Anyone living in a flat with no garden and has a dog? Routine question....Hmmmm

gettingready

I know most people with dogs live in houses and dogs have access to garden for a quick wee/run around etc but I am very much interested in what kind of routine with their dogs do people living in flats with no access to a private garden have?

I live in a flat and some people tell me I take Zara out too much (erm????) and that they do not take their dogs out as often/for so long so interested in opinions here.

I take Zara out first thing in the morning around 6 or 7 am for an hour. When it is not dark - she is off lead, when dark on a lead.

Then around midday for another 1 - 2 hours, that is normally off lead, with a ball, often meeting some other dog ates of hers....

Then around 6pm for about half an hour.

Last walk is a quick toilet trip for about 15 min at around 10pm.

The rest of the time, my dog is permanently attached to a sette/armchair/my or her bed snoring away with cats running around her.

How often for how long and how many times per day do you take your dog out if you live in a flat?

Thanks

Mupette

If you and Zara are happy with this arrangement, who cares what others think.

I used to live in a flat with no private garden and pup didn't go out as much as you are taking your pup out. He is a JRT X

gettingready

Thanks - Zara is not a pup, she is almost 4.5 years old now....Big girl

But I really want to knopw what other people who live in flats do....

Hope some will pop in here

nikki702

I live in a flat with no garden and I have a springer spaniel Ollie.. he is 2 years old.

He goes to the park 2-3 times a day for 45 mins- 1 hour each visit

we have a grassed area downstairs which I take him to whenever he wants to go wee he lets me know if he needs to go toilet

He is a happy dog

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Used to live in a flat with a Staff Cross. He had one 10 min outside visit at 6 when the OH got up, as we lived a road away from some woods.

Then an 8.15 walk to the school, which sometimes turned into a wander up the shops until 10 or a walk back through the woods until about 9.30.

He'd then snore for the majority of the afternoon until the 3 o'clock school run, back through the woods by 4 and then a proper run, play, walk, frisbee-flinging session, etc when the OH got back at about 7 until 8.

One 10 minute last thing trip at about 11 and then bed.


As I had the kids and couldn't walk too fast, he was usually plodding along on the lead (but I would occasionally let him off on the way back from school, as he knew it was breakfast time, so was less likely to go AWOL), but got his mad dashing around with the OH in the evening.

Weekends, he would normally get a trip out somewhere special (seaside, proper rural areas to learn about sheep and horses) which involved a good 3 hours of entertainment.


He was an incredibly happy dog.

If Zara is that lovely GSD in your avatar, I would think that she is perfectly happy with the arrangements as they are - which is the important thing. She's a working breed, so would expect to be occupied for long periods.

I see nothing wrong with what you are doing.

ali-t

I used to live in a flat and got my staff pup when I lived in a 3rd floor flat. It wasn't easy or convenient but she was extremely well socialised as every toilet break was a walk. 4-5 times a day and also with the dog walker. They weren't all long walks but she was out in the street meeting other dogs and people constantly.

In comparison with this my rott boy has only known a house with a garden and all toilet training was done in the garden (it took months before he would poo in the wide wide world) and there are lot more convenience trips to the garden. The dogs now get 2 walks a day and unlimited access to the garden. They are as likely to get put in the car and taken to the park or beach as to go on a trek round the streets.

on reflection perhaps I should go back to the flat model of training/walking/socialisation. The two dogs are very different breeds and personalities so I can't compare like with like but my staff is definitely more outgoing and sociable than my rott, although I think this is more to do with breed traits.

elsien

When I first got mutt she was not house trained and I was living in a flat with no access to a garden. To start with we went out every hour starting at 6am through to 11 pm. Then as she got better trained the gaps between got longer (thank god, the 6am starts were killing me.)
Now we are in a house with a garden but mutt is so used to doing her business elsewhere that she won't do anything in the garden and I still take her out for walks. She's knocking on a bit now (13), so the walks aren't as long as they used to be. 10-15 minutes in the morning before work, mum calls in and takes her out for 5 minutes at lunchtime, she gets her long walk of the day 4pm ish - anything from 20 minutes to an hour depending on how energetic we're both feeling, then a last walk round the block at 10pm ish.
Although I now have a garden, it's not dog proof and mutt doesn't get to go into it (after biting her way through to say hello to next door in 5 seconds flat it's now out of bounds) so exercise wise we may as well be in a flat, as without the walks she wouldn't get out at all.

When she was younger if she didn't get her couple of hours exercise a day she was a nightmare - bouncing off the walls. So other than your longer walk in the morning ( I need my beauty sleep and am full of admiration for you being out for so long at that time) you're probably doing what mutt was at the same age.
Basically it's whatever suits you and your dog, and how much of a couch potato it is.

gettingready

Thanks for all the posts, very much appreciated.

Zara seems happy enough and if anythign I was worried that she is not out enough so for people to tell me I take her out too much was a bit of a surprise.

They said their dogs go out twice per day - morning and evening. I thought that is cruel to limit dog's toilet outings (if not anything else) to just twice per day...

She plonks herself on one sofa or another (sometimes even on her own bed..LOL) in between the going out and snores happily with the cats on top of/around her...

gettingready

Here she is, relaxing after a walk with one of the kitties, Fiona this time....



After a good run in the snow with a ball...





even there she wanted a break ...LOL

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

I WANT THEM BOTH!!!!!!!!

She looks in perfect health - I'd stick to what you're doing, as she is beautiful.

gettingready

Just those 2?

What about the other 3 furies I have..... LOL

Theo whole lot....