Breeding and nesting season: When your dog must be on a lead

There is no nationwide rule for the breeding and nesting season in Switzerland. The cantons protect wildlife in different ways: some require dogs to be kept on a lead in forests or at forest edges during certain months. Others have no such seasonal rule but instead have year-round requirements or designated protected areas.

Why the breeding and nesting season matters for dogs

In spring and summer, many wild animals give birth or raise their young. Kanton Aargau explicitly refers to pregnant wildlife, young animals and ground-nesting birds as the reasons for its seasonal lead requirement. Source: Kanton Aargau

Both Basel cantons also explain that roe deer fawns may be lying in the grass at forest edges and that ground-nesting birds use meadows, forest floors and fields for breeding. Off-lead dogs can startle or chase wildlife. Source: Kanton Basel-Stadt

It is therefore not just a question of whether your dog actually catches an animal. Chasing and disturbing wildlife can already be problematic.

Breeding and nesting season: What are the rules in each canton?

The following overview focuses on seasonal rules for forests. Where the cited general cantonal rules do not specify a general breeding season, this is explicitly stated. Special protected areas or municipal rules may still apply.

• Aargau: A lead requirement applies from 1 April to 31 July in forests and at forest edges. Source: Kanton Aargau
• Appenzell Ausserrhoden: The official cantonal dog information page does not specify a general seasonal period for forests. Source: Kanton Appenzell Ausserrhoden
• Appenzell Innerrhoden: In addition to rules similar to those in Ausserrhoden, special requirements apply in designated hunting ban areas and summer grazing areas during the alpine grazing season. However, there is no canton-wide breeding season for all forests. Source (Ausserrhoden page with a section on Innerrhoden): Kanton Appenzell Ausserrhoden
• Bern: There is no general cantonal lead requirement. Protected areas, signs and municipal rules must still be observed. Source: Kanton Bern
• Basel-Landschaft: From 1 April to 31 July, a lead requirement applies in forests and near forests. Source: Wildtier- und Jagdgesetz Basel-Landschaft (Wildlife and Hunting Act), § 12
• Basel-Stadt: From 1 April to 31 July, a lead requirement applies in forests, at forest edges and on adjacent meadows. Source: Wildtier- und Jagdgesetz Basel-Stadt (Wildlife and Hunting Act), § 8
• Freiburg: From 1 April to 15 July, a lead requirement applies in forests. Source: Reglement über die Hundehaltung Freiburg (Regulations on Dog Ownership), Art. 26
• Genf: From 1 April to 15 July, the seasonal lead requirement applies in forests. Source: Kanton Genf
• Glarus: Dogs must be kept on a lead in forests and along forest edges throughout the year, not just during the breeding and nesting season. Exceptions include hunting dogs during the hunting season. Source: Jagdverordnung Glarus (Hunting Ordinance), Art. 30
• Graubünden: There is no canton-wide seasonal lead requirement. In exceptional emergency situations affecting wildlife, the Amt für Jagd und Fischerei may impose a lead requirement limited to specific locations and periods. Source: Hegeverordnung Graubünden (Wildlife Management Ordinance), Art. 8
• Jura: There is no seasonal rule. However, under Art. 40 of the cantonal Jagdverordnung (Hunting Ordinance), dogs in forests must remain under control at all times throughout the year. Otherwise, they must be kept on a lead. Source: Kanton Jura
• Luzern: From 1 April to 31 July, a lead requirement applies in forests and less than 50 metres from the forest edge. Source: Kanton Luzern
• Neuenburg: From 15 April to 30 June, dogs must be kept on a lead in forests. Source: Kanton Neuenburg
• Nidwalden: There is no canton-wide seasonal lead requirement in forests. In designated wildlife rest areas, a lead requirement applies during the rest periods, depending on the area, from 15 December until 30 April or 15 June. Source: Verordnung über die Wildruhegebiete Nidwalden (Ordinance on Wildlife Rest Areas)
• Obwalden: In nature conservation zones, a lead requirement applies throughout the year. In wildlife rest zones within moorland landscapes, it applies from 1 December to 15 July, and in other wildlife rest zones until 30 April. According to the canton, a lead requirement also applies in and along all forests, except in the municipality of Alpnach. Source: Kanton Obwalden
• St. Gallen: There is no canton-wide seasonal lead requirement in forests. A lead is mandatory when other effective means of control are unavailable, and municipalities may designate additional locations. Source: Hundegesetz St. Gallen (Dog Act), Art. 8 and 9
• Schaffhausen: In forests and their immediate surroundings, dogs must be kept at heel throughout the year. From 15 April to 30 June, a lead requirement applies in these areas. Sources: Naturschutzverordnung Schaffhausen (Nature Conservation Ordinance), § 13 and Hundegesetz Schaffhausen (Dog Act), Art. 12
• Schwyz: There is no seasonal rule for forests. However, the Hundegesetz (Dog Act) requires dogs to be kept on a lead throughout the year in public facilities, on public paths and in road traffic. Source: Kanton Schwyz
• Solothurn: From 1 April to 31 July, a lead requirement applies in forests. Source: Kanton Solothurn
• Thurgau: From 1 April to 31 July, a lead requirement applies in forests and at forest edges. Source: Kanton Thurgau
• Tessin: There is no seasonal lead requirement in forests. However, dogs must not roam freely throughout the year, and a lead requirement applies in designated hunting ban areas. Sources: Kanton Tessin, hunting: frequently asked questions and Hundegesetz Tessin (Dog Act)
• Uri: From 1 April to 31 July, a lead requirement applies in forests and in areas up to 50 metres from the forest edge. Source: Kanton Uri
• Waadt: From 1 April to 15 July, a lead requirement applies in forests and on adjacent meadows. Source: Kanton Waadt
• Wallis: There is no canton-wide seasonal rule for forests. However, in protected areas, a lead requirement often applies throughout the year or during specific periods. Source: Kanton Wallis
• Zug: From 1 April to 31 July, a lead requirement applies in forests and at forest edges. Outside this period, dogs must remain within sight and respond to recall at all times. Source: Einführungsgesetz zum Waldgesetz Zug (Introductory Act to the Forest Act), § 9
• Zürich: From 1 April to 31 July, a lead requirement applies in forests and up to 50 metres from the forest edge. Source: Kanton Zürich

You can find a more detailed overview of general lead requirements under Lead requirements in Switzerland: Rules by canton.

What can you still do during this period?

A seasonal lead requirement does not mean that you and your dog have to avoid forests. You can still go for walks as long as you comply with the applicable rules. It is important not to let your dog enter sensitive areas and to observe any additional signs.

To give your dog more opportunities for exercise, you can combine walks with activities:

• Searching for food on permitted paths
• Calm scent work
• Training your dog to focus on you
• Recall exercises in suitable areas
• Training with a long training lead where permitted and practically appropriate

We explain the differences between a long training lead and a fenced area under Long training lead or dog field: Which is suitable when?.

Planning off-lead exercise during the breeding and nesting season

If your dog needs plenty of freedom to move, you do not have to regard the legal lead requirement as a break from training. A fenced area specifically intended for this purpose can be an alternative. If it is located in or near a forest, the cantonal lead requirement may also apply there. In Kanton Zürich, securely fenced areas from which dogs cannot escape are explicitly exempt. Source: Kanton Zürich

If in doubt, ask the provider or the responsible cantonal authority.

This can be particularly relaxing if your dog has a strong hunting instinct. Instead of constantly scanning your surroundings for wildlife, you can practise recall or focus training in a controlled environment. Find out more under Dogs with a hunting instinct: How off-lead exercise can be possible.

Search games are also well suited because they combine movement and scent work without allowing your dog to enter wildlife habitats uncontrolled.

The most important rule: Check locally

The overview shows how much the rules vary across Switzerland. There are also protected areas, wildlife rest zones and municipal regulations to consider. Before an outing, therefore, check the relevant cantonal or municipal website and observe the signs.

If you are looking for a controlled place for off-lead exercise during a period when leads are required, you can find fenced areas at dogoasis.ch/suche that you can book exclusively for you and your dog.

Last updated: September 2026