Most of what governs breeders in Canada is provincial, and differs sharply from one province to the next, but one federal rule applies everywhere: if you sell a puppy as a purebred, the law expects the papers to follow.
The most important first
- There is no federal breeder license. Animal welfare and breeding standards are set by the provinces and, in some places, by municipalities.
- The federal Animal Pedigree Act makes it an offense to sell, or offer to sell, as a purebred of a breed any animal that is not registered or eligible to be registered as a purebred, and requires the seller of an animal sold as registered or purebred to give the buyer the duly transferred certificate within six months of the sale.
- Fines under the Act reach up to $25,000 on summary conviction and $50,000 on indictment.
- Importing young dogs for breeding or resale is tightly controlled: since May 15, 2021 the Canadian Food Inspection Agency requires, among other things, an import permit, a rabies vaccination given no earlier than three months of age and a minimum age of 16 weeks at export for commercial dogs under eight months.
- Quebec is an example of detailed provincial rules: a permit for keeping 15 or more cats or dogs, a minimum age at first mating, a cap of three litters in two years, and no separation of puppies from their mother before eight weeks.
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 province or territory: welfare regulations, codes of practice and kennel licensing differ widely and are amended regularly. Read the current version for where you breed.
- Your municipality: bylaws on zoning, kennel permits and the number of dogs per household apply on top of provincial law.
- Consumer protection: provincial consumer protection law can affect what you may promise and must disclose when you sell.
- Your registry: the Canadian Kennel Club and other registries have their own rules on registration and record-keeping.
- Imports, exports and business: CFIA rules for moving dogs across the border, and business and tax registration if you sell regularly.
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.
How the rules are divided
Canada splits the subject in two. The federal government regulates pedigree registration, through the Animal Pedigree Act, and the movement of animals across the border, through the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). Welfare standards, kennel licensing and breeding limits belong to the provinces and territories, and municipalities add bylaws on zoning, kennel permits and the number of dogs per household. Registries add their own rules for members: the Canadian Kennel Club’s Code of Practice, for example, requires members to register every litter, keep accurate breeding records and give buyers a signed written sales agreement. The general structure is in laws, regulations and kennel clubs.
Selling a dog as purebred: the Animal Pedigree Act
Section 64 of the Animal Pedigree Act contains the rule most breeders meet in practice. It prohibits offering to sell, contracting to sell or selling as a purebred of a breed any animal that is not registered or eligible to be registered as a purebred of that breed. It also prohibits selling an animal as registered, identified, eligible for registration or purebred unless the seller provides the buyer, within six months after the sale, with the animal’s duly transferred certificate. For claims that an animal is registered or identified, there is a narrow exception where the seller states expressly that the registration comes from outside Canada and that the animal will not be registered in Canada. The rule on selling an animal as “purebred” has no such exception.
Two consequences follow. First, words matter: describing an unregistered puppy as a “purebred” in an advertisement is not a marketing choice but a potential offense. Second, the registration paperwork is a legal obligation with a deadline, not a favor. Build it into your documents and the puppy pack and your sales contract. The Act sets fines of up to $25,000 on summary conviction and up to $50,000 on indictment, and for these offenses the court considers the animal’s value or purported value.
Importing breeding dogs
If you import young dogs for breeding, the CFIA rules for commercial imports of dogs under eight months apply, and they changed substantially on May 15, 2021. Import permits are single-entry, valid for three months and applied for through My CFIA; recognized breeders are limited to two dogs per permit and two permits a year. Each dog needs an ISO-compatible microchip, a rabies vaccination given no earlier than three months of age followed by a 28-day wait, treatment for internal and external parasites, and must be at least 16 weeks old at export. Importers bringing dogs by air must have a CFIA pre-approved post-import quarantine facility. Full requirements are in the CFIA’s Automated Import Reference System; the international side of selling abroad is in export and international sales.
Since September 28, 2022, Canada has also prohibited commercial dogs from countries the CFIA considers high risk for dog rabies. “Commercial” includes dogs imported for breeding, resale, adoption or shows, at any age. Check the CFIA’s current country list and its Automated Import Reference System before planning an import.
Provincial rules: Quebec as an example
Provinces differ so much that no single summary is accurate for the whole country. Quebec shows how detailed provincial regulation can be. Its Regulation respecting the welfare and safety of domestic companion animals and equines requires a permit for anyone who owns or has custody of 15 or more cats or dogs, with separate classes for 15 to 49 and for 50 or more. It sets a minimum age at first mating for female dogs of 18 months or the second heat, whichever comes first; limits a female dog to three litters in any two-year period, with no more than two from consecutive heats, and requires her to return to optimal body condition before being mated again; and prohibits mating parents with offspring or siblings with each other.
The same regulation provides that a litter may not be separated from its mother before eight weeks of age, prohibits selling an animal with inadequate imprinting or socialization, or showing signs of illness, injury or limiting congenital malformations, unless the buyer is told in writing and accepts in writing, and requires commercial breeders and permit holders to keep a register for each dog, retained for the time the dog is in their care plus 24 months. If you breed in Quebec, these rules shape your long-term breeding plan as much as any breed standard.
Ontario: the Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act
Ontario’s Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act, 2024 (Royal Assent June 6, 2024) amends the Provincial Animal Welfare Services Act, 2019. It makes operating a “puppy mill” an offense, with minimum fines of $10,000 ($25,000 where a dog dies). The Act lists practices such as separating puppies from their mother before 56 days and certain breeding of young or closely related dogs. Some provisions apply only from dates set by proclamation, so check the current status with the province.
Other provinces regulate breeders through their animal protection legislation, standards of care and codes of practice, and some through licensing of commercial kennels. Find your province’s current rules on the provincial government website, and check your municipality for kennel permits and limits on the number of dogs.
In practice
A breeder advertises a litter as “purebred, papers optional at extra cost”. A buyer who chose the cheaper option asks six months later why the puppy has no registration certificate, and points out that the advertisement called it purebred. The breeder now registers every litter, includes registration in the price, and gives every buyer a dated note stating when the transferred certificate will be sent.
(Illustrative, composite scenario.)
What the kennel clubs say
The Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) is not an FCI member. It registers purebred dogs under Canada’s Animal Pedigree Act. Its Code of Practice sets no numeric age or litter limits in the version we checked; provincial rules, such as Quebec’s, do.
Not confirmed, but worth noting: we did not find limits in the CKC By-laws (effective June 30, 2025), but have not read them in full.
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
- Does any advertisement or contract of mine describe an unregistered dog as purebred?
- Could I show that every buyer of a registered puppy received the transferred certificate within six months?
- Do I know which provincial rules apply to the number of dogs I keep and how often my bitches are bred?
Find out & check
- Look up your province’s current animal welfare regulation and your municipality’s kennel and dog-limit bylaws, and confirm with a lawyer in your province how they apply to your plans.
Do one thing
- Add the six-month certificate deadline for each puppy to your litter records today.
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Sources & further reading
- Government of Canada, Justice Laws Website — Animal Pedigree Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. 8 (4th Supp.)). laws-lois.justice.gc.ca
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency — Fact sheet: Then and now – commercial dogs less than 8 months of age. inspection.canada.ca
- Gouvernement du Québec, LégisQuébec — Regulation respecting the welfare and safety of domestic companion animals and equines (B-3.1, r. 0.1). legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca
- Canadian Food Inspection Agency — Notice to industry: prohibition of commercial dogs from countries at high risk for dog rabies (June 28, 2022). inspection.canada.ca
- Legislative Assembly of Ontario — Bill 159, Preventing Unethical Puppy Sales Act, 2024. ola.org
- Canadian Kennel Club — Code of Practice (September 2017). ckc.ca
- Canadian Kennel Club — Code of Practice (September 2017). ckc.ca
- Canadian Kennel Club — By-laws, effective June 30, 2025. ckc.ca
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.