I'm afraid I can not help you with information regarding Geneva's theory training, but I have found the following books extremely useful when we got our dog

How to Be Your Dog's Best Friend: The Classic Training Manual for Dog Owners by The Monks of New Skete
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0316610003/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

Outwitting Dogs: Revolutionary Techniques for Dog Training That Work! by Terry Ryan
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1592282431/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

Please feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions

Best regards,
Avi

Dear GVAbound,

I am afraid I speak French well enough that I haven't needed English trainers (I have used two trainers but I have not thought to ask them if they speak French). However, looking at your list, if I am understanding correctly, both the trainers AND the vets listed are approved to give the course, right? If so, I see under vets, that the vet I take my dog to is listed and he is definitely English speaking (Australian, I believe). His name is Robert Campbell (Cabinet Veterinaire St Jean) and if he is approved to give the theory course, you're set. Otherwise, I am sure that he can point you in the right direction.

Good luck!

Dear Tegu and Avi,

Thanks very much for your replies - I will phone Robert Campbell to get his advice. Looking at the SPA education site, the mandatory theory course is 4 hours and we have to do this before we can adopt a dog - but once done, the certificate is valid for life. I think we will also get practical training courses, backed up by the books!

I put together a list of the things that we need to do or get and an idea of costs - but not having had a dog (especially here in Geneva) I am not sure I have covered anything. If you have time, I would be grateful if you could have a look over my list to see if I have forgotten anything or widely miscalculated!

Microchipped (done at the SPA)

·          Pet passport (WHERE CAN YOU GET THIS FROM?)

·         Register with the Animal Identity Service (ANIS) – the national database for marked pets (http://www.anis.ch/en/home/) – (done at the SPA)

·         Vaccination card (fully vaccinated at the SPA)

·         A dog “medal”, which serves as a licence, on his collar – renewed annually from L'Hôtel des Finances, Caisse de l'Etat, Rue du Stand 26; costs around 110 CHF.

o   For this we need:

§  Identity card (e.g. passport)

§  Proof of civil liability insurance

§  Valid vaccination card

§  Proof of ANIS registration

§  Proof of having followed a theoretical dog awareness course

·     i

ds  Take dog along to a practical course within the first year (TMI certificate)

      Identify good vet for emergencies (I read that vet costs are not outrageous - is this true? If so, it will be the first thing I have found in Geneva that is reasonably priced compared to elsewhere!)

      look into vet insurance (Coop costs 399 CHF per year)

      Download map of Geneva showing areas where dogs can run off the lead

      Identify kennels for unforeseen absences (cost 16-25 CHF per day)

      Cost of dog food - about 10-15 CHF per week for a medium sized dog

      Thanks in advance

Hey :)

I just got a dog two days ago. I will post more details when i have more time (got to go to work!). But keep us posted!

Hello,

I wasn't sure if you were adopting a puppy or a dog at the SPA.

I just adopted my Labrador in December. As first time owners of a dog, we had a 2 hour class (theoretical dog awareness) and test (we should have done this before adopting the puppy)

We got our pet passport (its also the carnet the vaccination) at the kennel where we adopted our puppy.

The dog medal is only after the dog has been vaccinated for Rabies and you have to get this at the Mairie so it will depend on his age and weight.

My lab eats all the time especially also because he is a puppy and growing rapidly so our food costs are higher. As part of the training, we also give him a lot of little treats to encourage him  (Also, a large supply of plastic bags for his 'needs')

The list of vets is also available on the same list where you have the certified trainers.

I know Assura has insurance but we haven't taken it.

Hope this helps...let me know if you have any questions, and i will try to help!

hello there.  

Geneva Obligatory theory - Robert Campbell does indeed offer the course in English.  I took it a few weeks ago...it's around 45 minutes power point presentation, followed by a very simple multiple choice test.  Cost around CHF 150.00 from memory.

Pet Passport - The vet will arrange that for you when you visit.  Can't remember the cost, but wasn't much.

Vax and Microchip/ANIS - All done by the vet.

Dog Medal - That is all correct

Emergency vet - Our regular vet is Robert Campbell, and he gave us the number of 24/7 emergency vet.  I believe a number of vets around geneva take turns in being the emergency vet.

Vet insurance - Not sure, dont have it.

Off lead - Try Parc Bertrand or Malagnou Parc

Kennel - Not sure as we use a dog sitter

Dog Food - Depends on the brand, but dont forget treats for training.

Wow, I brought my dog here from DK but had no clue about all of this :-)

Does this "medal" apply to all dogs and how about the theory courses you mention, do all dog owners need to take these?

I can instead supply some good information on food and training in case you need!

I insist on buying quality food for my dog - as I do not have a large dog I can also do this without worrying about my finances :-) As I say, a human being can easily survive on McD (if you are healthy) however, it is not particular healthy for you - in the same way a dog can survive on cheap dog food like Pedigree, but that is not particularly good for the dog either - and it will give you a lot more to collect in little plastic bags after the meals ;-)

However, a few tips is to look at the ingredients:

I only buy food with the source of protein as first ingredient (meat, fish)

I also prefer to be informed that the protein source comes from real meat or fish - in case of chicken I only buy food where I know fresh chicken was used. Pet foods is under the category of non-food and different rules apply than to human food - it is allowed to call crushed beeks, chicken feet etc for chicken - and this is not something I want to feed my dog!

Finally I absolutely avoid food with cereal in it as many dogs develop allergy to this. Corn should be avoided as well. As a source of carbs rice or potatoes can do - but avoid to large a percentage consisting of this.

I absolutely recommend Orijen having 70% protein in the kibble - I have not found it anywhere in GVA, however it can be ordered on the internet.

Check out http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/ as well

In case I have to buy food here I go for Eukanuba or Purina Proplan - they have the most sound ingredients.

I went to training with my dog in DK and read a lot, so should you ever have any questions you are also welcome to ask :-)

And hey if any dog owners are up for meeting with the dogs for a playtime my dog would love it!

we feed orijen too!

in regards to the 'medal', as far as im aware, it is obligatory for all dogs in geneva which means it is necessary to take the theory course....its alot easier then it sounds!  you will only ever have to do this once, no matter how many dogs you end up owning.

without the medal, i beleive you can be fined or have your dog taken from you if they catch you a few times.

oh and for training, i can recommend http://www.clickertrainer.eu/index-en.htm .  we are two classes into the 8 week puppy course, and are very satisfied so far.  Our teacher speaks perfect english too.

Thanks a lot - learned a lot tonight :-)

Not into the clickertraining though - my dog is actually registered with my mom is Dk due to technical reasons when it was a danish vet issuing her registration papers and passport so maybe she can just be on "vacation" :-)

By the way, would ALWAYS recommend insurence for your dog - if an accident happens and it breaks a leg or the like it is EXPENSIVE - I heard stories where families got them selves in huge dept because they could not bear to say goodbye to the dog, their family member and had to borrow money for an operation :-(

Hi everyone,

This thread it turning into a real treaure trove of advice!! Thanks all

The SPA do quite a lot of training courses - I think they are vital to ensure good socialisation for the dog. We really want to get a Berger Pyrenees dog and all the sites highly recommend early training.

I have found a map produced by the Geneva authorities of all the areas where dogs can run off the lead:

http://etat.geneve.ch/dt/SilverpeasWebFileServer/Plan-chiens-Geneve-OK-basse-def.pdf?ComponentId=kmelia240&SourceFile=1242118235300.pdf&MimeType=application/pdf&Directory=Attachment/Images/&logicalName=Plan-chiens-Geneve-OK-basse-def.pdf

Also, the link for the Coop insurance is:

http://www.coopzeitung.ch/article45122

It is only in German, although I am sure they must do a french version somewhere. It is 399 CHF per year for a dog.

We are probably not going to get our dog until the end of April due to a couple of trips already planned (in such a way that we can't take a dog with us), but we would love to meet up with some other dog owners beforehand to get advice!

Hi there Caroline / Sean

from what I read on the Internet, the theory course is a one-off course for new owners of dogs. If you have owned (and can prove) that you have owned a dog before it is not needed. I guess having a dog registered with a vet under your name back in Denmark should probably suffice!

There is also a practical test (I think it is a TMI) that needs to be done in association with getting the medal. The medal serves as a tax, so all dogs need to have one. The practical test needs to be done within a year of getting the dog. From what I can gather, the test is to show that you have control over your dog. The SPA site has a link to their education site.

Ok so i have some free time now :)

We goy our dog from a shelter in France 3 daya ago. Already with a passport, chipped and vaccinated. Its a 3 month old puppy and we are in the process of toilet training. Which is not easy when you have to wake up at 6 and its soo cold outside the puppy cries all the time. Cant blame him but he has to go out. Any tips will be appreciated! I know the pee/treat routine already. Anything else? One of these days we will take him to the vet mentioned here as well. Will post updates :)

for toilet training, try crate training him.  the idea being they dont mess where they sleep (good in theory, but not perfect in practice).  it is also good for piece of mind when you cant be at home with your dog, you know he is not destroying the house!

we were getting up twice a night to let our dog out when we got her at 8 weeks.  We gradually extended the time she'd wait until we got her up, and by around 12 weeks she was able to go through the night without needing to go.

Thanks we will try that. I heard him bark today for the first time and he is loud!! Hopefully being in a crate will make him be quiet when we are away.

well he wont be quiet when you first start using it!  start with feeding him in there so he thinks its a nice place to be....leave the door open and let him wander in and out as he pleases.  then start closing the door and leaving him for a few minutes at a time, only coming back when he is quiet (never come to him if he is crying or barking as it only encourages the behavior.  eventually it will be his preferred place to be and take himself in there.

the first 3 nights were tough, our dog would cry for about 30 minutes after we put her to bed.  but on night 4, she quietly slept until we got her out to go to the toilet.  It is very important that you try to ignore the crying!

we are very happy we have done this now, as we can go out to dinner at night knowing that she is not disturbing the neighbours or destroying the house, and of course it helped with her toilet training.

Here is the little ****!

This is Whiskey. Or at least i hope he is as i havent posted a pic here before and i cannot preview the post. Niiiiir!!!

Too cute!

Hi all :)

We went to the vet yesterday (Robert Campbell - Cabinet Veterinaire St Jean) and i can greatly recomment him. He took all the time we needed to explain things to us and Whiskey seems to like him. Took care of all the paperwork and also gave us a list of dog trainers. At the end he even gave us a puppy starter pack :P (Made me think of the grow your own garden stuff we had as kids :P)

Hello there,

I'm a little lost with all the required things to do, is there a complete list that I can check off? The ones above are very good but seem to lack the 4 lessons (attestation) for the dog aside from the theory course for the owner. Is there anything else that is missing? 

At the moment I know of:

- theory for owner

- 4 lessons for dog + owner

- passport

- microchip + ANIS

- vaccinations

- medal

Anything I'm missing? Where exactly do I get this medal? Also if anyone could give their experience on their lessons with Dr. Campbell or with SPA, that would great. Thanks for any help!

Hello!  You have I think most things there.  The theory test, the practical test (the four lessons), the microchip, passport, and medal. Also you have to pay a tax of 107 francs yearly (used to be linked directly to picking up the medaillon but now the two are separate.  The medaillon can be bought at any municipal police station and the tax will be sent to you as a bill through the post) and if your dog is considered a large size dog (I think 25 kg and above and/or above a certain height), you will also have to take the TMC (Teste de maitrise et comportement) which will require more than just the four lessons.  You  will also have to put the dog on your house insurance (assurance menage) and you usually have to take that with you when you go to get the medaillon.

Good luck!  

Cheers

Hey thanks! I did not know that the medaillon was from a a police station, actually I was about to check the mairie for that. So I need to take care of all of the other papers as they are required for the medaillon, got it!

Does anyone know if Dr Campbell also does the practical test or is it only theory with him? It probably would be more efficient to just go to the same institution for both.

The dog has to have, and wear, a medal, not a medaillon -- thank goodness.

R.

Thank you for pointing that out although I think Kenneth understood what I was talking about...  :-)

T

I'm sure he did.

R.