Strange

Expat confusion over Swiss dog laws

by Sanjay Jha | February 18, 2009 at 11:45 pm

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Keeping a dog is becoming a difficult affair in Switzerland.
First time dog owners are in a precarious position and there is big confusion about the legislation on dogs. As per the law dog owners who have never had one before will need to have compulsory training.

Glen Patterson is an American expat who has lived nearly five years in Switzerland and works out of Geneva as a dog trainer in English for foreigners wanting to teach their pets new tricks. He visits people’s homes to provide one-on-one behaviour training - clients include pet-owners from the UK and US but also Russians and Turks who prefer to deal in English.

He told Swisster that in Geneva many people don’t know about the law that requires first-time dog-owners to go on training courses with their pets, to help them understand Swiss legislation for man’s best friend as well as some practical tips on training.

“Advertisements about the government course should be shown in English,” he said. “I wonder how many people [expats] will even take the course”.

The federal law was introduced last September and stipulates that anyone who acquires a dog and has never owned one before must take the course, which involves a theoretical class and a practical hands-on module (to be phased in by 2010).

Theory lasts about two hours and covers topics such as vaccinations, worming, rabies and other legal requirements in Switzerland.

It is only once the owner has attended this ‘sensitization course’ that he or she can obtain the “medallion”, a dog certification awarded once the animal has received necessary vaccinations (such as rabies), an identification microchip implant and has been registered on the national database.

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MrFlagg

at 11:23 on February 19th, 2009

That seems like a bit of overkill but in this age where we have people dumping their animals in rural areas and at humane societies because they can no longer afford to feed them (thanks to the economic downturn) it is very understandable..

MrFlagg has contributed a photo to this story.

Yuliya Talmazan

at 15:04 on February 19th, 2009

I am amazed that Switzerland has passed this legislature and we here in Canada still have not. This is a smart move to get owners thinking about the responsibility of owning a dog. I think we would see less abandoned and sick dogs here in Canada if Canadian dog owners had to do mandatory training like Swedish dog owners have to. I think the same regulations should apply to all kinds of animals: cats, birds and exotic animals especially. Many people are uneducated about the perils of having exotic animals live side by side with people in urban environments as can be seen from the recent chimp attack that happened in the U.S.

hyacinths pennefather (not verified)

at 17:28 on February 19th, 2009

This is SUCH a badly written and UNEDITED article. I'm aware that this is site that exists because of news contributions from "Ordinary Citizens" but don't you have editors who run through things before they get published? If this isn't edited for grammatical errors, I'm sure things aren't fact checked either, are they?

Duffied

at 17:30 on February 19th, 2009

The first steps to training a dog is always with treats, when they know that they will be rewarded for listening and obeying... it is but the first step towards a fruitful relationship with your canine pals. As seen here in this picture, a little treat goes a long way in keeping their focus.

Duffied has contributed a photo to this story.

Shisun

at 03:11 on February 22nd, 2009

My cousin's Dog in OK, USA. He is a kind of Jindo-Dog, Korean native dog. Jindo-Dog is the 53rd Natural Monument and protected in Korea. Jindo-dog is famous for its loyality to owner and bravity. One Jindo-dog returned back to the original owner after traveling 300km 7-month in 1993.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korea_Jindo_Dog

He looks a real Jindo-dog. One of most apparent feature of Jindo-Dog is the curled tail like this. He was very smart, reticent, and trained well.

Pentax K20D + Sigma 70mm Macro f2.8

Shisun has contributed a photo to this story.

Alexandra A. (not verified)

at 22:58 on February 27th, 2009

This is really great! More education means less dog bites, less owner surrenders to shelters and so forth. Imagine the power of attending one class and what you will learn there. I'm wondering about the peole who maybe don't want to attend because they think it's a waste of time or whatever excuse they give, how will this law be enforced? It's certainly a step in the right direction for any country. Education is key to a better world.

Tucson Dawg (not verified)

at 15:20 on March 5th, 2009

Education is great. Some people have to get a license to own a firearm, to get married, but never to have kids or get dogs. Dogs need good owners and most people cannot handle them. Very interesting story, thanks!