Would It Be Wrong...
...to even consider getting a little puppy?
Last night I popped into friend-of-a-friend's place to pick up some Friday night goodies and they have the most adorable little ball of fluff, a Maltese x Shitzu. I'm more a Scottish West Highland Terrier person (as in, I idolise these dogs), but they are very cute. They pretty much convinced me these are the perfect apartment dog, because:
* They have little legs, so they don't need that much exercise.
* They don't go fruit loops being indoors like Jack Russels (my other favourite).
* They are so damn cute!
The only issue is since they would be home alone most of the day, they recommended I leave the balcony door open on the second lock. My apartment is fairly secure being elevated from the street, but I don't feel confident leaving the balcony door open all day. Any suggestions?
I met them at the dog park across the road from chez eux, and I remembered how much I loved having a dog. I loved taking her for a run in the local dog park, it's so social and the boys are gorgeous.
PS can dogs be trained to go to the litter bin like cats?
I would only get one from Monika's Doggie Rescue, she is the bestest. Of course I have the name picked out - I have all my dog names picked out. A West Highland Terrier: Peche or Anouk; Jack Russel: Perrier. Other breeds: Mijanou. I'd wait to see his/her little face before making up my mind.
Very keen to hear your thoughs/suggestions.
Last night I popped into friend-of-a-friend's place to pick up some Friday night goodies and they have the most adorable little ball of fluff, a Maltese x Shitzu. I'm more a Scottish West Highland Terrier person (as in, I idolise these dogs), but they are very cute. They pretty much convinced me these are the perfect apartment dog, because:
* They have little legs, so they don't need that much exercise.
* They don't go fruit loops being indoors like Jack Russels (my other favourite).
* They are so damn cute!
The only issue is since they would be home alone most of the day, they recommended I leave the balcony door open on the second lock. My apartment is fairly secure being elevated from the street, but I don't feel confident leaving the balcony door open all day. Any suggestions?
I met them at the dog park across the road from chez eux, and I remembered how much I loved having a dog. I loved taking her for a run in the local dog park, it's so social and the boys are gorgeous.
PS can dogs be trained to go to the litter bin like cats?
I would only get one from Monika's Doggie Rescue, she is the bestest. Of course I have the name picked out - I have all my dog names picked out. A West Highland Terrier: Peche or Anouk; Jack Russel: Perrier. Other breeds: Mijanou. I'd wait to see his/her little face before making up my mind.
Very keen to hear your thoughs/suggestions.
posted by Julia at 11:46 AM
9 Comments:
It's so funny that you posted this because I just got a little dog for my grandmother (who lives in an apt) and am considering getting one myself.
In answer to your question- yes they can be trained to go in a litter box. My grandmother can't go out much, so the dog uses a 'pee pad' which contains this litter that is scented to invite the dog to pee (etc.) The dog was totally trained within 2 weeks.
Suggestions re: balcony- could you make a doggy door??
Oh wow, good on you! What kind of pup is it?
My sister called me after reading this post and suggested I get a dog door cut out from my glass balcony door. Don't know how this would look, but it's an idea. How do other people do it?
That's very reassuring to hear they can be toilet trained.
Oops, I didn't even consider if my apartment will allow dogs. I think the rules say no, but I've seen heaps of dogs.
Honey, next time you get a whim to buy a dog just take Nut for a walk and i'm positive Jas & Pen won't mind you taking Rebel out when ever you want ;-)
As for your building... Strata Titles Management Act states: The Body Corporate can not legally enforce prohibiting pets in the building.
I love taking Nut for a walk, but I've always wanted my own pup.
Thanks for the strata law heads up, that's very interesting, I'll have to read what ours specifically say.
Hmmm. I'm bad with pet breeds- it's small, black and fluffy with short legs. Docile and sweet (I can't stand yappy dogs). Pom- something.
hope you don't mind me popping in and replying!
we have a gorgeous mini poodle in our 1 bedroom apartment in chinatown. she's home all day with me (and sometimes without me) but i think any small breed will be OK on their own after they've been toilet trained and know the boundaries of your home. you can train them to 'go' in the bathroom or laundry if you don't want to keep your balcony door open all day long (we don't cause of the bugs!) or you can get a doggy door installed
as for the strata, natalie's right - they can't really say 'no'! we had to 'let them know' when we got Mischa and on our noticeboard it says that any reasonable notice can't be refused.
My cat is named Mischa :)
You can train a dog (especially a small one) to use paper just like a cat (they make special doggie pee pee paper just for apartments, not sure what it's called exactly).
The main thing that a dog needs is consistencty. I wouldn't get a puppy unless you have some time to devote to taking care of him/her in those first early months. A dog walker might be a good thing for during the day (I kennel trained Jake when he was a puppy so that there were no accidents of any kind when I was away, but I wasn't gone for more than a handful of hours at a time as I was a student and only working part time).
The main issue with getting a dog is that you are bound to the dog 24-7. You can't just zip away for the weekend, even overnight, even for more than a few hours with a dog. That's the biggest issue with me that's difficult to deal with (think dating especially!). That plus it makes it difficult to travel for long periods of time. I've been able to go for about four weeks as I've been lucky and found good care for Jake (now that he's older I probably won't travel for more than a week or two at a time, if that). But it's more difficult than with a cat.
But the benefits FAR outweigh the negatives for me. Just a few things to think about!
I have been asking the same question for years -- should I get a dog? Well, two weeks ago, my husband and I ended up adopting a rescue dog and it changed our lives completely (for the good). We now take early morning walks and short evening strolls (which we didn't used to) and it's always nice to be greeted by an excitable dog when we get home!
Prior to adopting him, he was placed in a rescue/foster home because he was abandoned and was found hit by a car and was left there. He only has 3 working legs although the 4th one is attached (he just hops on 3 legs). We also have 4 rabbits and wanted to make sure that the dog would fit into our household so we did a trial for one week and luckily it's a match!
Good luck to you on your search for the right dog! Since you're a dog love, I'm sure it'll only be for the positive! They can also be crate-trained for when you're away from home for a few hours. And there are dog walking/sitting services too! Good luck! =)
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