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# SA - Entire Female Dog Rules

# South Australia — Entire Female (Breeding Bitch) Dog: Legal & Registration Guide

**BreedBuddies Knowledge Base — Australia**
*Last verified: 9 July 2026*

## Quick Facts

| Question | Answer |
| :--- | :--- |
| **Is desexing mandatory?** | Yes, for dogs born on or after 1 July 2018, by 6 months of age. |
| **Can she stay entire?** | Yes, if registered as a breeder through Dogs and Cats Online (DACO), or another exemption applies (born before 2018, working livestock dog, vet exemption). |
| **Do you need to sell puppies to register?** | No — "kept specifically for breeding" is its own qualifying reason under DACO. |
| **Cost** | Free with current membership of a recognised body (Dogs SA, FASA, Cat Fancy of SA); $75/year standalone DACO breeder registration otherwise. |
| **Coming change** | A new breeder licensing scheme, passed in June 2025, is expected to commence in 2027 and will replace DACO breeder registration with a stricter, assessed licence. |

## Summary
The desexing exemption in SA is tied to **DACO breeder registration**, and it's the female that generates this requirement in practice — a stud-only male rarely needs breeder status at all, since the obligation follows the dog that becomes pregnant. A cap of 50 fertile female dogs per breeder/premises has applied since 2022.

Under the *Dog and Cat Management (Breeder Reforms) Amendment Act 2025*, today's $75 DACO registration is being replaced by a licensing scheme with background checks, facility assessment, and fines of up to $10,000 for breeding without a licence. It's expected to commence in 2027, with existing DACO registrations remaining valid until then and a transition period of up to three years after that.

## Registering Your Breeding Female
* **Right now:** microchip her and register on DACO within 5 days, indicate she's kept for breeding to claim the desexing exemption, and either select your Dogs SA/FASA/Cat Fancy of SA membership (no extra fee) or pay the $75/year standalone breeder fee for a DACO breeder number.
* Renew dog and breeder registration by 31 August each year in the meantime.
* **Watch for the new breeder licensing scheme** (expected 2027) — it will require a formal licence application and will set individual fertile-female limits per licence.

## Litter & Welfare Limits
* No specific in-Act litter cap or minimum breeding age currently applies — the DACO breeder number is today's main compliance requirement, alongside a general **50 fertile-female cap** per breeder/premises.
* Any advertisement for her puppies must show both the microchip number and DACO breeder number (BRN).
* The incoming licensing scheme is expected to add proposed limits of 20 fertile females per breeding site and 50 per breeding program, plus mandatory litter reporting — not yet in force.

## Official Sources

| Authority | Link |
| :--- | :--- |
| Dog and Cat Management Board — breeder registration | [dogandcatboard.com.au](https://dogandcatboard.com.au/breeders/registration-for-breeders) |
| YourSAy — breeder licensing reforms | [yoursay.sa.gov.au](https://yoursay.sa.gov.au/breeder-reforms) |

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*Disclaimer: General information only, current as at the verification date above — not legal advice. Confirm current requirements with your local council and state or territory authority before breeding, advertising, or registering your dog.*