Anyone taken their dog to Switzerland?

[Treecol]

We're planning our first trip abroad in our newly acquired MoHo and intend to travel through France and into Switzerland for the bulk of our time away. I've read online that Switzerland seems quite accommodating with regard to taking your dog with you. But I just wonder if any of you who have taken your dog have any tips advice or suggestions please?

 

[Treecol]

Here he is BTW when we were still caravanning last year,

 

[Nirvanauk]

We stayed on lake Lucerne last year and it was great. We went down to the lake at night with our dog and was always invited for her to swim with about 20 other dogs as a group and she loved it.

 

[Phill D]

ticks are a bigger problem in both Austria and Switzerland so need to be extra vigulant and remove ticks as soon as found, a high %age are carriers of Lyme disease.

Quote!
In Switzerland, around 5% to 30% (sometimes as high as 50 %) of ticks are infected with Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease), according to the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH)

 

[Nirvanauk]

The bus into town was just a short walk away, dogs are allowed on the bus. Switzerland is very expensive and don't buy a swiss army knife!

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[The Dudess]

Switzerland seemed very dog friendly when we were there last year. We even took him on the train going up the Jungfrau (no charge for him). He was so relaxed that he fell asleep across the knee of a total stranger sat next to us. Fortunately the man was also very dog friendly.

 

[Figaro]

Austria like their dogs muzzled in public, especially on trains and buses and ferrys.
I think Switzerland are a little more relaxed about it but it would be a good idea to have one available if requested.
On Wolfgangsee we got a little ferry over the lake with our non muzzled dog. We were the only passengers but the girl operating it said if anyone objected on the return journey she would have to ask us to get off ! That would need a very long taxi ride back.
Thankfully we were the only passengers again on return trip.

 

[mark49]

I thought that was like a “dog suicide thread” starting there. Pleased to be wrong.

 

[Figaro]

Digntas for doggies ?

 

[DBK]

Dognitas.

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[Charlie9038]

Yes they are fine with dogs, camping jungfrau is amazing limited sun though as in a valley but will go back as very handy to get the train and cable cars up to the mountain expensive trip at £100 each but amazing up there at 3000m if the weather is right, and you can take the dog, if you book through the c&m club there is a deal 7 nights for 5, also lazy rancho is nice aaregg has amazing views on the lake. Make sure you load up as very expensive 6 eggs are £5 in co op. But a beautiful country that we will go back to vey soon. Enjoy ?

 

[Treecol]

Thank you very much. I thought it sounded dog friendly from what I've read elsewhere but glad to hear your experiences. Can't wait to go and post piccies. I think it'll be June/July so long wait

 

[Charlie9038]

its a stunning country, the vingette you can buy on the border 40 swiss francs,if you stay at jungfrau they do various train and cable car deals, muiren is worth a day out and scilthorne ( james bond mountain) is worth seeing, surprising how thin the air is at that height, we didnt make jungfrae as the weather changed, allways a good reason to go back though ?

 

[DBK]

Thank you very much. I thought it sounded dog friendly from what I've read elsewhere but glad to hear your experiences. Can't wait to go and post piccies. I think it'll be June/July so long wait

We've stayed a few days at Camping Jungfrau, they gave a 10% discount for the ACSI card as it was out of season - it was October. That won't apply in June/July I expect. The suggestion to book is sensible especially if you can get a deal. Local wine is about UK prices per bottle and you are probably in the right country to get a loan from the World Bank if you want to eat out. If we go back we will try the local trains to explore the surrounding area. The trips to the mountain tops are silly money but would be memorable.

We had our dog with us and had no problems but he's only 10Kg, it may be different with a bigger dog.

If you can, drive over the Sustenpass, it is stunning.

Our drive through Switzerland starts at post #239 on this page.

Two Go To Sicily

We have stopped for the night at the ACSI site at Cropani Marina, situated close to the ball of the foot of Italy. :) We would have liked to have seen the 10th century Cattolica at Stilo by taking the coastal route here but time is against us so we took the autostrada route instead. :( The site...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

 

[jockaneezer]

We had a few days in Interlaken with our two hounds, don't remember having any problems taking the dogs anywhere, apart from the usual Chinese tourists wanting to take their photograph, happens all over Europe, I never know if they think they look cute or tasty !
Even though we knew it was going to be expensive, we still got a surprise at some of the prices, but did our usual of checking out the main sights, then drop back a street or two to eat or have a coffee and the prices weren't too bad, relatively speaking !
We dropped into Bavaria on our way back and our usual routine first thing when we get up is that I walk the pups and Val sorts the van. In a 15 minute walk and sniff along the grass verge of a road beside a wood, Sky picked up 23 tics ! I got them all off back at the van, before they'd got a hold, but missed one right up in his groin. We noticed it days later, during a tummy rub. It was like a big purple grape and left a bruise like area. He hadn't been scratching or licking, so wasn't troubled. It coincided with the vet visit for the passports and he gave us some cream that seemed to sort it out. We had applied the Spot On tic stuff before we went, but these Teutonic Tics were made of stronger stuff !

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[Minxy]

But I just wonder if any of you who have taken your dog have any tips advice or suggestions please?

Yes ... keep the dog away from the chocolate ... oh and cuckoos, I understand they are pretty vicious if they escape from the clocks!

 

[Sasbo]

We frequently go to Switzerland (twice a year at least) and have done so for the last 20 years with our various rescue dogs. It's very dog friendly, but take a soft muzzle just in case you get an over vigilant post bus driver or train conductor.

Most restaurants are dog friendly and there is no problem taking dogs on the ski lift gondolas, with only one or two exceptions.

If walking in the alpine meadows where cows are present, keep the dog on a lead. But apart from that it's great for dog walking, although it can be a little expensive.

We are heading to Grindelwald late April and I can't wait to get back there.

 

[ADJF]

Great country, very dog friendly, everyone loves a dog. Many cafes and restaurants are happy for you to take your dog in. Campsites are very accomodating

 

[JFD]

We have family living in Switzerland, and have travelled there many times with our two Jack Russells. They are far more tolerant to dogs than most of the UK! Restaurants normally accept them, as long as they are not disruptive, and I have never seen a muzzled dog in the Swiss streets!

Motorhomes are well looked after, with service points in major towns, but campsites are rather expensive, but the views are exceptional!! Our favourite site is in the Lauterbrunnen valley, a couple of miles beyond the town.

 

[ukfetchfan]

Switzerland is much more dog- friendly than Austria but this is due to the regulations that apply is Switzerland. If you are a resident and are considering owning a dog then you must first attend a theory course, where on successful completion you gain the necessary authority to own a dog. Once you have your new dog- whether young or old - you then must attend dog training classes. All of this is part of the Dog Registration process. Due to this the dogs in Switzerland are well socialised and quite well behaved and the owners are in control too. This in turn means that shops,restaurants, public transport are happy to have dogs in/on as generally they are no problem and they do not have to be muzzled.

In Austria there is no such process and we found the dogs there to be quite aggressive due to not being well socialised. They must be on a lead all the time outside and whenever you walk towards someone with a dog, with your own dog on a lead, they pull their dog away immediately not allowing them the ‘5 second Hello’. Consequently we saw lots of snappy and aggressive dogs lunging towards us. Our Goldie just put her nose in the air and trotted on! Also in Austria on public transport the dog must be muzzled,

Whether you have to pay for a dog on public transport in Switzerland depends on its size. If you are able to pick it up and carry it easily it is classified as a Small Dog- eg Terriers, Cockerpoos, Daschunds and they travel free. However if your dog is classified as a Big Dog eg collies, Labradors, retrievers and bigger then you have to generally pay the Child Fare- which is normally 50% of the adult fare. So to go to the tops of some of the mountains it can be £120 per adult and £60 for the dog!

The same applies to bicycles- it if folds up and can be carried its free but if a full size bike you have to pay to take it on.

The ticks are more of a problem in Europe and our vet recommended Advantix rather than our usual Frontline. However it is a strong medication and our dog’s skin reacted badly to it resulting in us ringing home to our vet from Belgium as the dog was shaking all over. Advice was to bathe her immediately in baby shampoo. Fortunately many of the campsites do have excellent dog showers. So I would recommend trying the stronger product out at least a week before setting off. We used a Seresto collar, which are cheaper to buy in Europe than here, and that worked fine. There are also endless lakes that the dogs can swim in in Switzerland and that causes any new ticks to float off. (Take the Seresto off before they swim)

Consider joining TCS- the Swiss equivalent of the AA. They have excellent sites all over the country and if you are a member you get a discount- 10% I think. Sites are expensive but safe, well managed with excellent facilities.

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[TPMM]

We spent a great (albeit expensive!) week at Interlaken in Sept 15. We stayed at an ACSI site and bought 6 day travel passes for 510 Euros for 2 humans - dogs travel free - for unlimited bus and cable cars/gondolas and some boat trips. No problems at all with dogs - no signs requiring muzzles (things may have changed). Odd thing was a large number of Muslims (women in full black robes with faces covered) (apparently mountains and lakes are popular - some religious thing) and some of them were clearly horrified at being near dogs (unclean in their culture). We were as considerate as we could be but once we were sitting on a train/bus/boat felt that if they got on and didn't want to sit near us, then that was their problem and not ours! It was a strange experience and we did feel a bit uncomfortable at times. As others have said the Asian visitors were fascinated by the dogs and wanted endless selfies! We did the extra trip up the Jungfraujoch which wasn't included in the six day pass and was an extra £160 (gulp). I think that part of that was for the dogs but we had no option cos we were away from the motorhome for hours and leaving them was not an option. It was an amazing, once in a lifetime, experience but only because we had blue skies - don't even think of going if it's cloudy. There are web cameras at the top that you can view from Grindelwald station so you can check before you buy your tickets and also check the forecast - it takes two trains and a couple of hours to get up there. If you are heading south, the scenery on the Grimsel, Furka, St Gotthard ad Nufenen passes is amazing and The Rhone Glacier is well worth a visit . Have fun - hope the weather is kind to you.

 

[TPMM]

further to ukfetchfan's interesting post (our posts crossed!) - I think Frontline is useless. We always use Advantix (every three weeks) and Advocate (every four weeks) for lungworm etc. They are expensive and only on prescription so suggest you shop around local vets. Size of dog - we had a golden retriever and a sheepdog so both big. My info may well be out of date!

 

[TheDogMan]

I you want to take your dog to europe this year is the time to do before the EU decide to change the rules just to be spiteful

 

[HeatherW]

We're planning our first trip abroad in our newly acquired MoHo and intend to travel through France and into Switzerland for the bulk of our time away. I've read online that Switzerland seems quite accommodating with regard to taking your dog with you. But I just wonder if any of you who have taken your dog have any tips advice or suggestions please?

Your dog is a beauty, and looks very comfortable in your van, hope you have a great trip! Just out of interest, which route do you plan to take through France/Switzerland? I have hired a MH in June for a 6 weeks trip and plan to drive through France and beyond too with dogs, trying as much as possible to avoid tolls and take things as slowly as possible!

 

[Treecol]

Thank you all so very much. Lots of good helpful advice . I am beginning to wonder if we might go on our own for the first time to do all the expensive train trips that will mean he has to pay half price. Then go back for a second time with him. He best buddy Billy is owned by our friend who dog boards so we know he'll be happy if we didn't take him. But knowing us we'll worry about missing him and take him anyway. It also depends on the weather too. We do a lot of walking - he'll happily do 6 hrs a day. But the thing is he has to do 100 miles an hour everywhere he goes. He doesn't understand the concept of walking. We climbed Snowden last year, up miners route and down Pyg. After running for 5 hours, he swam back and forth over the lakes on the way down as he was getting impatient waiting for us.
We'll take the tunnel then drive down to Strasbourg for the first stop, then into Switzerland from there. We did that a few years back in our motorbike. We'll do the tolls on the way and then mooch home through rural France. I will post our route when we plan it.
Also we use Bravecto for tics and they rarely even get on his fur. He's in the undergrowth all the time being a Springer/GWP cross so we've always been vigilant for tics.

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