The practical course is part of the deal, whether you like it or not. But what you learn here goes well beyond what the law asks for.
You work through a clear sequence, step by step, that gives your dog security and gives you the feeling: I know what I am doing.
The result? Calmer walks, more confidence day to day, and a partnership that holds – long after the course is over.
Compulsory, yes. But one you will be glad you did.
For some it is simply compulsory – first-time owners, people who have moved into the canton, you know the drill. But really it is for anyone who wants to get through the day with their dog more calmly.
We work with a system that has proved itself: clear structure, sensible order, easy to put into practice. And when the weather does not play along: an air-conditioned course centre – no mud, no freezing hall.
The result: a dog that thinks along with you. And you at the other end of the lead with a steady feeling.
You know from day one what counts – and we stay with you until it sticks.
Once you have passed the theory exam, the practical part follows. In 6 lessons of 55 minutes you and your dog learn the groundwork for a relaxed life together.
The course runs in small groups of no more than 6 teams. We work with set routines rather than isolated exercises – which makes it varied, interesting, and surprisingly straightforward.
You learn methods that fit everyday life and suit the animal, and you practise real situations. The course is required by law – without it you may not keep a dog in the Canton of Zürich.
The good part: after the first evening you already know where the two of you stand and what still needs work. There is no exam at the end – in the practical course what counts is the record of competence, and that runs from the first lesson.
At home you practise 5 to 8 minutes, twice a day – a bit like playing, or dancing. We have reinvented training.
New courses start regularly – which ones are open next is shown with the starting dates. 6 lessons, 6 weeks, weekly without a break – public holidays are ordinary course days too. Only at Christmas and Easter do we find another arrangement.
Cannot make it one week? We will see whether there is room in a parallel course. Need more time? There are single lessons as well – just ask.
You take home clear instructions that help you build a routine quickly.
Darling Dogs Hundezentrum
Bahnstrasse 10, shopfront
8603 Schwerzenbach
Phone: +41 78 602 29 29
E-mail: hundezentrum@darling-dogs.ch
Opening hours: from 11:00, and by arrangement
Phone hours: 11:00 to 19:00
Easy to reach with two S-Bahn lines and eight bus lines, right at Schwerzenbach station with Park&Rail. Our air-conditioned course centre makes for a relaxed place to learn.
Everyone keeping a dog for the first time in the Canton of Zurich from 1 June 2025 onwards. It has to be completed within twelve months of the dog moving in, after the theory exam.
Six lessons of 55 minutes. They do not have to be taken one after the other – you can pause for a week if you need to.
At most six dog-and-owner teams, so there is time for each of you. New courses start regularly; the next available dates are shown when you book.
Yes. It runs as its own English course with its own dates.
Then you book further lessons until everything is in place. That is normal and no cause for concern – every team learns at its own pace.
Mostly indoors in our air-conditioned, heated training centre; for some exercises we go outside. That means the course runs in any weather.
Darling Dogs Hundezentrum, Bahnstrasse 10, 8603 Schwerzenbach, Kanton Zürich. Die Bewilligung des Veterinäramts des Kantons Zürich für die Durchführung der obligatorischen Hundekurse (Theorie und Praxis) liegt vor. Bewilligungsnummer ZH-HAB-0823-241201, ausgestellt auf Barbara Beeler.
