With expertise, experience and passion, our trainers accompany human-dog teams on their journey. Here we introduce the people behind our training programmes.

Réjane Zumbrunnen

Business Manager & Specialist Trainer

Dogs have been part of my life for over 25 years – whether in sports, in service, or in training. I studied Social Work and worked for over a decade as a social worker, youth worker, and experiential educator. This experience now helps me to advise people professionally and provide individual guidance.

As a dog trainer, I have had the privilege of supporting numerous human-dog teams – in training, everyday life, and in overcoming both small and large challenges. For many years, I have guided puppies and family dogs in group and individual sessions. In addition, I provide further training for instructors at the SKG (Swiss Cynological Society).

I am an operational dog handler as well as an instructor at REDOG - this close and intensive work with our dogs fascinates and impresses me time and time again.

Over the years, I have been accompanied by a wide range of different dog personalities – some also from animal shelters: Flat Coated Retriever, Poodle, Border Collie, Sheltie, and a Parson Russell Terrier. Foster dogs have also been part of our pack from time to time. I have learned a great deal from each and every one of them.

I continuously pursue further education, including training with Kirsten Dillon, Gerd Köhler, and Eva Bertilsson.

I look forward to meeting you and your dog – and to starting training with you!

Dr med. vet. Linda Hornisberger

Specialist trainer for assistance dogs

Dogs have enriched my life since 1974. As a veterinarian and in particular through further training as a behavioural medicine specialist, I was able to acquire a broad range of knowledge. As part of my work, I have advised many dog owners - on training issues as well as behavioural problems. For many years, I accompanied dogs and their people in puppy play lessons, young dog courses and individual lessons.

I have been active with REDOG for over 40 years and during this time I have taken part in numerous rescue missions at home and abroad with six operational Border Collies. I have always been impressed by the great work of our dogs.

For decades, I was responsible for training rescue dogs to search for buried victims - initially in my region and later throughout Switzerland for REDOG. This gave me the opportunity to work with many different dogs. My activity in the training and further education of trainers was also particularly important to me.

I have never learnt as much as I have from my dogs. In addition to Border Collies, I have spent my life with different types of dogs Labrador Retriever, Springer Spaniel etc. I also had important experiences with my dogs from animal welfare; our collie, the French bulldog and a cairn terrier.

I continue to train with Kirsten Dillon, Gerd Köhler and Dr Karen Overall, among others.

I look forward to supporting you with my knowledge and experience - and accompanying you on your own personal training path.

Rahel Gubler

Specialist trainer for assistance dogs

I am a mother, dog owner, and a trained nursery nurse with training as an assistance dog trainer.

Dogs have been part of my life since childhood and are far more than just animals to me – they are cherished companions. Over the years, I've had the opportunity to train with a wide variety of dogs and get to know all sorts of personalities. These have included, among others, a Mărunișteș blend, a Flat-Coated Retriever, a Sheltie, an Appenzeller blend, a Kooikerhondje, and a Poodle.

I was active in rubble search with REDOG as an operational dog handler and training instructor with my Kooikerhondje «Darco».

As an educator, I helped develop the «Prevent a Bite» project, a programme for children aged 4 to 6. The aim is to teach important rules for interacting with dogs during visits to kindergartens and school classes. As a facilitator in kindergartens and school classes, and later as head of Prevent a Bite Bern (2013 to 2019), the respectful interaction between children and dogs was particularly important to me.

During my work at the kindergarten, I was accompanied by my poodle, «Percy.» His unobtrusive nature enriched the group's atmosphere and at times provided support to individual children.

The interaction between humans and animals fascinates me time and time again. As a trainer, it is my great concern to support human-dog teams individually, practically and sustainably – with the aim of making everyday life together as relaxed and harmonious as possible for both sides.

I'm looking forward to meeting you and your dog.