If you own a Staffie, a Rottweiler, or a German Shepherd, you already know the drill. You find a cottage that looks perfect, the garden is fenced, the beach is a ten-minute walk, and then somewhere in the small print: "no aggressive breeds." Which usually means your soft, sofa-hogging Staffy who has never so much as growled at a postman is suddenly unwelcome. Finding a no breed restrictions holiday cottage can take a weekend of reading small print, and that is frankly exhausting.
Breed restrictions in holiday lets are common, and they are almost never based on anything the individual dog has done. They are blanket policies driven by insurance clauses, landlord nerves, or a vague sense that certain breeds "look scary." For owners of restricted breeds, finding a cottage that judges your dog on behaviour rather than appearance takes real digging. That is what this page is for.
Table of Contents
Why Breed Restrictions Exist (and Why They Often Miss the Point)
Most breed restrictions trace back to property insurance. Insurers sometimes exclude liability cover for certain breeds, and landlords pass that exclusion straight through to guests. The list usually includes Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Rottweilers, Dobermanns, German Shepherds, Akitas, and sometimes Huskies or Mastiff types. The logic is actuarial, not behavioural.
Then there is the legal layer. Under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, five types are banned in the UK: the Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, and (since February 2024) the XL Bully. Owning an XL Bully without a Certificate of Exemption became a criminal offence on 1 January 2025, and exempted dogs must be neutered, muzzled and on lead in public. Holiday cottages are not public spaces, but many property owners apply the banned-breeds list as a blanket filter and then add a dozen more breeds on top for good measure.
The result is a system that penalises responsible owners of well-behaved dogs while doing nothing about the poorly trained Cockapoo that chews through the skirting board. BowWowsWelcome tracks this through the BowWow Score, which rates properties on how genuinely welcoming they are to pets of all sizes and types, breed restrictions included.
What a No Breed Restrictions Holiday Cottage Actually Looks Like
A genuine no breed restrictions holiday cottage accepts dogs based on behaviour and owner responsibility, not a checklist of breeds. In practice, this means:
- No banned-breed lists beyond the legal minimum (the five types under the Dangerous Dogs Act)
- No size caps framed as breed exclusions ("dogs under 15kg only" is a weight restriction, not a breed restriction, but the effect on large breeds is the same)
- No requirement to declare breed at booking, or at least no policy of rejecting based on the answer
Some hosts go further. They welcome all dogs regardless of breed, with no pet fee and no deposit, trusting that the owner knows their dog. Others allow all breeds but charge a higher deposit for larger dogs. Both count as "no breed restrictions," but the detail matters. Read the fine print, and if a listing calls itself a no breed restrictions holiday cottage without saying what that actually covers, ask the host directly before booking.
No Breed Restrictions Holiday Cottage Options on BowWowsWelcome
BowWowsWelcome lists properties that are transparent about their pet policies, and here are a few examples of a no breed restrictions holiday cottage done properly:
Number 11, Colchester accepts up to two dogs with no breed restrictions and no pet fee. The enclosed rear garden gives dogs space to stretch, though the steep Victorian stairs are worth noting if your dog is elderly or unsteady. BowWow Score: 45.
Queens Cottage, Wivenhoe welcomes dogs of all sizes in a quiet Essex riverside town. No pet fee, dog bowls provided, and walking routes along the Wivenhoe Trail start practically from the front door.
The Round House, Colchester takes one dog, any breed, no charge. A compact patio garden rather than a full run-around space, but Colchester Castle Park is five minutes on foot and has plenty of off-lead areas.
As more hosts join BowWowsWelcome, the list of properties offering a no breed restrictions holiday cottage will grow. You can browse all current listings and filter by pet policy on the property search page.
What to Check Before Booking
Even when a cottage advertises itself as a no breed restrictions holiday cottage, a few questions are worth asking before you hand over a deposit:
Ask about insurance, not just policy. Some hosts say "all breeds welcome" but their insurance quietly excludes certain types. If something goes wrong, you could be caught in the gap. A host who has specifically chosen pet-inclusive insurance is a better bet than one who has not checked.
Clarify what "no restrictions" covers. Does it mean no breed restrictions, no size restrictions, or both? A Newfoundland and a Chihuahua have very different space requirements, and some properties that welcome all breeds still cap weight or number of dogs.
Check the local area too. A cottage might welcome your Rottweiler, but if every pub and beach within five miles has a "no dangerous breeds" sign, the holiday will be harder than it needs to be. Our Cornwall guide and Lake District guide include notes on local attitudes to larger breeds.
Read reviews from large-breed owners. If other guests with Staffies, Shepherds, or Bullmastiffs have stayed and left positive reviews, that tells you more than any policy statement.
FAQ
Are Staffordshire Bull Terriers banned in the UK?
No. Staffies are not on the list of banned breeds under the Dangerous Dogs Act. They are one of the most popular breeds in the country. However, many holiday cottages and rental properties restrict them voluntarily, often grouping them with genuinely banned types. A property that specifically states "no breed restrictions" or "Staffies welcome" is what you want.
Can I take my exempted XL Bully to a holiday cottage?
Legally, yes, provided you hold a valid Certificate of Exemption, the dog is neutered, microchipped, and insured, and you follow the muzzle and lead requirements in public. In the cottage itself, those public-space rules do not apply. However, many property owners choose not to accept banned breeds at all, exempt or not. Check with the host directly and bring your exemption paperwork.
How does BowWow Score account for breed restrictions?
Properties that impose no breed restrictions score higher on the BowWow Score's "inclusivity" criteria. A blanket "no dangerous breeds" policy reduces the score because it signals a less welcoming environment for dog owners generally. The full scoring breakdown is on the BowWow Score page.
What breeds are most commonly restricted by holiday cottages?
Beyond the five legally banned types, the breeds most often restricted include Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Rottweilers, Dobermanns, German Shepherds, Akitas, Huskies, and various Mastiff types. Some properties also restrict Bull Terriers, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, and Cane Corsos. The restrictions vary enormously between properties, which is why checking before booking matters more than assuming.