The canton of Zurich introduced a full ban on keeping Rottweilers from 1 January 2025, making it one of the most significant breed-specific restrictions in Switzerland in recent years.
Rottweilers may neither be kept nor brought into the canton of Zurich.
Owners of the roughly 350 Rottweilers registered in the canton at the end of 2024 had until 30 June 2025 to apply for a permit to keep their dog, or face the consequences!
By the end of 2025, four owners had failed to submit an application despite repeated interventions by the veterinary office. In all four cases, the animals were confiscated.
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Zurich Bans Rottweilers: A Newly Developed Behavioural Assessment For The Breed
The new rules meant that no Rottweilers may be kept or brought into the canton of Zurich from 2025 onward. Existing owners who wanted to remain in the canton were required to put their dog through a newly developed behavioural assessment called the Zurich Behavior Test, designed jointly by the cantonal veterinary office and external experts to meet scientific standards and produce a reliable verdict on whether a dog behaves normally and can be handled safely.
The results from 2025 show a mixed picture. The handling test was completed successfully 217 times. Of the permits granted, 47% were issued without conditions, while 53% came with conditions attached. This means that the majority of owners whose dogs passed still face ongoing obligations around how they keep and handle their animals.
By 31 December 2025, the number of registered Rottweilers in the canton had fallen to 295, down from approximately 350 a year earlier. The decline is attributed to owners moving out of the canton, rehoming their dogs, natural deaths and voluntary relinquishments. Of the 295 remaining, 21 are puppies who cannot be assessed until they reach two years of age, and 53 older dogs have been exempted from the temperament assessment on expert grounds.
Zurich Tightens Dog Rules After Handling 1,700 Incidents in 2025
The canton of Zurich’s veterinary office handled more than 1,700 dog-related incidents in 2025 and is stepping up prevention work on both animal welfare and livestock disease control, according to the Zürich Veterinary Office annual report for 2025.
The report covers the office’s work across dog regulation, animal protection, food safety and epidemic control, and comes shortly after new rules for dog owners came into force on 1 June 2025.
In the area of animal health, the dynamic animal disease situation in Europe continued to pose significant challenges for the Canton of Zurich. The Veterinary Office is consistently focusing on early detection, prevention, crisis preparedness, and close cooperation with all partners.
Dog Bite Incidents Remained Stable and Declined By 1.5%
The 2025 figures show that dog incidents remain a persistent challenge in the canton, with bite reports, aggression cases and conflicts between animals all staying at elevated levels compared with pre-pandemic years.
Over 800 dog bites were recorded in the canton in recent years, with children disproportionately affected because their heads are level with a dog’s snout and they often instinctively behave in ways that provoke animals.
To address that risk, Zürich runs a school programme called “Codex Kind und Hund” that sends instructors into classrooms and kindergartens to teach children how to behave safely around dogs.
“This ensures that mandatory dog training courses teach humane and non-violent handling of dogs,” says cantonal veterinarian Lukas Perler.
Around 300 courses are held annually across the canton, funded by dog licence revenue, and the veterinary office says it wants to eventually ensure every child in Zürich completes the training.
