A four-year-old boy has received serious head injuries following an attack by a Rottweiler dog in the northern Swiss city of Schaffhausen.

The boy was taken to hospital after the attack but is not said to be in a life-threatening condition. The one-year-old dog is in police custody.

The incident happened on Sunday as a father and his three children, aged four, ten and 19, were having a barbecue in a field.

A 55-year-old woman was playing nearby with the dog, which was not on a lead. When it ran towards the family, the ten-year-old took fright and began to scream.

Schaffhausen cantonal police said the dog then attacked the youngest of the children. The 19-year-old tried to intervene but also received injuries.

An inquiry has been opened to determine the precise circumstances of the accident. The dog was put to sleep on Wednesday.

Under a new dog law in Schaffhausen four breeds need a special permit. A police spokesman said Rottweilers were not on the list. All dog owners in the canton are obliged to take a course in looking after their pets.

Various cantons stepped up their legislation on dangerous dogs after three pitbulls killed a six-year-old child in canton Zurich in 2005. The Swiss parliament has been debating a federal law on the issue.

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