This summer I went on two hikes. One near Thun and one near Zermatt. On both hikes I experienced rather bad behaviour from the dog owners: from ignoring my request take their dog on the leash to aggressive unprovoked attack from the unleashed dog. I am so sick and tired of this. I just want to enjoy the nature without being threatened by uncontrolled dogs (especially on a 70cm wide trail that have a deadly cliff of on one side).
My question is, does anyone know dog-free hikes (yellow or red) that somehow do not work for the dog owners, so they just do not go there? Or maybe there are some hikes where dog laws are actually adhered to, and violations are not ignored by the authorities?
I tried to Google, but Google does not get what I want and suggests dog friendly options instead.
I think the trail from randa to the europe hut via the charles kuonen suspension bridge will not work for dogs because of the grid path of the suspension bridge.
If you move to one side of a path/road and your dog is on the others side, leaving a big gap in the middle for me to pass on my bicycle, I'm still not going to be able to if you are holding your dog on a lead!
Happened twice today! It was comical rather than annoying.
Did some hikes a few years ago around BL area. Got bitten by a dog while walking through a farm - I posted here about it, you can see the photos. My wife drove it off with rocks - carefully thrown not to harm the dog of course.
Thankfully very rare, and we never used the pepper spray my wife insisted on us getting (after checking the legality of course!).
I have a pepper spray and I used it once. But that was a clear cut situation. The dog was aggressive, the owner could not control it by voice and it ran towards me on a narrow hike. I used the spray without hesitation and it worked well, the dog retreated. But generally on hikes, unleashed dogs run very fast and it is hard to judge what they are going to do. Even playful jump on my shoulders can turn into a deadly accident when the cliff is close enough.
I also called the police once when the woman with a huge dog rejected to leave a dog-free park full of small children. The police came and asked her out.
I love hiking and I want to do it with my daughter when she becomes a bit bigger, but just the thought of these dogs approaching her makes me very nervous.
I found some dog-free hikes in the national park. So I will explore it.
I understand your concern and feel that rather those irresponsible owners should be pepper sprayed - but given that there haven't been mass reports of such deadly incidents, is it really an issue?
Well, around 50 hikers die each year in Switzerland. The most frequent reason is some kind of fall. And we cannot tell for sure if some dog was involved, because most owners would just leave the scene in such a situation. One thing is for sure, hiking is dangerous and that is why the rules must be adhered to. If there is a rule that dogs must be put on leash in case when hikers/bikers pass by, there is a reason for such a rule to exist. I pay rather big taxes as a citizen and I request nothing more than enforcement of existing rules.
The Swiss National park in Engadine, no dogs allowed. The stretch from Lavin towards Zernez is very nice, we turned around at the park limits as our beast was along. No other dogs along the way other than the locals out hunting in the late afternoon
Good luck finding a hike where a dog guarding its farm is not a risk - though as someone w/o a dog you are less provoking.
I agree that leash laws should be adhered to. I am a dog owner and my dog is still a puppy and of a sort that may never go off leash. I avoid places where there are likely to be off leash dogs. But the truth is that your tax paying makes you no more special than a dog owner who keeps their dog off leash and has roughly the same tax bill.
I would also add that I’ve come into contact with oblivious hikers and bikers who cut off my access with my dog. Everyone needs to be responsible and polite.
Tasebo’s suggest of the Swiss National Park is a good one - and perhaps the only place you can be guaranteed not to run into a pet dog.
But just as an FYI, I’ll point out places you should avoid: Pastures where livestock guardian dogs are working.
In these pastures general expectations are reversed: in this special case a livestock guardian dog’s work takes precedence, it is up to you to keep away. When you come to a pasture signed that these dogs are working you must turn back or arc wide around.
Livestock guardians are large powerful dogs bred and trained to guard their flocks. These are working dogs, they are not pets. Most often these are Maremmas, but other breeds may be used as well.
Livestock guardian dogs live with their flock. If they see a threat to the flock they may bark or chase aggressively in order to see off a predator - and human intruders may be seen as a threat. There is often no shepherd nearby, the dogs work independently.
This is just a heads-up so that you can plan your hikes. Check the website showing these pastures, set your route to avoid them, and additionally as you hike watch for signs telling that livestock guardians are working.
The video in the linked thread shows how to behave if you encounter livestock guardian dogs.
Agree with Ennui and as a dog owner I have also seen people behave completely irrationally around my dog so that he would stop and go to them because he probably wondered what the heck the person was doing. This one runner once started running very slowly sideways with his hands outstretched towards my dog
People who are scared of dogs tend to stare at them and this is uncomfortable to dogs who then get curious or nervous. Best thing is to just look straight ahead and walk normally.
What the actual......? What a ridiculous thing to suggest, that most dog owners would leave someone who had had a serious fall You are completely irrational!
Maybe you should start looking for routes with wide paths and no drops??
I can’t imagine how I could enjoy a hike if I was in this mindset and I don’t think it is health to continuously think of your mortality in this way and certainly not something to be passed on to the next generation.
You need to learn to deal with this rather than trying to avoid or control it.
Well, no single dog owner whom I asked to put a dog on the leash ever did so. So I have only bad experience with those who let their dog run unleashed on the hikes. For this reason, I assume those people are irresponsible. This does not concern dog owners who adhere to the rules of course. Responsible dog owners are also not the people who I try to avoid on the hikes.
People have a right to stare at dogs all the ways they want but if the dog cannot be voice controlled 100% at all times it must be on the leash. It is just that simple.
Thank you for suggestions! I am aware of the guardian dogs since I have seen the warning about them regarding several hikes on schweizmobil. I have also found a list of dog free trails on AllTrails. Just when I gave up on googling and tried one last time: this list is called something like “best no dog hikes in Switzerland” if anyone else is interested.
I hear you, and I'm also sensing some past trauma with dogs? If this is the case, while searching for somewhere dog free to hike, perhaps you could look into your reaction to dogs. Carrying pepper-spray and using it on a dog tells me that you don't feel safe, and if this is true you could alleviate your pain by acknowledging this and seeking help.
All I want is to be at a place where people follow the official laws and rules. And you tell me I need help? Well, I think you need help since the absence of logic in your posts point at rather serious problems.