Dogs in flats

Person_one

So this is hypothetical at the moment, but in your opinion or experience which dogs adapt best and do well living in flats?

(Assuming sufficient exercise outside the flat of course!)

Thanks!

elsien

I think it really depends on the individual dog and size of the flat rather than the breed. When I went looking for mutt I was living in a large flat with no garden. I specifically wanted an English bull terrier so I traipsed off to the dogs trust where there were 2 to look at. They wouldn't consider me for one because he was just too big and bouncy but said they thought the other would manage fine as long I was happy to put the walks in.
Now I've moved to a house with garden, mutt likes to go outside and sunbathe, but she was ok in the flat - there was always a patch of sun somewhere she could park herself in.

rising_from_the_ashes

Couple of comments from me....
Are you going to be in with the dog all day and able to take it out regularly?
If you're not going to be in during the day, you'd need to make sure the dog wouldn't get stressed with people walking up/down stairs past your door etc - my dog is fine in the house but he hates people going past the front door so wouldn't cope in a flat with people walking past all the time at all.
Are there places to walk the dog easily near you? It will take a lot more dedication to take the dog out last thing at night/just before work/during the day - after you've already walked them - and not be able to rely on a quick "pee" in the garden.
Again, the size of the dog would also need to be appropriate - my first flat looked tiny with just the cat but my 2nd flat was huge and would probably have been OK for a dog.
Good luck

Person_one

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Couple of comments from me....
Are you going to be in with the dog all day and able to take it out regularly?
If you're not going to be in during the day, you'd need to make sure the dog wouldn't get stressed with people walking up/down stairs past your door etc - my dog is fine in the house but he hates people going past the front door so wouldn't cope in a flat with people walking past all the time at all.
Are there places to walk the dog easily near you? It will take a lot more dedication to take the dog out last thing at night/just before work/during the day - after you've already walked them - and not be able to rely on a quick "pee" in the garden.
Again, the size of the dog would also need to be appropriate - my first flat looked tiny with just the cat but my 2nd flat was huge and would probably have been OK for a dog.
Good luck

I work full time but would pay a dog walker to come as frequently as possible.

It would be possible to keep the dog(s) in the main living area away from the door so they wouldn't be bothered by people going past.

There are decent on lead walks around the area but a good off lead run would require a car trip.

Thanks for any opinions!

Person_one

elsien wrote: »

I think it really depends on the individual dog and size of the flat rather than the breed. When I went looking for mutt I was living in a large flat with no garden. I specifically wanted an English bull terrier so I traipsed off to the dogs trust where there were 2 to look at. They wouldn't consider me for one because he was just too big and bouncy but said they thought the other would manage fine as long I was happy to put the walks in.
Now I've moved to a house with garden, mutt likes to go outside and sunbathe, but she was ok in the flat - there was always a patch of sun somewhere she could park herself in.

How did you manage the initial house training with no garden? This is the bit I think would be the hardest, you can't just put them out you have to take them downstairs and to a suitable point and hope they don't have an accident on the way!

kazschow

I live in a large tenement flat, and have 2 big adult chows with me. I work from home, so can take them out as and when, they are very happy living where and how they do

Person_one

kazschow wrote: »

I live in a large tenement flat, and have 2 big adult chows with me. I work from home, so can take them out as and when, they are very happy living where and how they do

Ah, interesting! Chow chows were one of the breeds I was looking into, are they as lazy as the internet would have me believe?

harmony802005

Person_one wrote: »

How did you manage the initial house training with no garden? This is the bit I think would be the hardest, you can't just put them out you have to take them downstairs and to a suitable point and hope they don't have an accident on the way!

Hi there
Just wanted to say you can train a dog to go to the toilet even in a flat,i manage to train my spanial,it was hard at first but u just have to keep with it,i got training pads for him and a training spray that u spray on the mat, what u do overtime is you take the matt outside and thay then learn to pee outside, Sam lets me know when he wants to go out by waggling his tail and then showing u his back,he has his funny ways bless him but he is so good and i would also say make sure there are alot of walks to,but no matter where u live you can always train a puppy to go to the loo,hope this help abit and good luck x

rising_from_the_ashes

Person_one wrote: »

How did you manage the initial house training with no garden? This is the bit I think would be the hardest, you can't just put them out you have to take them downstairs and to a suitable point and hope they don't have an accident on the way!

Difficult one!

How many floors do you need to run down?

It would be easier with an adult dog as they do have more control but I'd say training a puppy would be difficult and take a lot longer - as you say picking them up, running and literally bunging them out the door into the garden is easy!

Re dog walkers - this can be very expensive so you'd need to factor this cost in.

Also, ask for recommendations from friends/pet owners in your area. There are several around here and you meet them at the beach with huge packs of dogs which they let run round and have no control over/cause chaos - all dogs get the same walk whether 3 months, 3 years or 13 years and this "one fits all" isn't suitable. (I met a guy the other day whose dog doesn't like other dogs, he had it on a lead but a pack of around 8 dogs from the walkers surrounded it and it caused huge problems - I felt really sorry for him as he'd been responsible by keeping his dog on a lead etc and his dog ended up really stressed).

Person_one

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Difficult one!

How many floors do you need to run down?

It would be easier with an adult dog as they do have more control but I'd say training a puppy would be difficult and take a lot longer - as you say picking them up, running and literally bunging them out the door into the garden is easy!

Re dog walkers - this can be very expensive so you'd need to factor this cost in.

Also, ask for recommendations from friends/pet owners in your area. There are several around here and you meet them at the beach with huge packs of dogs which they let run round and have no control over/cause chaos - all dogs get the same walk whether 3 months, 3 years or 13 years and this "one fits all" isn't suitable. (I met a guy the other day whose dog doesn't like other dogs, he had it on a lead but a pack of around 8 dogs from the walkers surrounded it and it caused huge problems - I felt really sorry for him as he'd been responsible by keeping his dog on a lead etc and his dog ended up really stressed).

There are quite a few dog owners in the building as its one of the few where there isn't a 'no pets' clause in the lease. I might stick a note up asking for recommendations, could even try and get a little dog walking club going if I ever do get one!

Luckily there's loads of dog walkers in competition around here which keeps prices down a bit and means there's choice.

I don't want to rush into anything, and I'd prefer to rescue so I might be waiting a while for a suitable dog. I thought a pup might be easier to housetrain than an adult as an older dog might be used to just popping out to a garden whereas a puppy is a blank slate!

Edit: Its just one flight of stairs to run down, and then round the corner to a discreet alley!

rising_from_the_ashes

Person_one wrote: »

There are quite a few dog owners in the building as its one of the few where there isn't a 'no pets' clause in the lease. I might stick a note up asking for recommendations, could even try and get a little dog walking club going if I ever do get one!

Luckily there's loads of dog walkers in competition around here which keeps prices down a bit and means there's choice.

I don't want to rush into anything, and I'd prefer to rescue so I might be waiting a while for a suitable dog. I thought a pup might be easier to housetrain than an adult as an older dog might be used to just popping out to a garden whereas a puppy is a blank slate!

Edit: Its just one flight of stairs to run down, and then round the corner to a discreet alley!

Good idea re the dog walking club in the flats - if everyone used the same one, I'm sure you'd be able to get a fairly good price!

Pups need to go IMMEDIATELY after waking up, eating & frequently in between!

Most older rescue dogs will have come from homes and should be housetrained (may need a bit of "refreshing" if they've been in kennels for a while but it will quickly come back to them)!