The Atlas/Welfare, Law & Identification/Tierschutzverordnung
LawSwitzerland
Tierschutzverordnung
SR 455.1 · Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office
Switzerland’s detailed animal-welfare ordinance, which spells out the keeping conditions, including free outdoor movement, that the welfare law requires.
01 What It Is
The Tierschutzverordnung (SR 455.1) is the federal ordinance made under Switzerland’s Animal Welfare Act (Tierschutzgesetz), overseen by the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office. It is the instrument that translates the Act’s principles into detailed, species-specific keeping requirements.
02 What It Covers
The ordinance defines free outdoor movement, Auslauf, as movement in the open in which the animal can determine its own pace and direction unhindered by leads, chains or harnesses, and builds requirements around it. For dogs it addresses housing, social contact, care and the conditions for commercial keeping and breeding, alongside the general rules that apply across all kept animals.
03 How It Is Checked
It is binding federal law, applied by the cantonal veterinary services under the oversight of the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office. Commercial keeping is subject to authorisation and competence requirements, and the cantonal authorities inspect and enforce.
04 Why It Matters
Switzerland is known for the detail of its animal-keeping rules, and this ordinance is where that detail lives. For a dog it is the difference between a vague entitlement to good care and a written requirement, for instance, that it be given genuine free movement rather than time on a chain.
Common Questions
Is it mandatory?
Yes. It is binding federal law, made under Switzerland’s Animal Welfare Act, that translates the Act’s principles into detailed species-specific keeping rules.
Who enforces it?
The cantonal veterinary services, under the oversight of the Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office.
What does it require for dogs?
It defines and requires free outdoor movement, Auslauf, where the dog can set its own pace and direction unhindered by leads or chains, and sets conditions for housing, social contact, care and commercial keeping.
How is it checked?
The cantonal authorities inspect and enforce, and commercial keeping is subject to authorisation and competence requirements.
Who does it apply to?
Anyone keeping a dog in Switzerland, with extra requirements for commercial keepers and breeders.
What makes Swiss rules notable?
Their detail. The ordinance is where that detail lives, turning a vague entitlement to good care into a written requirement, for instance that a dog be given genuine free movement rather than time on a chain.
Primary sources
- Tierschutzverordnung (SR 455.1), consolidated textfedlex.admin.ch