Current status: Answered by Siobhian Brown on 26 September 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what training is provided for (a) police officers and (b) dog wardens to recognise the difference between dog breeds, such as the Cane Corso and XL Bully.
The two main pieces of dog control legislation are the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 (“the 1991 Act”) and the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010 (“the 2010 Act”). In general terms, Police Scotland will deal with offences under the 1991 Act, and local authority dog wardens will deal with matters under the 2010 Act.
The training of police officers in relation to the enforcement of the 1991 Act is an operational matter for Police Scotland to consider. Equally, the training of local authority dog wardens is an operational matter for local authorities.
The Scottish Government is committed to ongoing engagement with Police Scotland, local authorities and other relevant stakeholders, in order to consider any issues, concerns, or barriers to effective dog control enforcement including in relation to how best dogs can be identified.
Earlier this year the Scottish Government provided Police Scotland with funding to assist with the training of police officers who would be tasked with identifying prohibited dog breeds. Separately, the National Dog Warden Association also received funding from the Scottish Government to help improve how dog wardens are trained.
Please see the news release issued by the Scottish Government on 8 April 2025 for details: https://www.gov.scot/news/investing-in-community-safety/.