Apartment

[mebesa]

Has anyone hada a doodle in an apartment? Please give me the details?
We live in a very big condo but obviously we don-t have a yard. So we are wondering how could we adjust for our doodle?

[KingstonTodd]

For Hershey's 1st year we lived in an apartment. It was ok. when they are small you can fetch down the hall. The only hard part is exercise, and rain or shine, tired or not, you had to go outside for restroom break a lot. some days when she was young i think i walked around the bock for a potty break a dozen different times.

[Napathedoodle]

Napa's an apartment pup. He's lived with us in a 1200 sq ft apartment for the past ten months. I wouldn't think of bringing in a "standard" pup. We got a small medium- 35 lbs, and he's perfect. We're moving into a new 1000 sq ft apartment next month to cut back on rent ($300 a month less). So, we'll see how he does then. But I must say, Napa's temperament is perfect for an apartment. He's active when we want him to be active, but mellow when we need him to be. We've also found Doggie daycare, and until he got kennel cough was great! We'll start back with doggie daycare come the beginning of next semester. So, in answer to your question.... I think Doodles CAN be apartment dogs, as long as you've got the size of your apartment in mind when it comes to size and energy level. Unless you're willing to really supplement with walks and doggie day care, etc, then I would suggest asking for the mellow pup of the litter.

I also live in a very pet friendly complex. So, taking Napa "out" is very easy and there's even doggie stations around to make picking up a breeze. The only downside is that we're on the second floor, but we'll be on the first floor next year!

I must admit that I love BIG dogs, and I will have one in the (far) future, so Napa's size wasn't *my* top pick, but it was what we could handle in our apartment and what fit our lifestyles right now. So, it all worked out in the end. Good luck with your decision. Feel free to ask more questions...

[deepnite10]

Tobys big brother is a 5 yr old mini-pin and does great in apartment
living..he just bonces off the walls

still a good walk in the morning and evening would be great for bonding as well as exercise..

[Jac]

Hi...sorry, I just saw this. I think that I would ask you to add this question to the others for consideration...
I do thank you and appreciate your honest evaluation of your lifestyle and circumstances...but I believe, all things considered, you have some very serious decisions to make...I hope that you make the right ones for your family and for the puppy.

[*sharon*]

Rosie is a standard althought on the smallish side and we live in an apartment. For our family, we talked about the getting a dog and all the responsibilities that came with it. We knew going into it that there would be some "sacrafices". I get up at 5 am to take Rosie for an hour long walk. My husband takes her on another long walk in the evening before bed. After dinner with my husband (and sometimes Kayley and I) take Rosie to the dog park to get her doodle 500 in. We knew that it was a small living space but that if we really wanted a dog member of the family, that we could make it work. We don't play ball inside but we have one of those little laser pointers and Rosie will chase the red dot for hours on end. So, it can be done with a few changes to make it fair for everyone. Puppies need to run and play and we are very fortunate to live across the street from the beach and a huge park that includes a dog park.

[emilee]

we live in a 2-bedroom second-floor condo with our two doodles. it's a good-size condo, i'm not sure of the square footage. we do just fine. i have not found our dogs to be terribly high-energy -- not like my sister's australian shepherd at any rate.

because we don't have a fenced yard, our dogs must be walked on leash whenever we take them out. but, we don't mind doing this except on the coldest winter days. weather permitting, we either take a 3-mile walk every dat, go to the dog park, or play fetch or frisbee out back on a long line. it's a bit less convenient than having a fenced yard, i guess -- but both my fiance and i really enjoy walking the dogs and taking them places with us, so i would say for us it works just fine.

-em

[Ronnie]

I would not want to live in an apartment with my doodle. He tends to misbehave--such as chewing things he shouldn't--when he hasn't had enough exercise. I know that if I had to walk him to give him enough exercise, it would take a lot of time--which i don't always have. Maybe if I did have more time, I would see things differently. Also--Fred is 80 pounds--so it must take a lot more room and walking to tire him out than one of the smaller doodles.

[lmtoth2]

I do not live in an apartment (we have a yard). I think if you were to be have easy access to an off leash area (i.e. a dog park) I do not think it would be tough for you to have a doodle. I find our doodles really need a good run everyday...so if it doesn't happen outside, it turns to indoor wrestling 30-45 minutes at a dog park tires our dogs out more than any walk could.

I would look to get a mellow puppy too

[*As Good As It Gets*]

When we had our old lab, we lived in a small apartment and he was a big dog (like 80lbs) but a lot of the time it was just me and the dog and I had all kinds of time to walk him, take him to the park, etc.... It wasn't a problem ever. Then when we moved to a house with a yard I was so excited for him to have a yard, but he could not have cared less- he just wanted to be wherever I was. He was raised as an "apartment dog" and that's pretty much what he knew, so it was not a problem. I'd be more concerned if you were getting an older dog that had a different situation previously.

I guess the bottom line is- as long as you know that you are going to have to take the dog on a leash for walks and stuff, then it will be fine.

[L's Mom]

I actually have a house with a yard, but Lucas has never been interested in being outside, on his own for very long. We walk him 2 or 3 times a day, and play fetch, and now that there's another doodle in the house they wrestle alot... so I guess my point is... I think the important thing is that you have time to excercise the dog, not that you have a yard.

[sdrudge]

My husband and I had a Lab in a apartment. And that worked ok for us. But that was years ago.

[mtd885]

We are in a Condo too, but walk Abby frequently, with once or twice a week trip to the dog park to play with other dogs. She seems to be doing fine on this schedule

[Bigfoot]

i have a 70lb labradoodle, a 35lb beagle and a cat and we r fine living in a 2 bedroom condo. or dogs gets to go out for potty breaks 3 to 4 times a day. they also gets to play in the park with other dogs almost everyday. we have a large fenced park outside of the condo. everyday around 4 to 6 pm all the neighborhood dogs comes out to play. the fenced park outside our condo really helps.

[lmtoth2]

haha...Bigfoot - your avitar is hilarious Love the goggles