · Breeding and selling puppies in New Zealand: the Code of Welfare, registration and council rules · Breeding and selling puppies in the United States: federal, state and local rules.
- Return to the area hub: Becoming a responsible breeder.