 He taught classes at the "Tierärtzliche Hochschule" in Zürich, and in 1874 became an associate professor at the "Tierarzneischule" in Munich.In 1880 he succeeded Ludwig von Buhl (1816-1880) as professor of general pathology and pathological anatomy at the University of Munich.Bollinger had an extensive background in veterinary medicine, and was known for his studies of rabies in the days before the discovery of an anti-rabies vaccine.