Do you yearn to own a dog but you live in an apartment?
The key to living in harmony with your hound in a confined space is choosing the right breed. The three most important factors to consider are:
• How vocal are they? Is the breed notoriously territorial and prone to barking? Such breeds are best avoided if you don’t want to upset the neighbors.
• How much space do they need? Consider the physical size of the dog and how much the dog plus his wagging tail takes up. (A wagging tail causes a surprising amount of damage in a confined space.)
• High or low energy? An energetic dog, even a small breed, needs plenty of exercise which means plenty of walking.
Here are #10 apartment friendly breeds.
1. Pekinese:
The Pekinese make delightful, loyal, and loving companions whose compact size and big personality make them ideal for apartment living.
A word of warning is that the Peke, if encouraged with hand feeding and lack of discipline, will assume a role as ruler of the house, and can become quite bossy and insubordinate. Although not hugely energetic they do require a daily walk to stop them becoming overweight.
2. Havanese
Gentle, loving, and intelligent, indeed these small dogs could almost be described as the perfect apartment dog. The have longer legs than the Pekinese and are better for someone wanting a dog to exercise. They are quick learners and when properly trained have impeccable manners and rarely bark.
The Havanese have a long coat that needs regular brushing, or else embrace the dreadlocks look.
3. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Cavaliers are the ultimate in good-natured and adoring companions. Their large eyes, soft expressions, and docile nature make them appealing on so many levels.
However they are prone to barking, and worse the breed has several hereditary health problems, such as heart disease and syringomyelia (a neurological condition causing severe pain).
4. Pug
There’s something so appealing about a pug, with their wrinkled faces, blunt muzzle, and big eyes. And at around 12-inches tall and 20-lb in weight, they are an ideal size for apartment living.
Character-wise they are clowns, but intelligent enough to take advantage should their owner be slow to keep their dog in line. One drawback is that their flat noses and squished faces do make them prone to snoring, not a great habit in a housemate.
5. Miniature or Toy Poodles
These dogs have been popular for centuries. Their peppy character is a blend of everything that’s good in a dog; intelligent, loyal, and quick to learn tricks and perform, and despite their small size will trot gamely along on a walk.
6. Yorkshire Terrier
The Yorkie comes in a range of sizes from the tiny teacup Yorkie to a chunkier counterpart. These small dogs have working origins catching rats and vermin in the Yorkshire mills. Many people consider them lapdogs, but they’re also so much more. The “terrier” part of the name hints at their tenacity, and they can be quite fierce guarding the home, even if they are more likely to trip an intruder than bite them.
7. French Bulldog
For a small dog with attitude, you can’t go far wrong with a Frenchie. These muscular dogs are packed with character and yet equally at home snuggling on the sofa as running full pelt in the park.
Just like pekes and pugs, the Frenchie is another squash-faced breed which means they struggle to cope with the heat in summer, so an apartment with air conditioning is ideal.
8. Shih Tzu
This dog’s name means “little lion”, but that’s as in brave rather than fierce. These small dogs were bred as lap dogs which explains why they look like teddy bears. They enjoy a walk but are secretly rather lazy, and the breed also tends to suffer from disc disease so taking it easy isn’t a problem.
9. Greyhound
While the greyhound is not small, they are remarkably chilled and not particularly energetic in the home. Indeed, although they are sprinters they aspire to be couch potatoes and make remarkably obliging apartment pets.
10. Mastiff
From the sublime to the ridiculous. You may think the mastiff’s massive size rules him out of being an apartment dog, but you’d be wrong. These gentle giants prefer to amble rather than run and as long as they have plenty of regular walks, fit in just fine in a flat.
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