Adopting a dog, living in an apartment

Captain Flaps

Hi all,

My missus has been at me to get a dog for almost the entire time we've been living together (almost 5 years) and I've always held off as I didn't think our last apartment was the most suitable place for a dog - it was very small and not much in the immediate area in terms of nice spots to walk etc.

We've recently moved. We're still in an apartment but it's now a large duplex, easily the size of a small 2 bed home. The main living space is upstairs but we'd be getting a baby gate to avoid falls down the stairs, and the dog would most likely be sleeping in the bedroom downstairs with us. We're on the 4th floor but our complex has quite a lot of green space and a large park close by, and we're about 5 mins drive from Pheonix park also. The complex is dog friendly and many other residents have them. We're likely to be here until we have enough to get our own place, which will be a house with a garden and all the rest.

We both work full time, but our shifts are spread out so there would only be about 4 hours of the day that the dog wouldn't have one of us home. We do go on the odd holiday/to festivals but we have relatives with dogs who would be happy to babysit.

We also currently have a fish tank and some gerbils, all off the ground in glass tanks, so we're used to managing feeding schedules and not leaving anything unattended for to long.

I guess what I'm asking is, given that I know there are past and present volunteers for various dublin-based rescues, is there anything of the above that would stand out as a flag for you? Is there anything I should be ready to answer that I might not have thought of?

Knine

One of my very active terrier breed puppies went to a very similar home except the guy is retired. It has worked out very well. The dog is very happy. He does walk him miles though. So it can be done.

One issue would be to be very careful of open windows in case the dog falls out. The gerbils would be an issue as many dogs would try to kill them & the breed I have would the tank would not protect them so you would have to be mindful of that. It would rule terriers out unless the gerbils are old & you can have them in a differebt room. Even off the ground would not be enough. The fish should be fine.

aonb

A dog who is loved and well taken care of wont care if its living in a tiny house or appartment! As long as you are happy to bring your dog outside several times/day to toilet.... assuming you have checked that your landlord allows dogs??! This is one of the most common reasons for dogs being surrendered to shelters - their leases dont allow pets :mad: Given that you dont have a garden, and will have to bring the dog in a car quite a bit, you might consider smaller breeds. Given that the dog will be alone for approx 4 hours/day, you might consider rescuing an adult dog, rather than getting a puppy.

(my elderly terrier was FIXATED by my sisters fish tank, when we visited - he would sit staring, crying for the entire visit - he used to try to jump up on the tank :eek: we had to 'hide' the tank with a towel when he visited!)

husq

My advice would be to get a terrier cross, something like a bison frieze,****z zu, the reason I recommend a cross is pure breeds tend to bark a lot. Best of luck

Dtp1979

Greyhound or lurcher dogs are meant to be excellent dogs for apartments.

husq

Bit big though, Iv got a lurcher and they are really calm, and love a lot of exercise

muddypaws

husq wrote: »

My advice would be to get a terrier cross, something like a bison frieze,****z zu, the reason I recommend a cross is pure breeds tend to bark a lot. Best of luck

I would love to see the research this comes from.

Actually, as most cross breeds would be from accidental litters, or puppy farmers, they probably haven't put the work into socialising the puppies that a reputable breeder of pure breeds would have done, which can help to minimise these kinds of issues. Not all breeders of pure breeds are reputable either, but you can find some with research, and these people will have socialised the litter.

VonVix

Captain Flaps (lol love the name) I would suggest to you to foster with a view to adopt. It would allow you to bring a dog into your home and see how the dynamic changes, without making a full commitment if it doesn't seem to be working out.

Lurchers are a great shout as a dog in a smallish home, they are incredibly affectionate and lazy dogs, most of them do not demand a huge amount of exercise, the only thing is you do have small furries in your home which many sighthounds and their crosses get highly excited by, terriers too. So unless your home is set up such a way that your dog won't be anywhere near your other animals, do tread with caution if you end up considering a lurcher.

VincePP

husq wrote: »

My advice would be to get a terrier cross, something like a bison frieze,****z zu, the reason I recommend a cross is pure breeds tend to bark a lot. Best of luck

Avoid sh1t zhu or bichon or maltese or similar as they tend to suffer from separation anxiety and can only be left alone for a short while.

Allowing the dog sleep with you (can be wonderful) also creates a very strong bond and cam cause anxiety if left alone all day.

Check to see what breed / cross breed will suit your circumstances.

One final thing - she may think its her dog, but it will very quickly become daddy's girl / boy.

Pat Mustard

Whether you rent or own, OP, most apartment leases do not allow animals. That's something to check before you buy a pet.

EDIT: I see that you are in an animal friendly apartment block. That's unusual. I'd check that if I were you.

Knine

husq wrote: »

My advice would be to get a terrier cross, something like a bison frieze,****z zu, the reason I recommend a cross is pure breeds tend to bark a lot. Best of luck

Neither of them are terriers. Pure Breeds don't bark any more then cross breeds lol

Dandelion6

My apartment block allows pets as long as they don't create a nuisance. There are dogs in the apartments on either side of me and they seem to get on fine.

Pugs are said to be good dogs for people in smallish spaces who aren't around all day.

Captain Flaps

Thanks for all the replies, rather than addressing individual posts I'll just respond to the questions/suggestions raised generally!

We would be looking for a smallish dog, a greyhound or lurcher would be bigger than we'd be happy with I'd expect. Walks are no problem as there'd be opportunity for decent walks each morning and evening as determined by the energy of the dog! We'd also absolutely be rescuing something a couple of years old, hence my requests about dublin rescues and homechecks.

Regarding the complex itself, our lease specifies that permission must be sought from our landlord which obviously we'll be doing but it's not prohibited outright. There are 3 other apartments on my floor with dogs and the square has signs reminding people to pick up after their dogs, again aimed at the residents as it's not a through-way for others. I mentioned Pheonix park as I enjoy running there but we have a large park roughly 100m from the front door of our building which is where most of the walking will take place. Our place is also at the end of a row and the way it's laid out means the main living space and master bedroom don't border other apartments so even if there was the occasional bark I wouldn't be anticipating any complaints.

Cherry Blossom

Mod:

Hi Captain Flaps,

Just to make you aware that discussion of named rescues is not permitted as per the forum charter. You can however have a discussion about home checks, policies etc in General as long as no specific organisation is named.

Captain Flaps

Wasn't aware, thank you.

kylith

The most important thing is to think about what you want from the dog. How much exercise are you wiling to do, how much hair/grooming are you willing to put up with? You will find a dog at any size to suit what you're looking for.

There's no point getting a shih tzu if you want to go for massive hikes, or a Husky if you only want a stroll around the block.

I've a real soft spot for terriers though; tiny package and will take as much exercise as you can throw at them, but are strong-willed and bolshy.

Vel

Captain Flaps wrote: »

Thanks for all the replies, rather than addressing individual posts I'll just respond to the questions/suggestions raised generally!

We would be looking for a smallish dog, a greyhound or lurcher would be bigger than we'd be happy with I'd expect.

I've had lurchers and greyhounds for years now and the many of mine have been or are smaller than any lab. You'd barely know they were in the home and curl up really small. Much less 'imposing' than any lab if you ask me!

FrostyJack

I live in an apartment with a medium size high energy dog and large medium energy dog. People think we have a screw loose. The two big factors living in an apartment is toilet training and exercise. Unless you live on ground floor you will have to traipse up and down the stairs every 3 or 4 hours to let them out and if you get a pup double that. I highly recommend crate training as it makes this a million times easier. With a house you can let them run around the back and do their business. We have a set routine and it works fine. All of the hardship goes on me not the dogs. Though saying all that they are great and happy how things are. Just make sure you are willing to make the commitment. As someone said above look to foster first with the option to adopt.

SusieBlue

I wouldn't rule out a Maltese. I have one and he's the most affectionate little guy, and very clever. He's left alone for about 5/6 hours per day total and he's fine with it, though I will say that when we're around, he can be clingy and is never happier than when snoozing on our laps or lying next to our feet on the floor.
They also don't require much exercise, he'll take as many walks as we give him but he's also a lazy sod and will often hide under the table as soon as the leash comes out! He goes for a 30minute walk (max) each day and is absolutely pooped for the rest of the night after it, so they're a low energy breed.
He's very placid and very gentle and patient around children.
He also doesn't need much space to play. Bonus points for being small and non shedding, and their coat is hypoallergenic. They also don't bark much, much less so than a Bichon Frise or a JRT in my own experience. The only downside is that they require regular grooming, we get our guy done once a month.
I'd highly rate them, they've been my favourite breed of dog to own to date, very low maintenance pets. Best of luck!