Public ‘overestimate’ legal protections for dogs

Most people in the UK don’t fully understand dog laws in the country, and often believe stronger protections exist than actually do, new research reveals.

The research – by the University of Stirling’s Faculty of Natural Sciences and involving more than 1,700 people across the UK – found that dog owners were consistently more confident than non‑owners when answering questions about the law, but not more accurate, raising concerns about how legal understanding can be improved when people are unaware their knowledge is incorrect.

It found that while most respondents were familiar with high-profile measures such as dog fouling rules and banned breeds, significant misconceptions remained. Notably, 85% believed that aversive training methods were already banned, while only 16% correctly understood that no legislation explicitly prohibits the euthanasia of healthy dogs.

More than half of respondents were also unaware that strict bans on shock collars only apply in Wales, not in other parts of the UK, while less than half of those taking part were aware of nationwide laws making it illegal for a dog to cause fear or apprehension in another person in a private home.

Psychologist Sarah Weir, who led the research, said: “These findings challenge common assumptions about legal awareness and responsible ownership, showing that while dog owners are often expected to understand and comply with the law, they are no more accurate in their knowledge than non‑owners.

“This raises concerns about how legal understanding can be improved when people are unaware their knowledge is inaccurate.”

Weir added: “The research also suggested that differences in legal knowledge may be linked to broader social change. Younger participants were more likely to assume that stronger legal protections for dogs and owners already existed, which may reflect the increasingly elevated status of dogs in society.

“Many people nowadays increasingly view their dogs as more like family members or children than was historically the case.

“In some cases, people who had never owned a dog were also more likely to assume that laws providing greater protection for dogs, particularly those that placed additional responsibilities on owners, already existed.

“This suggests that expectations about dog welfare and regulation are not limited to dog owners but may instead reflect wider societal views about how dogs should be treated. If future generations continue to view dogs differently, public expectations of dog law may continue to change.”

Exploring Public Knowledge of Dog Law in the UK: Evidence of Poor Legal Knowledge in a Nationally Representative Sample was published in Animals.