Chapter II, Article 15 · Regulation (EU) 2026/1818

Contents

Article 15Housing#

1.The operators of breeding establishments and selling establishments shall ensure that dogs and cats are housed in accordance with point 2 of Annex I. The operators of shelters shall ensure that dogs and cats are housed in accordance with point 2.2 of Annex I.

2.Operators shall ensure that:

(a)the establishments where dogs or cats are kept and the equipment used therein are suitable for the types and the number of dogs or cats, and make possible the necessary access to, and the thorough inspection of, all dogs or cats;

(b)all building components of the establishment, including the flooring and roof, and space divisions, as well as the equipment used for dogs or cats, are constructed and maintained properly, to ensure that they do not pose any risks to the welfare of the dogs or cats;

(c)all building components of the establishment, including the flooring, and space divisions, as well as the equipment used for dogs or cats, are kept clean to ensure that they do not pose any risks to the welfare of the dogs or cats;

(d)in breeding establishments and selling establishments where dogs or cats are kept indoors, the dust levels, the temperature, and the relative air humidity and gas concentrations are not harmful to dogs or cats and that ventilation is sufficient to avoid overheating;

(e)dogs or cats have enough space to be able to move around freely and to express species-specific behaviour according to their needs with the possibility to withdraw and rest;

(f)dogs or cats have clean, comfortable and dry resting places that are sufficiently large and numerous to ensure that all of them can lie down and rest in a natural position at the same time;

(g)appropriate structures and measures are in place for dogs or cats that are kept outdoors in order to protect them from adverse weather conditions, including to prevent thermal stress, sunburn and frostbite.

3.Operators shall not keep dogs or cats in containers.However, containers may be used for transportation, for the short-term isolation of individual dogs or cats, for the duration of the participation in shows, exhibitions and competitions, for puppies or kittens with reduced thermoregulation capacity and for puppies or kittens together with their mothers, provided that, for the dogs or cats concerned, stress is minimised and suffering is avoided, and they are able to stand up, turn around and lie down in a natural position.

4.Operators shall not keep dogs older than eight weeks exclusively indoors. Such dogs shall have daily access to an outdoor area, or be walked daily, to allow exercise, exploration and socialisation. The minimum combined duration of such daily access or walk shall be one hour in total. The operator may only deviate from these requirements based on the written advice of a veterinarian.

5.When cats are kept in catteries, operators shall design and construct individual enclosures to allow cats to move around freely and to exhibit their natural behaviour.

6.Operators of breeding establishments and selling establishments shall ensure that in indoor areas where dogs and cats are kept, an appropriate thermoneutral zone is maintained that takes into account their coat type, age, size, breed and health.

7.Operators of breeding establishments and selling establishments shall, where necessary, use heating or cooling systems in the indoor enclosures at their establishments to maintain good air quality and an appropriate temperature, and to remove excessive moisture.

8.Operators shall ensure that dogs or cats are exposed to light and are able to stay in the dark for sufficient and uninterrupted periods in order to maintain a normal circadian rhythm.For the purposes of the first subparagraph, ‘light’ means natural light, complemented, where necessary due to the climatic conditions and geographic position of a Member State, by artificial light.

9.Paragraph 2, points (a), (b), (c), (f) and (g), and paragraphs 6, 7 and 8 shall apply neither to livestock guardian dogs, nor to herding dogs, during the periods where such dogs are used for guarding or herding in the context of seasonal transhumance on foot. Paragraph 2, point (f), shall not apply to livestock guardian dogs during the periods when such dogs are used for training purposes.

Source: EUR-Lex, © European Union, 1998-2026. Reuse authorised under Decision 2011/833/EU.

Key facts

Type

Regulation · (EU) 2026/1818 · EEA relevant

Adopted

17 Jun 2026

In force

30 Aug 2026

Applies from

31 Aug 2028

Applies from

31 Aug 2029

Applies from

1 Jul 2030

Applies from

31 Aug 2030

Applies from

31 Aug 2031

Applies from

31 Aug 2033

Applies from

31 Aug 2034

Applies from

1 Jul 2036

Applies from

31 Aug 2036

Made by

Council of the European Union, European Parliament

Official

EUR-Lex 32026R1818 · ELI

Defined terms · 39

Show every defined term

advertising
means any form of communication with the public or a section thereof which has the effect, direct or indirect, of promoting a dog or cat, one or more of its physical characteristics, or a breed, in order to arouse interest, provoke engagement or attract sales;
animal carer
means a person taking care of the dogs or cats bred or kept in an establishment, including volunteers, interns and part-time workers, under the responsibility of an operator;
bitch
means a female dog from the time she is first mated or inseminated until the weaning of her final litter;
breeding
means the keeping of dogs or cats in breeding establishments for the purpose of reproduction;
breeding establishment
means any premises or structure, including households, where dogs or cats are kept for reproduction purposes with a view to placing their offspring on the market;
breeding strategy
means a set of systematic actions, including recording, selection, breeding and exchange of breeding dogs or cats and their germinal products, designed and implemented to preserve or enhance desired phenotypic or genotypic characteristics in the target breeding population;
cat
means an animal of the species Felis silvestris catus;
cattery
means a physical structure containing one or more enclosures for housing cats;
competent authorities
means competent authorities as defined in Article 3, point (3), of Regulation (EU) 2017/625;
container
means any crate, box, cage, receptacle or movable structure used to confine dogs or cats;
dog
means an animal of the species Canis lupus familiaris;
enrichments
means materials or structures, which are present in a dog’s or cat’s environment, with an occupational or nutritional property and which are capable of arousing and satisfying a dog’s or cat’s curiosity or appetitive behaviour, or of motivating it physically;
establishment
means a breeding establishment, a selling establishment, a shelter or a foster home;
euthanasia
means the act of inducing death using a method that causes a rapid and irreversible loss of consciousness with a minimum of pain and distress, ending the life of the dog or cat;
farmer
means farmer as defined in Article 3, point (1), of Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council;
foster home
means a household that keeps dogs or cats on behalf of an operator responsible for unwanted, abandoned, lost, confiscated or formerly stray dogs or cats;
herding dog
means a dog primarily kept or trained to steer, move or otherwise control livestock in agricultural or pastoral settings, including farms, grazing areas, or during transhumance;
housing
means buildings or delimited outdoor space in establishments where dogs or cats are kept whether temporarily or permanently;
hybrid
means any offspring in the first to the fourth generations after crossbreeding between a wild species and a domestic dog or cat, or between such hybrids and wild species, domestic dogs or cats, or other hybrids;
keeping
means any activity during which dogs or cats are held, housed or handled either in an establishment or under the responsibility of an operator, or both;
kennel
means a physical structure containing one or more enclosures for housing dogs;
light
means natural light, complemented, where necessary due to the climatic conditions and geographic position of a Member State, by artificial light.
livestock guardian dog
means a dog primarily kept or trained to protect livestock from predators in agricultural or pastoral settings;
mutilation
means an intervention, including a surgical intervention, carried out for reasons other than therapeutic or diagnostic purposes, except for neutering or the implanting of a transponder, that results in damage to or the loss of a sensitive part of the body, or the alteration of the bone structure, of a dog or a cat;
neutering
means the process whereby dogs or cats are surgically and irreversibly prevented from reproducing;
non-commercial movement
means non-commercial movement, as defined in Article 4, point 14, of Regulation (EU) 2016/429, where the pet concerned is a dog or a cat.
online platform
means an online platform, as defined in Article 3, point (i), of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065, acting as an intermediator for the placing on the market of dogs or cats;
operator
means any natural or legal person that places dogs or cats on the market and that is responsible for a breeding establishment, selling establishment or shelter and for the dogs or cats kept there, or that places dogs or cats in a foster home and that is responsible for the dogs or cats kept there;
pet
means a dog or cat owned for private enjoyment or for the purpose of providing companionship to humans;
pet owner
means a natural or legal person that owns a dog or cat as a pet;
placing on the market
means the sale, offering for sale, distribution or any other form of transfer of ownership of, or responsibility for, dogs and cats, whether in return for payment or free of charge, as well as the advertising of dogs and cats for those purposes, excluding donations in an occasional manner at irregular intervals by natural persons other than operators without online advertising;
queen
means a female cat from the time she is first mated or inseminated until the weaning of her final litter;
Rapid Alert System
(iRASFF) means the electronic system implementing the Rapid Alert System described in Article 50 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of the Council and the procedures for administrative assistance and cooperation between Member States described in Articles 102 to 108 of Regulation (EU) 2017/625 respectively;
responsible ownership
means a set of behaviours by a dog or cat owner or future dog or cat owner consistent with a commitment to perform various duties focused on satisfying the health, behavioural, environmental and physical needs of the dog or cat, and to minimise the risks that the dog or cat could pose to the community, other animals or the environment;
selling establishment
means any premises or structure where dogs or cats are kept for sale without having been born there, including pet shops or households, as well as any premises or structure of assembly operations, where dogs or cats are brought together from more than one establishment;
shelter
means any premises or structure, including households, where unwanted, abandoned, lost, confiscated or formerly stray dogs or cats are kept for the purpose of placing on the market;
suffering
means an unpleasant, undesired physical or mental state of being which is the result of a dog or cat being exposed to noxious stimuli or the continuous absence of important positive stimuli;
tethering
means the tying of a dog or cat to an anchor point or object to keep it in a desired area or to restrict its movement;
welfare of dogs and cats
means the physical and mental state of a dog or cat which receives appropriate nutrition, is kept in an appropriate environment, is kept in good health, exhibits appropriate behaviour, and has an overall positive mental experience of life;