Are you licenced to dog?

Dog-owners in Vienna, Austria, are being encouraged to take a "driving licence" for their pets.

A two-hour two-part exam will testhow tolerant owners are of other animals and whether they understand the finer points of dog-ownership.

Owners take a 150-question, multiple-choice test on topics such as why a dog wags its tail, what it means when it yawns, and whether it is a good idea to take it shopping.

In the practical part of the exam, owners are put through their paces, having to prove they can put on a muzzle, pick up droppings and take the dog on the underground system.

The licence, a "hundeführerschein" was introduced by Vienna's environmental councillor, Ulli Sima.

She said: "We are trying to improve the way in which dogs function in the capital as well as testing their and their owners' social skills. In so doing we're satisfying the safety needs of the population."

The focus, she said, was on "social tolerance rather than pure obedience".

Those happy owners who pass their "licence" - or Hundefuehrerschein - will be exempt from the annual dog tax of about 43 euro and will receive a few goodies for their pets, from vouchers for a new leash to bags for their pet's droppings.

The initiative was triggered by a survey of 500 Viennese residents in September 2004 in which a surprising 85 percent backed the idea of instituting a "driving licence for dogs".

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