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Good Dog for Apartment Living

warwick.hoy

warwick.hoy

Aug 20, 2006
6,879
227
Spokane, WA.
Disclosures
Beta Tester: Source Audio.
#1
I want a dog. I don't want one of those little fashion accessory dogs,...I want a dog I can take hiking. My wife has wanted one for a while but I had been against it since we live in an apartment. A neighbor adopted a really mild mannered dog who is sweet and that has made me think twice about having a medium sized dog living with us. We already have a 3 cats as well as some pets that are in tanks and cages (frogs, herps and a hedgie). We like to think we take pretty good care of our animals. Our cats get regular vet visits and don't stink up the place. It's only a one bedroom apartment but there is quite a bit of space. We will probably lighten the load by re-homing some of our Leopard Geckos.

I think we are up to the task and any dog that we get would be obedience trained (as well as ourselves). Is training expensive? I'd like adopt/rescue if possible, how does that play into the training. There is usually someone home most the day and we could have someone drop by for us when we are not home. I go to work really early (3 or 4 am) and come home around 12,...my wife is at work from 9-5 which would leave about 3 hours that the dog would be alone. Is that too long for a dog to be left alone? I'm not to keen on crates/kennels. There is a park a block away and we would abide by the pooper scooper laws. It would be a good excuse to get outside.

So I'm sure if we were to rescue it would be a mixed breed but what are good dogs for these conditions. I don't want anything too high strung.
 
#5
I do shelter rescue; it's a great way to go. As a foster, my wife and I get to temperment test the animals for our agency before we place them.

3 hours is not too long to leave a dog alone. I would consider crate training, though- at least until the dog is fully trained and you trust him/her.

Go to adoptapet.com and punch in your area code. With most shelter/rescue orgs., you will be able to meet the animals in foster placement and ask lots of questions before you make a decision. But, as with anything else, there are reliable rescues, and shady ones. Trust your instincts.
 
#7
Whatever kind of dog you get, be sure to actively work on trust exercises. It's a hassle at first, but I can leave my dog at home for an indefinite period and he won't destroy anything or get into (much) trouble. Worst he's done was to completely unroll a full roll of toilet paper. :)

This sort of training is especially helpful with shelter dogs, who can sometimes have neuroses about abandonment (leave them at home and they freak out).
 
#8
I have no first-hand experience with this breed, but since my wife is on a similar quest as the OP I've heard this second-hand suggestion a number of times:

Get a "retired" greyhound.

A dog that raced professionally for the first couple years of its life & now doesn't is essentially a rescue dog...presuming you can rescue it from its original owner before they "retire" it permanently. But a lot of track dogs wind up in shelters or adoption agencies, and by all accounts they are so happy not to have to race anymore that they turn into big couch potatoes, content to lie around the house all day long and extremely grateful for any affection you can provide.
 
#9
I love both dogs and cats, had a dog growing up have a cat in my apartment now...

Anyway I dog sat for my own dog (that I grew up with) and kept him in my apartment for 2 weeks.

Granted he was a larger dog (shepard/lab) but he was older at this point, anyway having a dog in an apt is triple the work of having one in a house..In the house if the dog wanted to go out he walked to the back door and sat down and then someone let him out... In the apt he would have to go for a walk every time he wanted to use the bathroom, and learned quickly that he could use this method to go for a walk all over the neighborhood whenever he pleased.

It was a lot of work....Make sure you get a small one who can release some energy in the house and that you are willing to go for walks at all hours in the cold and the rain.
 
#10
Hoover said:
I have no first-hand experience with this breed, but since my wife is on a similar quest as the OP I've heard this second-hand suggestion a number of times:

Get a "retired" greyhound.

A dog that raced professionally for the first couple years of its life & now doesn't is essentially a rescue dog...presuming you can rescue it from its original owner before they "retire" it permanently. But a lot of track dogs wind up in shelters or adoption agencies, and by all accounts they are so happy not to have to race anymore that they turn into big couch potatoes, content to lie around the house all day long and extremely grateful for any affection you can provide.
Click to expand...

I dog sat a greyhound for a week once...They are Egyptian in origin so like Cheetahs or house cats they have these incredible bursts of energy 2 or 3 times a day where they can run really fast and go crazy and the rest of the day is spent in a cat like state of lying around trying to keep cool. So in terms of a bigger dogs Greyhounds are one of the best for tight quarters as long as you take them out and let them run 2 or 3 times a day.
 
#11
Hoover said:
I have no first-hand experience with this breed, but since my wife is on a similar quest as the OP I've heard this second-hand suggestion a number of times:

Get a "retired" greyhound.

A dog that raced professionally for the first couple years of its life & now doesn't is essentially a rescue dog...presuming you can rescue it from its original owner before they "retire" it permanently. But a lot of track dogs wind up in shelters or adoption agencies, and by all accounts they are so happy not to have to race anymore that they turn into big couch potatoes, content to lie around the house all day long and extremely grateful for any affection you can provide.
Click to expand...

I actually have experience with a retired greyhound. When I was 15, I worked briefly as a kennel cleaner/dog walker for a vet and they had a resident blood donor that was a retired greyhound. She was an extremely well tempered dog and really good around other dogs. I've also heard that they can be couch potatoes (I would be too after all that running) but lying around all day (which you didn't imply) doesn't seem like the best retirement for a dog like that. I've heard that potential rescuers need to have a large back yard for the dog to exercise in.

That and my wife is anti greyhound,...I don't know,...too pointy I guess. That's about the size I want.
 
#12
Hope you find a great rescue dog. We have 3 dogs currently and some cats as well. We have always gone with rescued mixed breeds of varying sizes.

Since you already have cats, but not a dog yet, then I have to warn you.... Dogs think litter boxes are snack trays. :hmm::D Don't mean to gross anyone out, but dogs will be dogs.!

Best of luck to you in your search.

Dogs rule.
 
#13
WorkinOnIt said:
Since you already have cats, but not a dog yet, then I have to warn you.... Dogs think litter boxes are snack trays. :hmm::D Don't mean to gross anyone out, but dogs will be dogs.!
Click to expand...

Well if that means I don't have to scoop the litter box anymore hehe,...we have one litter box in a closet with the door slightly cracked and another one with a lid on it like that would stop the dog.
 
#14
Don't get a Jack Russell or for that matter any farm bred dog. They need lots of roaming space. A "bag-type" dog is probably best:

dog-carrier-2.jpg
 
#18
I have owned many dogs over time. Mostly labs and lab mix. I still have a 95 pound Chocolate lab and never thought I would like a little dog, unmanly etc. However, about 3 years ago my daughter talked me into a Bichon Frise. Mine is a 19 pound male. A little larger than the average and the coolest dog I have ever owned. They are great around the house and fun, playful, quite and always ready to go outdoors and do what ever you want. Mine is great with strangers and kids. Not yappy like other small dogs. Can't recommend them more. The only drawback I can think of is they are not the best in the snow due to their hair. They also do not shed, a real plus if you have ever had a lab. :D
 
#19
Great Dane should do it. Mine are average sized at over 6' tall on hind legs, 160 pound range, active and energetic, one of the most faithful breeds on the planet. See that couch? They love it. Just be sure to kennel the puppies when left alone. They don't chew the corner of the furniture, they obliterate the furniture.

(click to enlarge)
 

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