dog for apartment?

[ice cold]

It will still be at least another year until I can get a dog, since I'll be living in dorms this year. However, when I get an apartment I'd really like to have a dog. My current dog can't come with me because she needs a really large yard (very active and aggressive), so unfortunately she'll be living with my dad. After having such an aggressive dog I want one with no tendencytowards aggression whatsoever. It needs to be great with kids, since I hopefully will be having kids sometime in the next few years. It needs get get along very well with other dogs, as I want to frequently visit the dog park. I don't care much for grooming, and don't want a major shedder, but I can deal with it. This dog really needs to be small and mellow enough to live in an apartment, yet large/strong and active enough to play with big dogs ad be able to handle kids. I would prefer it to have some sort of retrieving instinct, or at least have it be trainable enough/willing to teach it fetch and have it learn quickly. The fur has to be easy to dry off relitively quickly since it will be playing in water and such and I don't want to spend an hour getting the water out a the dog park.

My first thoughts were a beagle or a corgi. Obviously, they both have their problems (corgis dont appear to be as sociable as I'd like and beagles are a little loud). My favorite breeds are german shepherds, pit bulls, dogo argentinos, mastiffs, pomeranians, Shiba Inus, and pugs. I don't really like frilly dogs (a miniture poodle would probably be my best bet, but I'm just not sure I like their looks). I like rugged dogs. I like spaniels a lot, I'm just worried about the coat upkeep and space requirements.

Mind you they'd get probably about an hour of dog park a day, and maybe 15-30 minutes of walk daily. I would REALLY like to keep them offleash.

Thank you very much!

 

[poeluvr]

what about a miniature snauzer, they are cute and pretty flexible, with the right training though

 

[Fran27]

You can try this link

http://www.k9country.com/perl/dogBreed.pl

It's a form that asks you tons of questions then selects the breeds that fit the best to your situation. I liked it.

 

[poeluvr]

aah you beat me to finding one fran.

 

[BigDog2191]

Golden Retreiver, Boxer, Lab, American Staffordshire Terrier, Dachshund, those were ones that I thought of for you.

 

[bubbatd]

If you go rescue you see what you get. .... even test them with children . Don't put down a larger breed because of the apt. There are a lot of large breeds that would be happy with you in a 1 room apt.

 

[poeluvr]

really there are?

 

[Ash47]

I suggest a Chihuahua. There are lots of the babies in rescue. They are great little dogs. But I am bias. Anyway, if at all possible, get a younger one. They will likely be more readily acceptable of a new owner. As Chis get older, they get more attached to their owners or their surroundings, therefore, a change in any of this could trigger an aggressive snap. That is the only setback to the Chi though. There is a small chance that it may snap on future children if you don't SOCIALIZE it with children when you get it. Socialization is a broad topic and is best done when the pup is young. But, with lots of hard work, it can be achieved at an older age.
Schnauzers are a good choice. But if you do choose this breed, choose the Mini. They seem to have better temperaments and are not as protective of their people as the Standard. The Giants and gorgeous and wonderful, but shouldn't be locked up in an apt.
I have also known lots of Poms to walk just fine off-leash. But other than that, I don't know too much about them. Ask me what you want about Chis though, I will be happy to help.

 

[bridey_01]

Apartments, I wouldnt recommend a Golden or a Lab. For a mellow dog that's good with kids and minimal on grooming, I wouldnt pick any of the herding breeds (maybe a collie but they're pretty heavy on the grooming). My advice would be to find a good mix from a shelter.

 

[ice cold]

I've had too many problems with shelter dogs..that being 2. I bought a puppy at about 12 weeks old and she ended up being extremely fear aggressive and now lives at an aggressive dog rescue (but they liked her so much that she lives in the house), and the dog I have curently was GREAT at the shelter, she was very friendly ad good with everything (paid no attention to toys, still doesnt), but the moment we took her home, she started attacking people and other dogs. It's been a very hard road with her. After 7 years of her, we have gotten her to only snap lightly and get used to new people within about 15 people, whereas before we had to have her outside the entire time company was over. I just can't risk getting another aggressive dog. Of course, I've had good shelter experiances too, one was a purebred german shepherd and the other was a purebred lab. I would kill to have a lab again, lol, but there's no way I'm keeping one in an apartment. I don't want anythign quite as small as a chi, I can't imagine those would do well in the dog park. I love dachsunds but them+aparetment stairs is a bad idea, IMO. I'm also worried about larger dogs hips with that sort of thing. But do you really think a german shepherd would be fine in an apartment? We only had a GS for a few days, but she was the sweetest dog I'd ever met and I've heard GREAT stories about GSs with kids. What other large dogs would be good?

 

[ice cold]

that test toldme shiloh sheperds, cocker spaniels, or border terriers. I thought about the border terriers, I love their coats and size, but I thought they weren't great socially or something? And I thought of cockers but that coat seems like it's be a bit of a hassle. But around that size is great.
I met a bichon-yorkie the other day and thought he was fantastic. Does anyone know if they're good dogs? The don't quite fit my normal "looks" specifications, lol.
So you think beagles would be a bad choice?
Oh, and I could end up with a pomeranian <i>as well</i> as this dog, if I'm still with my current boyfriend. He has a thing for pomeranians and I told him he could have one if we lived together, lol. We'll see. So the dog has to be good with small dogs AND large dogs.

 

[Renee750il]

First, everyone KNOWS how much I love German Shepherds . . . but . . . they need more activity than that when they are young. After they're three or four years old, they make admirable apartment dogs, provided you do take them out and walk them regularly and they get a chance to go do some running at least four or five days a week. A bored German Shepherd can totally wreck your chances of ever seeing a damage deposit again! Not to mention if you're working and there's no one else home an entire workday alone just isn't good for a GSD. Another dog, or even a cat is good company for one though. I'd really suggest you wait on a German Shepherd for awhile, unless you were to find a quiet, stable adult dog at a breed rescue. Breed rescues tend to do a good job of screening, and their dogs are usually in foster homes, not penned in kennel runs, which gives you a much more accurate assessment of the dog's real temperament.

Now, you might want to consider a retired racing Greyhound, Whippet or Italian Greyhound. They make wonderful apartment dogs. They're quiet and are thrilled to be able to laze about on the sofa during the day. A good brisk walk and a few trips to the park a week will suit one of these dogs perfectly.

Another large dog that can be a good choice for an apartment is a Great Dane, or even an English Mastiff.

BUT . . . real world circumstances . . . unless you're lucky enough to be independently wealthy you're going to be working at least eight hours a day to support an apartment. There's no way you'll have time to train and work with a puppy under those circumstances, especially a large pup. Under those circumstances, you're really better off checking into a breed rescue that fosters and finding a calm, quiet young adult dog, or going with a small breed, like a Chihuahua, that can be taught to use a pad or litter box and can be contained in one puppy-proofed room while you're gone. Even then, a companion, like another small dog or a cat, will make a world of difference in your dog's - and your - mental health.

 

[EliNHunter]

Apartments, I wouldnt recommend a Golden or a Lab. For a mellow dog that's good with kids and minimal on grooming, I wouldnt pick any of the herding breeds (maybe a collie but they're pretty heavy on the grooming). My advice would be to find a good mix from a shelter.

Omigod! I haven't read further in this thread to see if anyone else chimed in, but ANY kind of working dog -- herding, hunting, or otherwise is a giant NOOO!!!! Not in an apartment!!!! Those dogs need room and need to work. PLEASE don't go there. I would suggest a toy poodle or a mini dachsund...

 

[sparks19]

We have a lab/coonhound mix in our two bedroom apartment. He is a perfect apartment dog. he almost NEVER barks. even when someone comes to the door. the river is not far away so its easy to take him swimming on a regular basis. There are lots of other dogs very close by that he knows and enjoys playing with. He gets lots of exercise. However I am also home all day everyday with him so he is almost always entertained. If you don't have that kind of time then definately not the kind of dog you would want in an apartment. I just lucked out with my boy.

 

[ice cold]

Okay, need to make this clear. I do not want a toy dog. They're cute, but I would really rather get something that could survive in a dog park, lol. As I said, cocker/beagle/border terrier/corgi size.
Oh, I'd also like to do flyball...but I suppose that really doesn't matter horribly, lol.
Ohoh, I forgot. I have a cat. She ignores dogs generally (my aggressive dog is scared to death of cats, so she's left well alone). The dog needs to be fine with cats. I suppose that could rule out terriers? I don't really know whats good with cats, lol. Course, terriers could be too active for the apartment anyways...but I really love the way a lot of them look and their big-dog personalities.
Another thought...mini bull terrier? I love those...

 

[Renee750il]

I'd stay away from the mini Bulls . . . you start getting into all sorts of weirdness when you find dogs like that being bred down for size. Now, a little French Bulldog could be a good choice.

Really, a retired Greyhound seems to fit your needs better than most of the larger alternatives . . .

You've got lots of time to do more research though.

 

[ice cold]

I have wanted to adopt a retires racing greyhound for a very long time, however...cat. I mean, chasing things that look like cats is what greyhounds do for a living, what they're bred for. And with a pomeranian possibly as well?

I'm supposing a standard bull is just to big and active for an apartment?

 

[Renee750il]

If you're talking about a Bull Terrier, it IS a Terrier, lol! I've had Terriers around cats and they were fine, but they were the smaller Terriers, Ratties and Jacks. Not sure if I'd trust a Bull Terrier to be able to resist, as their prey drive tends to larger animals than rats, squirrels and moles.

Retired racers usually, as people who have them have told me, are quick to pick up that you don't chase family, lol! They really are couch potatoes in the house.

 

[ice cold]

I'm horrible at this...lol...but I'm not sure I'd like a couch potato. Like one of my ex boyfriends had a cocker, a pug, and a standard (yet abnormally large) poodle. The poodle wouldn't even get up to see who was at the door, the cocker would pee if someone so much as looked at her, and the pug was the sweetest dog ever. But the more I played with these 3 over time, the closer I got to the cocker. She was an american (I prefer english), and was pitch black. I loved that dog. I don't even mind english cockers' hair, I guess. Not nearly as fussy as the american. And they'd retrieve and I'm guessing I could have them off leash...spaniels like that really appeal to me because I loved my lab so much, and frankly they remind me of labs in their own little way.
I'm still a little worried about prey drives...my cat doesn't like dogs as is, lol. She'll rub against my dog once in a while but I swear my dog almost has a heart attack when she does, lol, so Im sure it's just to torture my poor dog.
I know this probably shouldn't affect mydog-adopting TOO much, but I will be living on a budget. If I get something like a cocker, or basically any other dog, it will be from a breeder (well, that excludes the pom, I would like to get that from a puppy mill rescue). The greyhound would be a retired racer. Which dog will cost more in the long run? I think I'd be more worried about the health of the cockers, consdiering all the dumb breeders out here. But would getting an english help?

Oh god look at me...here I am asking questions ignoring answers and deciding "hey, an english cocker sounds fantastic" even though no one has said anything about them. So sorry I have such bad forum manners. :-/

 

[stirder]

honestly, of all the dogs listed I can vouche that all except with dogo (dont know much about them) can adapt to apartment life as long as they get a lot of walking and playing. I dont really recommend the breeds such as the gsd or dobie for apartment life but it has and can be done. mastiff and great dane are good apartment dogs with walks. beagle might not be best only because of barking. corgi, pug, pom. they are good apartment dogs. corgi is no less sociable than a gsd, and more sociable than a dogo.