Mother cows and guard dogs

Tips for the correct handling of guard dogs

To protect our farm animals, guard dogs are used on the sheep and goat alps. Hiking trails partly lead through these grazing areas. With good planning, you can avoid encounters with guard dogs. We recommend that you consult a map on the Internet with the deployment locations of guard dogs in the alpine area before the hike:

SchweizMobil: www.wanderland.ch > Karte > Zusatzlayer «Natur / Landschaft» > Herdenschutzhunde

Swisstopo: map.geo.admin.ch > Karte «Alpweiden mit Herdenschutzhunden» 

Herdenschutz Schweiz: www.herdenschutzschweiz.ch > Tourismus und Herdenschutzhunde > Interaktive Karte: Alpen mit HSH

You can find further behavior tips for download as well as an overview map and the flyer (German) here.

Tips for crossing cattle pastures without danger

Be careful when crossing pastures. New forms of livestock management and stronger animal welfare regulations mean that today free-ranging animals, including bulls, are increasingly found in pastures crossed by footpaths. Especially in suckler cow husbandry, the sense of belonging together in the herd and the protective instinct are strong and also desired. Wanderers who are not aware of this can cause dangerous situations. Please refer to the fact sheets and behavior tips here.