PDTE 2016 July Newsletter

Policy: Compulsory
Courses in
Switzerland
Susi Roger, Switzerland
In 2008, a new animal protection
legislation is in Switzerland came
into force. With the introduction
of this legislation, a mandatory
Sachkundenachweis course (SKN)
for dog owners was introduced
throughout Switzerland . This course
is used for prevention of accidents .
Since September 1st, 2008 first time
dog owners have needed to attend
a theory course lasting a minimum
of 4 hours, before buying the dog.
In addition, every dog owner has to
attend a minimum of 4 hours of the
practical course, within a year of
acquiring each additional dog.
Around 80% of dog owners have
attended these compulsory SKN
courses . The surveyed dog owners
have rated the courses in terms of
design , usefulness , quality and
impact.
Many of the dog owners opted
to attend more hours of the SKN
courses with their dogs because
they have realized, that the four-hour
practical course is just a basis for a
good relationship between holder
and dog, but it is not sufficient for a
comprehensive education of the dog.
Criticism of the
courses
20 % of dog owners do not attend
compulsory courses . The quality
assurance of the courses are not
considered optimal . The practical
course must be attended with every
additional dog even if the dog has
previously attended the course with
another owner.
The Federal Office of Food Safety
and Veterinary Services is unable to
prove the effectiveness of the courses
regarding prevention of accidents .
What next?
We need political attempts at national
level to achieve the abolition of the
courses. The argument given is that
the courses are pure chores and
only aiding to drive the business of
dog schools . It is requested that the
courses be abolished as they are
useless .
The other side maintains that not
only should the courses be held, but
that more compulsory lessons are
required.
Apart from the SKN courses , which
are valid throughout Switzerland, we
have 26 different cantonal dog laws in
Switzerland and in addition all the laws
in the individual municipalities . Every
dog owner needs to know where the
cantonal boundaries extend and what
laws are valid (e.g. breeds etc.).
A nationwide dog law is requested
from many dog owners. It would make
it a lot easier for the dog owners and
perhaps also for the communities.
So we are curious, what’s next..
Report:
Balance weekend in
Netherlands
Agnes Degen, Netherlands
Last March, I organised a
weekend retreat for dog
owners with their dogs in the
Netherlands. I did this with Hilda Jager
(she is not a PDTE-member but an old
student of Turid’s.) Ten dogs and their
female owners attended the weekend.
So it was a lovely women’s weekend
out. We had a great location in the
north of the Netherlands. Everyone
had their own room with bathroom.
And there was a large cosy room we
used when being together. Outdoors
there was a beautiful forest, fields and
a private area we used. Breakfast,
lunch and dinner was taken care of
by the venue-owners. So no worries
about that.
We had a program with practical
workshops and lectures spread
out over two days and a part of the
evenings. The weekend was called
Balance Weekend. Our aim was to
let people see how we work and live
with dogs in balance - building good
habits, doing different activities with
their dogs etc. It was so nice to see
people totally shift to our vison during
the weekend. The commands and
Photo Credit: Agnes Degen, Netherlands
collars were replaced by a nice hand
signal and harness. Everything went
so smoothly, there were some reactive
dogs in the group. But with the peace
and harmony in the group we had no
problem handling these situations.
Next year we will be back there for a
new weekend to organize.
Photo Credit: Agnes Degen, Netherlands
14
PDTE Newsletter PDTE Newsletter 15