Apartment/Hotel Rules for Dogs?

Family, Education, Health and Pets
1
I have 2 dogs and I am trying to understand what the general social rules in regards to having a pet inside a hotel or an apartment. I have a German Shepherd and a Golden Retriever. I got kicked out of two places so I'm gotten a bit nervous.

Here are my questions:

1. Are dogs allowed on the furniture? In the US I would say it's a 50/50 thing. Basically personal preference. I was told Swiss don't allow pets on furniture. I got kicked out of a hotel because the dogs slept on the bed.

2. How much barking is allowed? My dogs are generally quiet but can bark a couple of times if there is a loud noise. I got kicked out of a flat because the dogs barked. This was in Ticino and there were plenty of other dogs in the building and in the area barking so this confused me.

3. Is it okay to leave the dogs? Sometimes the dogs bark. Not usually but once in a while they will bark a little longer. Someone told me it was not okay to leave the dogs if they bark at all. This seems unreasonable to me if you dogs, but sometimes dogs bark. It's like the #1 thing they were bred to do. I can understand if someone doesn't allow dogs, but if they do, it seems to me they shouldn't be surprised. I know some hotels put dogs in special rooms are areas where this not a problem.

4. Today I got yelled at because there was some left over hair in the dryer filter.

2
5. My German Shepherd was restless last night. So he was getting up and moving around a lot. I thought he was quiet, but at 4AM I heard the people below me get up. I'm not sure if this was a coincidence or not, or whether he's too noisy. What is the noise threshhold. I had someone yell at me at 2AM because the humidifier in the bathroom went on by itself. Such a thing would never occur to me to be a problem.

3
Official ‘quiet hours’ in Switzerland

Midday quiet hour: weekdays between 12 and 1 pm

Night-time quiet hours: weekdays from 8 or 10 pm to 6 or 7 am

Sundays and public holidays: all day

If you’re not sure which quiet hours apply in your canton, you can find out from your local municipality.

When you rent an apartment you should get a copy of the rules which may vary from the above.

4
Get thee to a good Hundeschule!

I’m serious - a good training club or school is far more than sit, down, stay, it is the easiest way to learn local laws, expectations, and etiquette. As an owner of multiple dogs (faux pas number one in Swiss eyes, so I was starting out with one strike against me) the Hundeschule was invaluable. Getting your head around the difference in how society views dogs here was a lot easier when among kindred spirits.

That said, be aware that barking is one of the two cardinal sins in Switzerland. (The other is speeding...) Yes, it is in a dog’s nature to communicate vocally, but one is expected to train a dog out of barking. Seriously. Do not underestimate this point. Switzerland is a country that puts a very high value on quiet, in all aspects of life.

That you have been kicked out of places should tell you that you are now in a society with rather different expectations.

If your dogs are barkers, start working on this asap. It is not easy to train an adult dog out of barking but it can be done with time, patience, and effort. If you know your dogs bark when left alone, do not leave them alone until this problem is fixed. Take them with you when appropriate, or hire a sitter when it is better that they stay at home. Or, if you are gone all day, say for work, consider a doggie day care instead of leaving them at home. Yes, it will be expensive, but think of that as an investment in your future in Switzerland.

A few woofs is OK. Barking continually is not. Your dogs must always be under your direct supervision, so it is assumed that you should be able to step in an stop the barking.

If you need tips for training out barking, I’d be happy to share my strategies, but I am about to get on a plane so that will have to wait.

As to dogs on furniture: If the furniture is yours, in your own home, do as you will. If the furniture is not yours, do not allow it. Always bring clean dog blankets to cover furniture when you go to a hotel, and bring your dog clean dog beds. Some hotels are more relaxed than others, but this is just common courtesy.

By the bye, if you wash your dog bedding in a communal machine, be sure to run a hygiene wash afterwards.

Leaving dogs alone: It is generally frowned upon to leave dogs for long periods, and they are thought to need social interaction throughout the day. There is no hard and fast rule of X hours alone, rather that is up to the individual dog, and individual situation. A placid oldie might be happy to sleep the afternoon away, but a very young puppy should not be left at all. If you are leaving the dogs much of the day be prepared for ‘concerned’ neighbors, it is viewed as an animal welfare issue. And of course if they are barking to the point where neighbors are disturbed then you cannot leave them alone at all, see the first point.

I empathize, I truly do. I have collies and shelties, two intrinsically vocal breeds. It has taken a lot of work to come up to Swiss standards.

But when you think about how differently we must live here you start to understand why it is so important to up our game training-wise.

Back in the US I lived on a huge property in a single family home, as did everyone around me. No one could hear, let alone be disturbed by, a barking dog. Here in over-crowded communal Switzerland where most people must live on top of one another in flats, one has to be conscientious, one has to think of how our actions might affect our neighbors, to a degree we didn’t have to when we had the luxury of space.

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As with everything in Switzerland, YMMV. Some places enforce rules rigidly, others are quite Laisser-faire. But you must understand what the rules are local to you, and understand that you, as a newcomer, are under a microscope to a far greater degree than Hans Ueli Hundehalter who has lived in the village since 1291.

Bottom line, for your dogs’ sake, learn and abide by all rules to the letter. Life gets so much easier then. And after a while, when they see that you are making an effort to be a good neighbor, your neighbors will start to cut you some slack.

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Are you able to look for other accommodation? When you have multiple dogs, it is often easiest to look for a single family home rather than a flat. Try to limit the number of neighbors who might be disturbed. You will be far more relaxed, and thus better able to help your dogs, if you are not always on edge worrying about neighbors.

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I’ll save my usual novel length post for later, but I urge you to take these complaints seriously. We have to think differently here because we live differently here. Yes, we can give our dogs a very good life in Switzerland, but it will be a different kind of life from what we had elsewhere.

I’ll repeat my opening comment: Get thee to a good Hundeschule!

Wishing you and your pooches all the very best.

5

I’m confused; are you even in Switzerland yet? You make it sound as if you are, but then …

https://www.englishforum.ch/permits-…xperience.html

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Unless you are staying at a dog hotel it sounds to me that you are forgetting hotels are essentially for people and those that allow dogs are doing so with the expectation that the dog owners will treat the hotel property with respect and be considerate of other guests.

I've stayed in hotels in the Ticino with our dog. We brought his dog bed and he was never left alone in the room. In my experience the Ticino is very dog friendly.

A few years ago we went to a very lovely resort and a barking dog belonging to another guest was disturbing us. Management informed us that the guests were regulars and they leave their dog in their room when they go to the restaurant, or the spa. Other guests should not have to tolerate a dog barking.

For a long term stay with pets you should look for a rental where your dogs are not going to bother other guests. They do exist.

7
2 minutes ago you were trying to find out how to get a permit to live here. Your bio says you’re in the USA - yet now you appear to be living here with your dogs. What gives?

8
I, too, am confused by the OP.

My post was assuming that you were already in Switzerland - and some of it might not be relevant if you are not yet resident here.

So Breadstand, if you could clarify it would help us give you more relevant, and thus helpful, advice.

(But resident or tourist, the barking comments still apply. )

9
Thank you everyone for the feedback.

I plan on staying here permanently. I am awaiting a VISA, but for the time being I'm just staying under the normal non-permit rules of 90 days. I need to make my profile clearer. If I do not get the paperwork, I will leave and come back when I am allowed. But I do plan to stay long term so I'll be working on figuring that out and confident in time I'll find some solution. I've been told that I can rent a flat, as long as I pay the bills regardless of whether I'm here or not, although I was told that I cannot own without the correct permit.

I'm looking at renting a single family home or a multi-family home but these are harder to come by. In the meantime, holiday apartments and hotels.

My dogs are well behaved in general. They are afraid of other dogs and so are a bit leash reactive, but otherwise very calm well behaved dogs when at home. In my current place I was told they are very lenient. The host would not even give me "quiet hours" as she thought it was irrelevant. She just said "Don't have a party" otherwise no one cares. There is a little terrier two floors down that barks quite a bit. But still I'm paranoid.

I appreciate the long thoughtful responses. It helps me develop perspective. In general the hotels have been supportive, only two places were not. One hotel was exceptionally friendly and even provided dog begs , bowls, towels, poop bags, a door tag saying "Dogs Alone in Room", and room service for dogs.

I do see that dog standards are much higher in Switzerland. All the dogs I've seen have been exceptionally well behaved. I do know in the US sometimes immigrants seem to struggle to understand US social rules, in particular interpersonal space, so I can imagine that the Swiss have some of the same expectations about me and my dogs that are hard for me to grasp. So I want to be respectful and a good citizen.

I am enrolled in a good Hundeschule in Altdorf and they are very supportive. In particular the dog training methods are so different from anything that I've seen before it's like learning a new language. In general they seem focused on helping the dog manage it's emotions and then the dog will be well behaved, as opposed to what I find as common American approach which is to get the dogs to behave the way we want. So I've had to rethink owning dogs. That aspect has been a HUGE challenge, but I am also very grateful because I feel it's making me a better person and allowing me to share this with my American friends. My German Shepherd developed some leash reactivity with the methods I used in the US, so I'm glad to be make positive progress with him.

My dogs are not barkers, so I'm grateful. I only leave them when I go to the grocery store. They are usually quiet and peaceful but I live in fear they will bark while I'm gone. I think getting a pet sitter is a great suggestion.

10
I think most people have provided comprehensive answers, so I won't repeat, but if you are hearing your neighbours wake up then perhaps you are staying in very old buildings. I would suggest finding more modern buildings, where the sound insulation is much higher. Our dog barks sometimes, but our neighbours have never heard it. (also most modern apartments have their own washing machines/dryers)

That would cover off two items off your list.

11
It basically comes down to respecting others and their living quality.

1) Clean the dryer filter and look for any residue left from your detergent or other unwanted things.

2) Clean anything else that may disturb others

3) Dogs.... see above

4) Good luck and hopefully things will work out.

12
Just a small suggestion and you will have likely already done the research, if you are serious about staying and are not coming here for a job, are not married to a Swiss, and do not have a gazliliion francs in the bank, you might check out options of enrolling in school/university and becoming a student.

https://studyinginswitzerland.com/st...a-switzerland/

Almost all programs for a bachelors degree are in the local language (French, German, Italian) Many masters degrees however are available in English.

13
Once you have sorted out your permission to reside in Switzerland*, do make sure you understand Swiss law on dog registration.

You will need to import your dogs officially. I have never encountered a tourist who just 'stayed' with dogs, so if you do not leave when your tourist permission expires you would in the first instance need to contact Swiss customs and the cantonal Veterinäramt to find out how to regularize your dog's official entry into Switzerland.

Do not underestimate how important this is! If a dog is not imported correctly, even if all other vax and paperwork is in order, the dog risks seizure and quarantine, worst case euthanasia. Switzerland takes a very hard line on import violations, as we have a huge problem with dog smuggling, and we are trying to keep disease at bay.

Obvously the easiest thing to so would be to leave when your tourist stay is up, then come back officially. under whatever permit you qualify for, and officially import your dogs at that time.

Once you are officially resident, you will need to see a vet within 10 days to get your dogs registered in AMICUS, the federal database of dogs (and dog owners). In Switzerland every dog must be traceable from birth/import to death/export. Another reason for making double sure you correctly import your dogs is that the veterinarian who does the AMICUS registration is a mandatory reporter; if he or she finds an irregularity the vet must report it to the Veterinäramt, with consequences to you and your dogs.

You must also register your dog with your local commune, and pay the annual dog tax. If you have not yet found a permanent place to stay, you register at the commune you are currently in, then de/re-register when you move again. Dog tax varies by canton and commune, expect something in the order of 100-200 per dog.

Be aware that most cantons require a dog owner to carry liability insurance. The policy amount will vary by canton. For instance, in TI it is 3 million. This insurance is often rolled into your Privathaftpflicht, but you must make sure it is there. If not, you can take out a separate policy, it is inexpensive, something under CHF 100 per year.

Coming from the US, i assume you do not have a pet passport? Once you are officially resident you will need to get this, your vet can organize it for you. A pet passport is needed to move more easily around EU countries, should you plan on traveling with your dogs. This document is also where all rabies and other vaccines are recorded and stamped.

If you need help with any steps in the process, please ask. There are many threads going into detail, so I won't repeat those here. You can read about AMICUS here:

https://www.amicus.ch/Account/Login

And more about official importation for a resident dog:

https://www.blv.admin.ch/blv/de/home...frettchen.html

And finally, be aware that BSL is a cantonal matter, about half the cantons have some form of breed specific legislation on their books.. You mentioned Tessin - is that where you currently live? If so, be aware that a German Shephard is on the restricted list in Tessin, and requires a permit to live in the canton.

You can read more about the various cantonal dog laws in this summary from Tier Im Recht foundation:

Tessin:

https://www.tierimrecht.org/de/recht/hunderecht/tessin/

Overview of all cantons:

https://www.tierimrecht.org/en/legal...onal-Dog-Laws/

ETA:

In Tessin a restricted dog may stay for 30 days if visitng as a tourist. How long has your GSD been here? If longer than 30 days, you need to understand what steps you have to take to get a permit for your GSD.

You would need to contact the TI Veterinäramt for info on how to apply for permission to keep a GSD in the canton.. The relevant legislation is Art. 13 Regolamento/TI). I don't read Italian, so can't help further than that. But DeepL wll give you the gist.

FYI, This also applies to folks who own holida homes and long stay tourists.

If you are not in Tessin, please let us know which canton you are staying in now and we can help with other cantonal laws. (GSDs are not on the restricted lists in any other BSL cantons, btw. TI's list is more extensive than most cantons.)

But do follow up on this, for your dogs' sake.

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If I undertstand your story/timeline - honestly, it kind of sounds like you put the cart before the horse in making your move here. A non-EU person is expected to apply for, and be granted, a residence permit before moving here with their pets. The process, while not onerous, must be done to the letter of the law. For your dogs' sake, don't get this wrong!

If you need help with the paperwork, there are companies who do that. One with a good reputation is Moving Animals, based in Zürich.

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*I'll repeat suggestions others have made - if you are applying as UHNW individual who will not work in Switzerland, this really is a 'have your people call their people' situation. Such permits are granted on an individual case basis, and I have heard anecdotes where interested parties with similar profiles were given wildly different responses from Officialdom. Suffice it to say, this permit is indeed for the UHNW. Mere HNW often does not cut it. But as always in Switzerland, YMMV. As Mrs D suggested, contact one of the companies catering to the ultra wealthy for assistance in connecting you with the right people to facilitate this.

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Lastly, here is a document every dog owner in Switzerland must read, the Codex for Dog Owners. This is put out by canton ZH, but the etiquette and expectations described are applicable everywhere. I like this document because they lay it all out concisely, clearly - and in English.

https://www.zh.ch/content/dam/zhweb/...12englisch.pdf

Again, wishing you and your dogs all the best.

14
Quoting melconcollie and adding emphasis. We've seen some very sad stories here of people who brought dogs with the best of intentions and yet the animals had to be euthanized. Don't let this happen to your pups.

I'm happy to see you're doing everything you can to inform yourself in advance, about this and other issues.

15
OP, just wanted to wish you good luck with your permit and with starting a new life here You come across as a considerate person, trying to integrate and do what is best in a new culture.

All the posts have made valid and great points & advice. I fully understand how your dogs are not barkers, but that they would bark a bit more in a new environment. Hopefully they will settle soon. Search for "Victoria Stilwell" youtube videos on barking issues. She is an amazing dog trainer who only used positive methods with great results.