I must say, the training in Switzerland was great and I personally think the laws are great for animals and pet owners.

At first I did not like the fact that we had to do the training by law, but it was a blessing for us as owners more than the dog.

Our dog is much better in this country, its so nice to see dogs off the leash and free. 99.9% of the dogs i have seen are well trained and look very happy.

Good to hear and I hope it works for us....we just got a new puppy and we are going to puppy class. I'm so embarrassed right now to take her out among people, because yes the dogs here are really well behaved and as a puppy she is all over the place wanting to meet everyone. For the most part people are nice and understanding but I dread the day she wants to nip someone or actually pees on their shoes. She gets so excited when a new person pets her she pees. Luckily the woman she did this to just laughed......

We go to a good school here by Vevey called Top Dog, so when she does something right we say "Good Top Dog, that is Top Dog behavior"! Her tail wags like crazy.

I personally believe animal training is 80% for the owner and 20% for the animals

you learn more about yourself through these things which enhances your knowledge of the animals.

I only partially agree with you. I agree with you from the standpoint of the requirements for responsible dog ownership, and I wish that there was a similar national requirement like SKN in the US. Then perhaps there would be fewer spontaneous Valentines and Xmas puppies and unwanted dogs ending up in shelters and rescues.

However my own experience in CH has not been as user friendly, and I am grateful to be taking my dogs back to the US. I look foward to being able to take them to designated dog parks where they can run free in a safe environment to socialize with other dogs and people without fear or worry of chasing after a squirrel and running out into a street, or crossing paths with an unfriendly and grumpy Swissman who hates dogs, who might later try to sue me because my dog put a muddy print on his pants.

I will miss the ability to take my dogs most anywhere that I go, and having dog ties on the outside of stores when they are not allowed. I will miss the few neighbors who were dog tollerant and dog friendly. I think most of all though... I'll miss knowing that the food I was buying for my dogs was safe and healthy.

How's her prey drive?

Glad to hear that your experience with the SKN was positive, Clone.

The law isn't perfect, but I see it as a step in the right direction. Dog training is indeed all about 'the other end of the leash'. Training is a life-long activity - the more we owners learn about positive training, the more we understand why training is necessary in today's society, we are able to give our dogs a better life here in crowded Switzerland.

I like that the SKN theory course is required before one acquires a dog. As KF says, the theory class requirement serves to reduce spontaneous, perhaps poorly-thought out decisions to take on a dog - which can only help to reduce the number of abandoned dogs. I just wish that the law had a few more teeth.

I strongly urge everyone new to Switzerland to take the SKN practical, even if you are not required to do so. Swiss expectations of dog ownership may differ quite a bit from what you are used to in your home country; knowing what is expected goes a long way to reducing tensions. And I strongly urge all dog owners to continue taking classes beyond the requirement.

Like KF, I have come to the conclusion that the part of Switzerland I live in is no longer a safe environment for dogs, but I'm very happy to hear that other owners still find a dog friendly environment.

I can only hope that as more owners are involved in the SKN and advanced training, as more owners develop an increased understanding of the responsibilities of dog ownership, that the tide will turn and Switzerland will stay a country where the welcome mat remains out for our best friends.

A well-trained dog is the best ambassador we have.

KF-

Sorry I missed your question. Prey drive is incredible since she is a schnauzer. We have to play 'dig' in the backyard and have numerous holes. Or else she will play dig in the house. We go after anything that moves on the ground including the air, birds, bees (she caught one today), butterflies. Sadly enough, we thought we were making good progress on the potty training and the last week we started this 'pee and poo' in the house, after we take her out and she doesn't go, she will go right when she comes in....So after a week, I started crate training today (I know some people hate it). She is cool with it, but has made one mistake in the house. It is a battle of wills.... but on the bright side, I spent so much time with her today, she is really getting 'no bark', and 'sit and stay' while I walk away then 'ici'. All in one day. These schnauzers are smart guys and pick up things fast but man when they get it they rebel and see what they can get away with. She bolted out the door (cracked) on Sunday and ran straight down a hill and began barking at the neighbors dogs. Since then she has been limping and not putting any weight on her back left left (she is hopping) so taking her in to the vet today at 5. Hopefully just a sprain or paw issue.

Yes. Yes they are smart -- too smart! And they do rebel, especially until they mature. They're always testing our consistency. This is why "they" say that Schnauzers are not the ideal breed for first time dog owners, because once they spot your weakness, they will exploit it to the max.

I am curious though, about teaching her to dig in the garden. Are you sure you want to teach her that digging is an acceptable behavior?

I also think that the idea behind the SKN is great. I wish that they had this in the US. What I don't like is the fact that with EVERY new dog you have to go through the practical class. It would be fine if you could start the practical class right away, but the earliest is at 6 months. It is the thing that we are least looking forward to with our new puppy since we are starting training right away (first Welpenspielstunde, then beginners classes) just as we did with our first one. We spent on whole class in the SKN class how to pet a dog, how to give treats, what sort of brushes to use on the dog, things that I think should be learned before the dog is 6 months old. I agree that for a very first time dog owner, these classes are great stepping stone, but you need to keep going. We still take our 2 year old dackel to classes on average 2x per week and I think it shows. I just wish that people who continue to work with their dogs would be able to skip the practical course for an additional dog.

On a similar note, does anyone know if there's a way to "skip" the theory course? I've grown up with dogs and helped raise and train 2 dogs, including our current one. The thing is, my name is only in our current dog's passport and not on the pedigree, so I'm not sure if this is enough to claim ownership and forgo the SKN theory course.

We both had schnauzers growing up, me 3 and my husband 2. So.... we kinda knew what we were in for.

The training I read said that it is natural for them to dig and they will do so regardless so give them their own 'spot' to dig. If they dig elsewhere say 'no' and make them go to their spot. Or bury their toys or bones in the yard and let them dig them up. Since we have the yard space we don't mind as long as we can teach her to do it in her spot. Training also said it helps them get out energy and aggression and minimize other bad behaviors like chewing. Do you reco something different?

From the BVet FAQ: http://www.bvet.admin.ch/tsp/02222/index.html?lang=de

Was ist bei Personen, welche „früher“ einen Hund in der Familie gehalten haben, welcher jedoch nicht bei ANIS eingetragen war? Gelten diese als „Ersthundebesitzer/-innen“?

Wer nicht nachweislich einen Hund gehalten hat, gilt als Ersthundehalter/-in. Nicht ausreichend ist es, wenn irgendwann einmal ein Hund in der Familie war – dies ist kein Nachweis, dass der Hund von einer Person selbst gehalten wurde. Im Einzelfall entscheiden die Vollzugsstellen (kantonalen Veteri- närämter), welche Nachweise sie anerkennen, wenn eine Registrierung bei ANIS nicht nachgewiesen werden kann.

Das Gleiche gilt für Personen, die nie einen Hund auf ihren Namen (sondern zum Beispiel auf den Namen des [Ex]-Partners) registriert hatten: Wenn sie nicht nachweisen können, dass sie einen Hund auf ihren Namen gehalten haben, gelten sie als Ersthundehalter.
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and:


Muss ein Hundehalter, der früher im Ausland bereits einen Hund gehalten hat und sich nun in der Schweiz erstmals einen Hund anschafft, den theoretischen SKN absolvieren?

Wer nachweisen kann, dass er schon einmal vor dem 1.09.2008 Hundehalter war, muss nur den praktischen Kurs absolvieren. In welcher Form aus dem Ausland zuziehende Personen diesen Nachweis führen können, ist nicht geregelt. Die betreffende Person muss sich an das kantonale Veterinäramt wenden, um zu erfahren, was dort als Nachweis akzeptiert wird (z.B. Bestätigung der früheren Wohn- gemeinde).

---

So contact the Basel Veterinaramt for a decision.

---

The rationale behind taking the SKN practical with each and every dog brought into the family is to keep skills and knowledge current.

Lets face it - some of the owners who most need the SKN (Der tut nichts! ) have had dogs for years, their current dog came prior to the law - but have not bothered to keep abreast of current thinking, do not understand how society's view of dog ownership has changed. When such folks take on a new dog, the SKN will hopefully steer them in the right direction.

The SKN is designed to be specific to the individual dog/owner team. Certainly I need to train very differently with each of my dogs, as each has his/her own personality and foibles.

What you describe isn't at all what I experienced when taking the SKN, but then I have adult/senior dogs, and all the class participants were also adult dogs belonging to experienced owners. The presentation and exercises were geared to the training level of the class, and to the individuals.

Perhaps you could take this up with your trainer?

I look at the SKN as a bare minimum - certainly one needs to train from the day one when the dog first arrives in one's house, and then after the SKN one should continue training well beyond that. Training should be a life long activity.

(When I adopt a new dog, I start with Familienhund classes right away - and then I do the SKN with the newbie as soon as practical. And we keep on with Familienhund - I see it as much as an activity as a training class.)

I wasn't aware of the 6 month minimum - but then, I mostly adopt senior dogs, so I probably haven't been paying attention to puppy issues. I would assume the restriction is because one needs to structure a course very differently for the learning capacity and behavior of young dogs. If you like, I can ask my trainer how she handles the SKN and puppies.

But at least the SKN is a step in the right direction. People are getting into formal classes who might never have thought to do so before - and hopefully the experience will inspire them to continue.

I also think the SKN is a step in the right direction and I was happy to take part when I moved here with my big pup. I was a bit intimidated when I first heard about it because the curriculum looked pretty advanced...almost like a traditional advanced obedience course (such as the CD or GN in North America), but it was nothing like this. The emphasis was on participation, not perfection, and the topics were mostly focussed on practical everyday stuff. Can you imagine a dog training course in North America covering elevator etiquette, seasonal off-leash forest rules, restaurant behaviour and public transit policies (with practice opportunities), among other things? I thought it was really fun and the best part was meeting other dog guardians (who also had less-than-perfectly behaved dogs) who were happy to just be out there working with their canine companions. In my opinion, there's no faster way to bridge the language barrier than talking (or miming) about our dogs. I have to say that the single biggest factor contributing to my enjoyment of the SKN process has to be our incredible trainer. After covering the basic mandatory topics (usually within the first 15 minutes of class), she tailored the rest of the time to the individual dogs in the group so that we were all able to learn and work on our most pressing issues. The practical component out in 'the real world' (mostly during the last couple of weeks of classes) was great because we were able to review the basics outside of a controlled environment but also work on some more specific issues as they came up. The group was able to help simulate some more complicated (multi-dog) real life situations and I feel we all got a lot out of it. If you go to the first session of the SKN and feel like you and/or your dog is not getting anything out of it, I would strongly urge you to cancel out and keep looking for a better fit.

Sounds like you found a fantastic trainer, CHanuck!

I agree: while the SKN material is standard for all courses, it's what the trainer does with that material that makes or breaks the course. And it's very important to find a good fit, a trainer whose ideas and methods mesh well with yours.

Perhaps we should start a sticky thread with trainer/Hundeschule recommendations...

I am fascinated by Switzerland and its dog culture.

I have never known a country be so tolerant of dogs, yet not at the same time. Maybe some of you fine people can tell me some things, laws etc that I missing.

Dogs are seemingly allowed almost anywhehre, buses, trains, trams, shopping centres (not supermarkets understandably), parks, bars etc etc. This is fantastic and part of the reason I went ahead and bought a dog, due to the wide variety of places he could accompany me.

So, because of the above, I would assume most people, including children are comfortable around dogs, used to them, and brought up around them in some respects.

Yet, I have had a number of people stop in their tracks, cross the road, stop from walking past me when the dog has paused for a sniff, pick up their own dogs, or pick up their children, had children stop and scream their heads off or simply run in the opposite direction screaming like they had just had their hand chopped off from just seeing my dog.

Now, sure, he is a bullie breed, but to me and most people he brings about sighs of cuteness and affection. He is as soft as they come. Got beaten up by a golden retriever once!

I have people come up and abuse me when the dog is have a pee, where is the dog supposed to pee? Should I carry a bucket? He normally always does his business on grass or in bushes, he is not fond of concrete, and I always pick up the number 2's.

Then on Monday, I am in the pub watching the football with dog, he is a bit of local celebrity there, he is laying down, and this woman emerges from the back of the pub with a alasatian mix looking thing. Louix was alert, he stood up, he doesnt bark or growl though, very rarely does he bark, and as this woman came past her dog barked and got aggressive. My dog, being the naive little thing he is, merely just got excited and wanted to play, i held his leash back in fear of what the other dog might do and calmed him down from his exictement.

To my amazement, the woman came back in getting in my face, wagging her finger telling me I should be making the dog look at me, like he should never look at other dogs? what the hell is this logic? Her dog got all aggresive, not mine.

Maybe someone can educate me on the above scenarios.

For the answer to your first question, here's a bit of history in my post 22 in this thread:

Dog etiquette

My own interpretation and experience from those dark days. As always, YMMV.

I'll come back with comments on the rest... but right now Haifisch, who is milking this recovery thing for all it's worth, is calling for his butler service...

JBZ, in response to your question, you might find this article in today's Tagi interesting. IMO, the article - and the reader's comments following - pretty much sums up the current conflict between those who have/like and those who dislike dogs:

http://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/zuerich/...story/13731750

The article talks about the Allmend Brunau, a well-known and well-loved green space that has been a 'Hundeparadis' for decades. The area is divided into a dog-free zone, a dogs may run off lead zone, and a dogs on lead zone. One would think that would limit the potential for conflict, wouldnt one? Apparently not...