Germany has no single national Listenhunde (listed-breed) law. Policing and public-order law is a state matter under Germany's constitution, so each of the 16 Bundesländer sets its own Landeshundegesetz or Hundeverordnung, and the lists, permit requirements and leash/muzzle rules genuinely differ from one state to the next — a dog treated as a Listenhund crossing into Bavaria may not be one in a neighbouring state.

North Rhine-Westphalia's Landeshundegesetz, published on the state's own legal portal, names Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier and Bullterrier (and their crosses) as presumed dangerous, with a separate list of ten further breeds — including Rottweiler, Dogo Argentino, American Bulldog and Mastiff types — that face similar but distinct requirements. Bavaria's own Kampfhundeverordnung runs a comparable two-tier structure but isn't identical in its second-tier list, and reporting on the two states' rules shows genuine overlaps and genuine differences, not a shared list with two names.

Keeping a dog from either list generally requires a permit from the local authority, proof of expertise and reliability, escape-proof housing, and liability insurance — NRW's law sets a minimum of EUR 500,000 for personal injury and EUR 250,000 for other damage. A muzzle and leash are required outside fenced property for a listed dog in both states, with an exemption from that rule only available after a formal behavioural assessment (Verhaltensprüfung), and even then not in areas where leashing is separately mandatory.