hyper dogs and apartments

[Summertime Mommy]

Our landlord wants to sell our house instead of renewing our lease so we are looking at new homes. We are seriously considerring an apt right now because we can get a lot more home for a lot less money that way, but I have a very hyper dog (she is an ACD mix) and I am wonderring if she will do okay there. I know I would have to walk her more, but how much excercise would she need? I am also worried about letting her out to go potty. Surely she will need to go more often than just the times that I walk her. How do you keep a dog in an apt? I really don't want to have to rehome her, but I also don't want her to be unhappy. Any advice or experiences would be great.

[SevenVeils]

Please don't rehome your dog because you want more home for less money.

[Summertime Mommy]

Thanks sevenveils, not the most helpful advice.

I am looking for a way to keep her or I wouldn't have posted here. The fact is that we can be within budget and live in a super cramped house, we can just completely blow our budget and get a house that fits our family and has a yard for the dog, or we can ren an apt have enough room for our family while staying within our budget. I really only see one good option. So, if anyone has any real advice about keep a hyperactive dog in an apt I'd love to hear it. I am sorry but I have to consider the needs of my human family and then the needs of my canine family. I want the dog to be happy, but finding a good home for my children comes first. However, if I wanted to rehome the dog, I would not have posted looking for a solution to the problem.

[Ola_]

In my opinion dogs living in apartments do just as well, and in many cases better than those in single-family houses. It does take some effort from you however. Apartment dogs cannot be just let out into a yard so they get more interaction and socialization with the world outside of a little yard on a daily basis - new smells, sights, other dogs, checking "pee mail".

We lived in an apartment for a number of years, first with one dog and then two. I took them out 3 times a day each - your dog may need 4 outings, but shouldn't be more than that unless it's a young puppy or senior with bladder/bowel issues. For us 2 of those 3 outings were actual walks, 1 was a short potty break before bed.

I took the dogs out separately, which was more work for me but worked better since one is a long/slow walker and the other is a bounce-bounce-run kinda dog. So 6 walks a day, every day, and I have to say it just works into your routine after a while. Sure, when I had a headache or felt sick I wished I didn't have to do it - but most of the time once I got out there it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. If the weather was awful we wouldn't stay out long and play inside, practice tricks, and give them food-puzzle toys.

She will be fine - it's you I would worry about more. Dogs are amazingly adaptable and just want to be with their humans.

[CarrieMF]

Will the apt let you have the dog? Here no apts will allow dogs, most don't want cats but dogs are automatically out.

[yllek]

I just wanted to chime in that I also had dogs in apartments for years. This was before children, so my experience might be a bit different. I walked my dogs at least three times a day, and they went with me out and about as much as possible. When we lived near the beach, my dog at the time got to go running off-leash twice a day.

I sought out off-leash places so my dogs could actually get exercise. Simply walking wasn't enough for them. Getting an ACD hooked on fetch or frisbee would probably come pretty quickly. That would help a lot.

As for pee breaks, it also REALLY helps to have very consistent mealtimes and their elimination on cue. Right now, I say "potty time." Getting your dogs to get down to business is mighty helpful when you are not in the mood to stand around while your dog checks the neighborhood pee-mail.

Oh, and lots of mental stimulation always helps any dog, but particularly apartment dogs, I think.

Good luck to you with your move!

Kelly

[mistymama]

We live in an apartment with a dog - and I've done it before this too. It's more work than just being able to let a dog out into your backyard to potty, but it's really not all that bad.

Our dog is pretty low energy so one to two walks a day and he's super happy. I cheat a little on the potty and we have a dog door out to our patio and keep a puppy pad down. Our dog is only 10 pds, so he can pee on the pad and it's really not a big deal. And I'm lazy.

But I've had a big basset hound in an apartment before (no way a puppy pad outside would work) and it wasn't too bad to run him out to potty a few times in addition to his walks.

For the person who asked if you can have a dog in an apartment - it really depends on the area. Our town is very dog friendly and most apartments will take dogs, there are even people here with two big dogs. I personally wouldn't want a big dog in an apartment, but it's certainly allowed.

Anyway OP, it can certainly be done. I actually enjoy walking Beanie around the complex because we meet our neighbors and he gets to socialize with lots of new dogs.

[ShadowMoon]

We have a 4 year old Staffordshire/APBT mix in a small, 2 bedroom apartment. I don't have the time to exercise her as much as I should but I try to do the best I can. On most days it's a walk and a couple of potty runs. She gets alot of playtime in the apt w/ds and dp. At least once or twice a week I meet up with friends and their dogs and we all go hiking together. Like I said, it's not ideal but it works for us and the pup seems content. Good luck!

[Sailor]

Excluding very serious extenuating circumstances - dogs are a commitment you make for life. Like children.

I live in a condo, no backyard with a GSD. He is a working dog and VERY high energy. When I say "high energy" I mean we run 8 to 10 miles every morning. We go to the dog beach for an hour, for a vigorous game of fetch in the afternoon. In between all of that we do training. He's also very intelligent, and gets bored if not challenged. If bored, he will get into the mischief.

You absolutely CAN make it work. It's just going to require more effort on your part. You will have to take the dog out more often for potty. I hung a bell on the front door, and trained him to hit it when he needs to go. You could do the same. Definitely more exercise will be necessary. Possibly, you will have to double the amount you do now. And you'll have to stagger the exercise, i.e. morning and evening.

It's totally doable, though. A good dog is a tired dog. So, if you can give the dog enough exercise - you'll be fine.

When you say "hyperactive" what does that mean? Does the dog have a chemical imbalance that really makes her hyperactive? Or is the dog just high energy? A dog won't exercise alone - even when let out in the yard. It's not enough for them. So, to me, there is not much of a difference between having a yard and not. If I had a yard, I'd still have to go out there and exercise with the dog. So, the time commitment (for me) is pretty much the same as me leaving the house and running or leaving the house to walk 3 steps to the dog beach for fetch.