Dogs in flats

Person_one

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

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)!

We had dogs when I was growing up, I'm confident I could house train a pup in an actual house, its just the dash down the corridor, then the stairs, possibly in my PJs, seconds after waking up that worries me!

Loanranger

How will you toilet train a puppy if you're out at work all day?

Person_one

Loanranger wrote: »

How will you toilet train a puppy if you're out at work all day?

I'd take a chunk of leave at first and then have dog walkers come midway through the day.

I'm not tied to the idea of a puppy though, I'd be happy with an adult dog if that proves more suitable.

Mupette

Perry the pup started his forever home with me in a flat, well maisonette in a block of flats.

No problem toilet training as any other dog owner, frequent trips out.

running up and down the stairs was fine until i got too ill and had to use the lift.

I have moved now, but Perry spent 2 years there, and i happier now we have our own little garden

CFC

Person_one wrote: »

I'd take a chunk of leave at first and then have dog walkers come midway through the day.

I'm not tied to the idea of a puppy though, I'd be happy with an adult dog if that proves more suitable.

think again with a puppy. You are not going to be able to toilet train a puppy to last all day while you are at work even with a fortnight or a month off, IMO.

Being realistic a 7.5 working day is usually a 8 or 8.5 hr day for the dog, with travelling time. A young pup won't be able to hold that in, according to what I have heard (not had a pup for a long time) until it is about 9 months or so.

The alternative with a small dog is to litter train it with puppy pads, you could consider this. A friend with a flat on the 10th floor did this.

Not sure about your area but around here it is £8 for a dogwalker who is professional, own van and insurance.

threemuttleys

Person_one wrote: »

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!

My Mum has a BC rescue and lives in a flat (acutally, she is the manager of a residential retirement unit)

Molly gets taken out every 2-3 hours at the very least,and when Mum cant do it, she has a dog walker to do it for her.

katie1234

i have a dog and live in an apartment with no garden. i also work full time and got her from a pup. i disagree with the comments about toilet training etc as thats just hard regardless of the size of your house. it a little harder with no garden however it actually encourages good habits as you will always have to accompany the dog outside rather than just letting it into the garden which quickens the process. also a puppy will adapt to apartment living as that will be all it has known. a rescue dog may find it harder to adapt due to people passing, extra noise from the floor above etc.

good luck! id go for it.

Person_one

CFC wrote: »

think again with a puppy. You are not going to be able to toilet train a puppy to last all day while you are at work even with a fortnight or a month off, IMO.

Being realistic a 7.5 working day is usually a 8 or 8.5 hr day for the dog, with travelling time. A young pup won't be able to hold that in, according to what I have heard (not had a pup for a long time) until it is about 9 months or so.

The alternative with a small dog is to litter train it with puppy pads, you could consider this. A friend with a flat on the 10th floor did this.

Not sure about your area but around here it is £8 for a dogwalker who is professional, own van and insurance.

Litter trained as you would a cat? So the dog doesn't go outside but does its toileting in the flat? Even, er, number twos?

I suppose it would have to be a small dog! Its an interesting idea but surely you'd end up with a pretty smelly flat quite quickly?

dizziblonde

I couldn't do it with my rescue dog. The toilet training he'd be fine with - he's always gone straight to the door and stared at it when he needed to go from the start... it would be the people passing by that would drive him nuts - he's not a massive barker (barkING.. yes, barkER nope), but someone with a dog is visiting next door and you can hear the odd woof through the walls and that's driving him nutty this afternoon! He'd be a nightmare in flats with woofs coming from all sides!

Person_one

katie1234 wrote: »

i have a dog and live in an apartment with no garden. i also work full time and got her from a pup. i disagree with the comments about toilet training etc as thats just hard regardless of the size of your house. it a little harder with no garden however it actually encourages good habits as you will always have to accompany the dog outside rather than just letting it into the garden which quickens the process. also a puppy will adapt to apartment living as that will be all it has known. a rescue dog may find it harder to adapt due to people passing, extra noise from the floor above etc.

good luck! id go for it.

How did you manage the initial house training while you were out at work? How long was it before the pup could last 4 or 5 hours, or even 8 in a pinch?

This is the thing I'm thinking about on adult vs puppy, a pup wouldn't know any different and would get used to the flat easily, but taking an adult dog that might be used to a big garden and putting them in a little flat for most of the day seems harsh!