Congratulations on your new puppy! Now for the part many people underestimate: Canton Zurich has had binding rules for new dog owners since 1 June 2025 – and puppies come with a few specific twists you'll want to know from the start. Good news: the practical course can't even begin until your puppy is 6 months old. Important news: municipality registration and the theory course have their own, tighter deadlines.
Take the free quiz and get your personalized compliance plan with exact dates – based on your acquisition date and your puppy's age.
Deadline calculator →Does the New Dog Law Apply to My Puppy?
Canton Zurich's revised dog legislation has been in effect since 1 June 2025. It applies to you if you:
- acquired your puppy on or after 1 June 2025, or
- moved into Canton Zurich with a dog on or after 1 June 2025,
and you live in a Zurich municipality – that means any municipality in the canton, not just the city of Zurich.
If you had your dog before 1 June 2025 and haven't acquired a new one since, the new course obligations don't apply. Registration and insurance, however, remain mandatory for all dog owners.
Registering Your Puppy: The First Deadline
Municipal registration is your first concrete step. For puppies:
- Registration deadline: Within 10 days of the dog turning 3 months old
- AMICUS registration: At the same time – the municipality enters the dog into the national database
- First-time owners receive their AMICUS ID from the municipality at registration
- Liability insurance: Immediately after acquiring the puppy – minimum coverage: CHF 1,000,000
Don't forget the vet visit: if your puppy doesn't yet have a microchip, it must be implanted before the AMICUS registration. Bring your AMICUS ID (received from your municipality) to the vet appointment.
More details: Register Your Dog in Zurich: The Complete Guide.
Theory Course: Who Needs It?
The theory course is not mandatory for all puppy owners. It applies to:
- First-time dog owners (never had a dog before)
- People who have not kept a dog for at least 6 consecutive months in the last 10 years
If you've kept a dog for at least 6 consecutive months within the last 10 years, you're exempt from the theory course – but not from the practical course.
Theory course deadlines:
- Can be taken up to 1 year before acquiring the puppy
- Must be completed no later than 2 months after acquiring the puppy
- The exam confirmation must be submitted to the municipality within 3 months of starting dog ownership
Format: Online or in-person, approximately 2 hours of content, with a mandatory exam (questions set by the Veterinäramt). Online providers tend to be cheaper.
AMICUS nuance: If you take the theory course before your puppy is officially registered (e.g., course taken before the puppy comes home), the course provider cannot enter the result directly into AMICUS – you're not yet in the database. In that case: submit the written exam confirmation from the trainer to your municipality. The municipality will record the completion based on that document.
More details: Dog Theory Course in Zurich: What You Need to Know.
Practical Course: When Can My Puppy Start?
The practical course is mandatory for all new dog owners since 1 June 2025 – with narrow exceptions. And here's the puppy-specific detail:
The practical course cannot begin until the dog is 6 months old.
This rule is often missed. Your puppy can't start the practical course right after you bring them home. But you still have the full 12-month window from the acquisition date to complete it.
What the practical course involves:
- At least 6 lessons of 60 minutes each, with at least one week between lessons
- If not all learning goals are achieved after 6 lessons, additional lessons are required – until all goals are fully met
- Completion is assessed via a learning goal checklist (Lernerfolgskontrolle), not an exam – the trainer can only certify completion when all goals are fully achieved
Example timeline for a puppy:
- Puppy acquired at 8 weeks → acquisition date = Day 0
- Theory course: must be completed by 2 months after Day 0
- Practical course can start earliest when the puppy is 6 months old (approx. 4 months after Day 0)
- Practical course must be completed by 12 months after Day 0
- That leaves approx. 8 months for the practical course – enough time if you start promptly at 6 months
More details: Practical Dog Course in Zurich: Everything You Need to Know.
Timeline Overview for Puppy Owners
This table gives you an overview of all deadlines (example: puppy acquired at 8 weeks):
| Step | When |
|---|---|
| Get liability insurance | Immediately after acquisition |
| Complete theory course (if required) | Within 2 months of acquisition |
| Submit exam confirmation to municipality (if required) | Within 3 months of acquisition |
| Register puppy with municipality + AMICUS entry | Within 10 days of dog turning 3 months old |
| Start practical course (earliest) | When the puppy turns 6 months old |
| Complete practical course | Within 12 months of acquisition |
Banned Breeds: A Quick Note
Canton Zurich maintains a list of breeds whose breeding, acquisition, and movement into the canton is prohibited (Rassetypenliste II). The canton explicitly states this list is not exhaustive. If your puppy belongs to a listed breed or appears similar phenotypically: contact the Veterinäramt directly.
Official source: Banned Dog Breeds in Canton Zurich.
Frequently Asked Questions: Puppy in Zurich
My puppy is under 3 months – do I need to register already? No. The registration deadline only starts within 10 days of the dog turning 3 months old. But set yourself a reminder so you don't miss the window.
Can I take the theory course before I get my puppy? Yes – the theory course can be taken up to 1 year before acquiring the dog. Note the AMICUS nuance though: if you take the course before registration, you'll need to submit the exam confirmation yourself to your municipality.
What happens if the practical course isn't completed on time? Non-compliance with the Hundeverordnung can result in sanctions. Contact your municipality for current information on enforcement.
Does this apply to every dog, regardless of size? Yes – the course obligation applies regardless of breed or size, for all dogs acquired in a Zurich municipality on or after 1 June 2025.
Use our quiz to get your personal deadlines with exact dates – based on your acquisition date and your puppy's age.
This information is for guidance only and does not constitute legally binding advice. For binding information, please contact your municipality or the Veterinäramt of Canton Zürich.
