Set to come into force by the middle of 2025, the new version of the law dictates that all dogs in Zurich, no matter what breed or how big, will have to complete compulsory dog training.

Owners will be responsible for ensuring their dog completes a minimum of four puppy training sessions and 10 sessions of young dog training.

Dogs between 16 weeks to 18 months will have to do young dog training and 10 regular dog training sessions, unless owners can prove the dog has already completed puppy training sessions.

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Dogs over 18 months will have to do regular dog training, while dogs over eight won’t need to do any training. 

You can find out more about the training requirements and other regulations on the Zurich cantonal website.

This is a change from the previous rules, which exempted dogs with two parents that were classed as ‘small’ from the compulsory training sessions, although these were still recommended.

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This change of course means that thousands more dogs will need to be trained, so city officials plan to expand training locations and employ more qualified trainers.

Regulations surrounding the compulsory use of a lead in forest areas, banned breeds, dog registration, microchipping, insurance and tax are expected to remain the same in the new law.