Adopting a dog in Zürich
All you need to know if you’re about to adopt a dog in Zürich, Switzerland (or you’re moving here with your dog from another country). There will be some bureaucracy to do but don’t worry, with this guide you will have it all in grip.
Before we get to it: please, keep in mind that legal regulations for dog owners vary from canton to canton — this guide is about the Canton of Zürich.
Second, I’m doing my best to keep articles here up to date, but I’m also a human and may miss something. The guide is created in July, 2024 and if you’re reading it from the future, you may want to contact the Veterinary Office of Zürich in case there are any updates.
Part One: Before getting a dog / moving to Zürich with your dog
If you’re renting a flat / house, make sure that your apartment fits
Not every landlord allows keeping pets, so look into it before making a decision of adopting a dog. You need to inform your landlord about your decision before the dog moves in. The landlord will make changes in your rental contract to include the dog to your insurance (Haftpflichtversicherung).
Make sure that the breed you’ve chosen / you already have is allowed in Zürich
There are dog breeds that are not allowed to live in the Canton of Zürich:
American Bull Terrier
American Bully
American Bully XXL
American Pit Bull Terrier
American Pocket Bully
American Staffordshire Terrier
Bandog
Basicdog
Bull Terrier
Pit Bull Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Swiss Blue Bully
Swiss Champagner Bully
The list is copied from the website of the Canton of Zürich. If your dog is officially a mix containing more than 10% of any of these breeds, it’s also forbidden.
Part two: things to keep in mind
These rules are pretty common for most european countries, but it still needs to be mentioned:
The dog has to be microchipped
Switzerland is considered to be a rabies-free country so if you bring your dog from the country that is not rabies-free, it has to be vaccinated against rabies or your breeder may also provide a certificate stating that the dog was not in contact with any animals who may have had rabies.
Part Three: as soon as your dog moves in
Within ten days from adoption / moving in, get your dog registered at your Gemeinde (local authority). Here are links to start with if you live in Zürich, Horgen, Zollikon. If you live in another city of the Canton of Zürich, check Google Search for “Hund registrieren Stadt [your city]”. You will receive login to access AMICUS (the national animal database).
Within ten days from adoption / moving in, visit a veterinarian. You can choose any doctor. The vet will complete your registration at AMICUS.
Part four: once the registration is done
After following the steps above, you will receive a letter with a bill to pay for the dog tax, and information about training courses you may need to complete. The dog tax is obligatory for every dog, so there is not much you need to worry about. Let’s talk about dog training instead.
Dog training is only obligatory only to the dogs who are supposed to become higher than 44 cm and / or heavier than 15 kg when they’ve grown up. If your dog is a mixed breed, your vet will determine its size.
It means, if your dog is smaller, you’ve caught up. In case your dog is bigger but also older than 8 years old, you also have nothing else to care about. Doesn’t apply to you? Keep reading then!
Part five: obligatory training
It all depends on the age of your dog.
If your dog moved in in the age between 8 and 16 weeks old, you need to do Puppy training (Welpenförderung) course: 4 lessons before your dog turns 17 weeks old. After that, you have one more year to do Young dog course (Junghundekurs): 10 lessons. If you’ve missed the Puppy training, go to the next bullet point.
If your dog moved in in the age between 16 weeks old and 18 months old (or earlier but you’ve missed the Puppy course), you need to do Young dog course (Junghundekurs): 10 lessons and Adult dog course (Erziehungskurs): 10 lessons.
If your dog moved in in the age between 18 months old and (including) 8 years old, you need to do Adult dog course (Erziehungskurs): 10 lessons.
All this may seem complicated but you will get an exact guidance after you’ve registered your dog (completed Part Three of this guide). Deadlines are only fixed for the Puppy course (the dog has to be between 8 and 16 weeks old to attend those), the rest is individual and depends on the date your dog has moved in.
Your chosen dog trainer has to be registered by the Veterinary of Zürich in order to provide a training certificate. Jenya from BoopCamp is fully registered to provide all obligatory training to you and your dog in the Canton of Zürich.
Once your training is completed and you’ve gotten your certificate, you need to send in to the same local authority that has informed you about the need of that training (for the Canton of Zürich — Hundepolizei). If you’re not sure who had contacted you about that, ask your Gemeinde — in smaller cities of the canton, you need to bring your certificate directly to them.
