Good Apartment Dog?

[SnoWhite]

My fiance and I live in a 1200 Square foot apartment. We have a cat that is not quite a year old yet. We have been looking for a puppy for a while now. We want to add to our little "family". I have been reading up on what dogs make good apartment dogs. We figured we wanted a Pug since we both think they are adorable. Yesterday we went to look at a Pug and it just killed our allergies. We have been told now to look for dogs with longer hair. We went out last night and found the most adorable dog (Norwich Terrier, Shih Tzu mix) that we both fell in love with but he was $950 which we can't really afford right now. I was wondering if anyone here lives in an apartment and has a dog. If so what kind and can you give us any tips!

Thanks so much you guys!

Lisa

 

[Robinrs]

I had a dog in NY in an apartment for 14 years. We had the most PRECIOUS dachshund named Peppy.

 

[ohpoohmetoo]

I am in love with our three year old half Havanese/half Bichon Frise (Fancy Mutt) She is the best well behaved happy to be here dog I have ever had.

The Havanese is what I really wanted but could not afford a full bred one ($1,000 & Up) So I don't think it will work for you either (I understand budgets) but I had to throw a good word in for the Havanese.

I hope you find a dog you fall in love with as much as I love Daisy don't know what our family would do without her now.

Liz

 

[pokiemomo181]

We live in an apt. Our dog is a Min-pin. She weights about 9 pounds and is well suited to apt. living. They are so smart, and just love to be cuddled and loved on.Ours is marked like a dobe, with the black and tan colors. You can also get the all brown color. We paid about 200 for her, but they can run up to about 600, you have to shop around for a good price. We got ours from an individual not a professional breeder. Try to avoid pet shops as many get their dogs from puppy mills. You can get a lot of info on the breed from the internet. Hope this helps. They also call this breed miniature dobermans, but they are terriers.

Pokie

 

[Pooh67_68]

How about a peakapoo(sp?)

 

[perdidobay]

How about going to your local animal shelter and looking at what they have... there are lots of puppies this time of year that need a loving home like yours

 

[mickeysaver]

We faced a very similar situation a few years back. We had 2 adult cats and a roughly 9 month old kitten. My honey was dying to have a dog. We both have asthma and allergies. We ended up with Chihuahuas. You can train the yippieness out of them, it takes work, but it can be done. They are smart little dogs and housebreak easily if you do your part in the whole crate training process. We got Deuce from a lady that only had a couple of Chihuahuas that she breed. Deuce was 9 weeks old when we got him. We had him fully housebroken in just about 4 weeks.

We kept in in a baby's playpen. It sounds odd, but it worked perfectly. We made half of the playpen the opps potty area and the other half the blankets, food, water, chewies, and toy area. He was so stinkin tiny, it worked out great. We kept it by the bed, if he woke up in the middle of the night, we would take him outside for a quick potty and then we would come back up to go back to bed. I say we, but it was usually my honey. lol

Chihuahuas come either with long or short hair. So, you still could have one with the long hair. I never thought that I would want a Chihuahua. They are so tiny, a little funny looking, and have a bad rep for being yippie. But, Deuce and Beanie are such little darlings. I wouldn't trade either of them for the world.

If you do decided to get a Chihuahua, I strongly suggest that you get the book Chihuahuas for Dummies. We found it to be a wonderful resource. As with most breeds, Chihuahuas have some quirks. They are heat seekers, so expect to have them always near/on you. They attach themselves to only one or two people, so expect that it's going to take some time to socialize them with other humans and stranger's animals. They sometimes have blood sugar issues and need access to food all the time during their first year or so.

I hope this helps. Happy puppy hunting! Maggie

 

[ThreeCircles]

As weird as it sounds, Bulldogs are supposed to make excellent apartment dogs. They are a larger breed but they are exceptionally inactive. All they do is sleep like a cat and when they do go out they don't like to take long-distance walks or run and romp!

They are also very mild mannered and apparently get along well with kids and other animals.

They do get big though!

 

[Princess_Aurora]

If you are thinking about getting a bull dog, you better ask your apartment first. A frind of mine is getting a new apartment and I've been apartment hunting with him. When talking about pets, every single one of them said no bulldogs, dobermans (sp?), pit bulls...basically any dog that has a bad rep. I don't see how they can legally do this, and if my friend had actually had one of those dogs I would have suggested he see a lawyer. I mean, it's just like people discrimination. My sister has two dobermans and they are just the nicest dogs. They think they are still puppies and they will just give you all kinds of lovings So I don't think it's right to discriminate against a certain breed just because some of them have bad upbringings and turn out to be vicious. They aren't all like that.

Okay, that being said, I vote for Chiuahuahs too. I have one and he's such a loving little doggie...a little on the hyper side but he's still lovable. My friend has a long-haired one, and I think that breed must be a little more mellow because his dog is sooooo lazy she doesn't do anything but sit at your feet and look up at you with those cute little eyes until you decide to pick her up. Then she'll just stay in your lap forever until you have to put her down. Chis are very loyal dogs.

 

[arminnie]

Check out Pet Finders.

You can search for specific types of dogs by area. I got my cocker spaniel from a cocker rescue organization. He was a year old and has been a great dog.

It is much easier to train a dog that is a few months old than one that is only a few weeks old. If you are lucky you might find one that has been trained and is past the chewing stage.

There are a lot of dogs - even purebreds - that are available out there for the cost of the adoption fees. You do not need to spend hundreds of dollars to get a dog.

I've had my two cockers primarily in apartments that were the size of yours. Do you have a patio? I found it helped a lot to put a dog door in so they could go out on the patio if you can't get home in time to walk them.

 

[adamak]

My apartment is 1000 sq feet and my Shetland Sheepdog lives very well here. I have researched over and over, for amost 5 years before I decided on a Sheltie. They need medium level of activities, and they are not afraid of elevators (most small dogs do). They won't chase cars, and won't yap at other dogs on the street. I also want a dog which is a little indpendent, so less separation anxiety.

I got mine from a breed shelter, which is A LOT BETTER than buying one from pet store. First, you're giving him/her a 2nd chance. Second, it's much cheaper (my donation fee in less than $300). Third, the foster parents can match you with a dog as close to your requirement as you want, which is what they did for me. Not all Shelties are quiet, but mine is. And he must get along with our cats, which he did. And last reason is that you know the breed,, you don't get surprises.

I strongly suggest you to do research for each breed and find one that fits your lifestyle. Then look for a breed shelter in your area.

 

[MeanLaureen]

Hi Lisa!

Might as well throw my vote in here for a miniature Poodle.

Great for people with allergies, good apartment dogs and extremely intelligent. Definately not a prissy dog, like the reputation given to them, but rather a fun loving dog that is eager to please it's owner.

With a cat in the house I would advise against any terriers. I'm sure there are exceptions to the rule (and I'll hear about it..lol) but most terriers don't mix well with cats

 

[Serena]

I suggest you call your humane society. They will have recommendations for books for you to look at as well as their own knowledge. I know the one near me makes a huge effort to find homes that are a good fit for the dogs they see. But they are also a huge resource for information that many people don't use.

 

[olena]

List of breeds that generally do well with allergies.

Try looking here. Many of the dogs on the list are small. We're getting a Kerry Blue Terrier.

 

[ugadog99]

We have dachshunds and wouldn't think of having any other breed. They are wonderful, small, don't shed, and don't smell. Very low maintenance dogs.

 

[AnNaNiCoLe]

How about a Great Dane or a St. Bernard?

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Here is a link from the Purina website that helps you select the right breed for your environment:

http://sy.adiho.com/ASA/Controller?sysid=4&appid=9901


We used it and decided a Miniature Schnauzer was the breed for us and are now the proud owners of "Gretta".

 

[mcnuss]

I don't see how they can legally do this, and if my friend had actually had one of those dogs I would have suggested he see a lawyer.

I can't tell if you were joking here or not, but just in case, as the property owner, they can set any rule against any animal they please. It is not discrimination. Further, there are many insurance companies that will not cover any injury caused by dogs of certain aggressive breeds, including german shepherds, dobermans, pit bulls, etc... All perfectly legal.

 

[KristiKelly]

We have a GoldenDoodle (Golden Retriever X Standard Poodle), she sheds very little and have not effected our allergies, I'm allergic to cats. They are also breeding LabraDoodles. Golden & Labradoodles are being bred in Standard (50+ lbs) & minis ~ 35 lbs) of both, visit Goldendoodles.com click on "resources" and doodle discussion board, read all the fun posts and look @ pic's of happy dogs. Many people put down intentionally mixing breeds (don't flame me, I know there are lots of dogs needing homes out there), but in our case for shedding & allergies it was ideal. These dogs can be rather expensive, but if you do research you can find them for less.

 

[lrmillen]

Okay, I have to throw this one out there... Basset Hound.

I didn't take her when i moved out but she stays in the basement which isn't that large. She just moves form sofa to doggie bed to armchair and sleeps all day. So they would be fine in an apartment and they only need a little exercise. They shed moderately so I would try it out with your allergies.

But, regardless of what you do get I would rescue a dog from a breed shelter as someone else has suggested.