Travelling with dogs in Norway

Duty of due diligence

All dog owners in Norway have a general duty of due diligence. A dog owner is understood as anyone owning or temporarily responsible for a dog, either long or short term. This means a duty to show awareness and do all that is reasonable to prevent situations where the dog may constitute a danger or lead to discomfort for people, animals, the environment, or other interests. Furthermore, the dog owner shall always ensure the dogs safety as well as the safety of other people and animals by keeping it under supervision.

Competence

It follows from the Act § 3a that all dog owners shall have the necessary competence to prevent unintended situations or injuries. This also includes a duty to ensure that anyone that temporarily takes care of the dog has the same adequate level of competence.

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Requirement to keep your dog on a leash

All dogs must be kept on a leash between April 1^st and August 20^th to prevent dogs from chasing or injure domestic reindeer, livestock, and wild animals.  

During this period the dog must either be on a leash or in a fenced area providing a secure enclosure. It is not sufficient to have the dog free by your side, regardless of how obedient the dog is.

This requirement applies all over Norway. However, many municipalities may have separate local rules where this leash period is extended, either in the whole or part of the municipality. Therefore, it is important to look up which requirements apply in the parts of Norway you are visiting.

Furthermore, in Norway it is forbidden to leave bound dogs right outside the entrance to buildings open for the public, as well as any playground. In these situations, there must be sufficient distance to avoid unintended contact with other people or animals when passing the dog.

Breach of these rules may lead to a fine. 

Ban against dangerous dogs

There are six prohibited breeds in Norway. The ban also applies to crossbreeds where any of the below listed breeds are one or more of these breeds in any proportion. This means that it is not allowed to own, import, or breed such dogs in Norway.

The prohibited breeds are:

• The Pit Bull Terrier
• The American Staffordshire Terrier
• The Fila Brasileiro
• The Toso Inu
• The Dogo Argentino
• The Czechoslovakian Wolfdog

Furthermore, it is forbidden to hold, import or breed dogs that are trained to attack or defend themselves or their owners against people, or to attack other dogs.

If a dog is held, imported, or bred contrary to these rules, the police may take the dog into custody to be euthanized or sent out of the country. More information on this can be found by contacting the Police Directorate (Politidirektoratet).

Documentation and health requirements

Requirements concerning health are regulated by the Regulation on non-commercial movement of pet animals (pet animal regulation).

More information about this can be found by contacting the Norwegian Food Safety Authority (Mattilsynet).