What kind of dog would you recommend for us?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I love dogs. My childhood was sadly deprived of pets of any sorts (other than fish). Boyfriend endured the same injustice. Anyway, hopefully we’ll be moving to a bigger apartment next year. Already I’m fantasizing about getting a dog. Unfortunately there are a lot of things we need to take into consideration.

Space - although our apartment will be bigger, it’s not going to be huge, and we certainly will not have a yard (we live in Seoul). If we’re lucky we’ll have rooftop access and maybe a balcony.

Exercise - we are prepared to walk the dog twice a day. There’s a mountain nearby that has a nice park, so the dog would be able to get a fair amount of exercise.

Time - Most of the time, at least one of us will be home. The dog would be alone maybe twice a week for a few hours on a regular basis. One thing that does worry me is that when the weather is nice, we like to leave the city on the bike for a couple of days. This happens maybe once a month in the spring and fall. We’d probably have friends that were willing to look after the dog though.

Experience - neither of us has any experience with dogs. We are committed to trying our darndest to train the dog properly though. We’d probably time it so we’d get a puppy when we have vacation time (couple of months in the summer and winter).

Companions - we have a cat, a Maine Coon mix. She is super laid back and loves everyone and everything. Our neighbors used to have a dog and she would saunter up to it and just stare at it adoringly, which would thoroughly unnerve the poor creature. Anyway, we need a dog that would get along with the cat. And potential children, I suppose.

So to sum up, we need a dog that can live in an apartment, provided it gets enough exercise, won’t be too much of a challenge to train for novices, and won’t try to eat the cat.

From what I’ve read online, a bichon frise or a Japanese spitz might suit us. Both of us love big dogs, but I think it’d be cruel to have a big dog in an apartment.

No pugs, please. A lot of my friends love pugs but their bulging eyes freak me out.

2

One that speaks, “Meow”?

Small Shaved Fox Terrier Mix.

https://www.google.com/search?q=fox+terrier&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=OAt&tbo=u&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=_0SjUIzNCO2M0QHX-YCwDg&ved=0CD0QsAQ&biw=1366&bih=641&sei=BEWjUJDwOeHO0QHt4oG4Dw

3

I’ve never had a dog in an apartment so I can’t speak from personal experience.

But these sites talk about breeds that are good for apartment living:

http://www.pedigree.com/All-Things-Dog/Article-Library/Small-Dogs-An-Apartment-Dweller-s-Best-Friend.aspx
http://www.pamperedpetcare.com/blog/the-best-dogs-for-apartment-dwellers

One surprising recommendation made by several people were Great Danes. While they’re big and need some daily exercise, they’re calm and quiet and apparently are happy to just lie around the house when they’re not outside. So a big dog is a possibility.

4

I meant Smooth Fox Terrier…

https://www.google.com/search?q=fox+terrier&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=OAt&tbo=u&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=_0SjUIzNCO2M0QHX-YCwDg&ved=0CD0QsAQ&biw=1366&bih=641&sei=BEWjUJDwOeHO0QHt4oG4Dw#hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=UAt&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&q=smooth+fox+terrier&revid=621585070&sa=X&ei=BUWjUPDmD4us0AHz8IHADw&ved=0CFIQgxY&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&fp=c9cddb7e662b4f26&bpcl=38626820&biw=1366&bih=641

We had ours like 25 freaking years…

5

You could look into Cavalier King Charles spaniels. They are not the brightest dogs around, but they are loving, friendly, and not hard to care for (brush, keep their ears clean, bathe occasionally, and they’re good to go). They LOVE to be with people - we joke that they are like daemons from Phillip Pullman’s Golden Compass: if they get too many feet away from their human, it seems physically painful to them.

One caveat, though: the breed has become so popular that they are being too inbred and can be prone to health problems. We just lost one of ours to a heart problem :frowning: So be sure you go to a reputable breeder and get a dog whose pedigree does not collapse.

6

Just visit an animal shelter, ask to be introduced to small and mid-size dogs that are friendly to cats, and prepare to let the dog chose you, and you falling in love with it.

Or you could just ask dog owners and breeders. But I don’t recommend it. They will just sing the praise of their specific breed because that is their passion or their livelyhood. But a breed is no guarantee, each dog has a different character, even within a breed. And if you go to a breeder, you will pay a lot of money, and let your money support the practice of professional breeding, when there are so many good, adorable dogs waiting at your local shelter.

7

Do you know the research about the Big Five personality traits in humans? Decades iof psychology studies have shown that most of the individual personality difference between people can be reduced to five personality traits:
1 Openness (inventive/curious vs. consistent/cautious)
2 Conscientiousness (efficient/organized vs. easy-going/careless)
3 Extraversion (outgoing/energetic vs. solitary/reserved)
4 Agreeableness (friendly/compassionate vs. cold/unkind)
5 Neuroticism (sensitive/nervous vs. secure/confident)

Well, there is a more and more evidence that the same personality traits show up in non-humans, including dogs. Most people who want a pedigree dog, want it both for its looks, but also for the supposed character traits the breed has. While traits may be particular to a breed, there is no guarantee that the dog you pick from the litter has those traits; and if you pick a puppy, you can’t know anything definitive about its character (except maybe shy/nonshy).
However, if you pick a young but adult dog from a shelter, the shelter can usually tell you a great deal about the dogs character, intuiitively understanding how the dog scores on the big Five. And the shelter doesn’t have anything to gain by misrepresenting the dog.

Here’s some research, from here:

8

I found my dream kid at the Humane Society years ago. She is half black lab, half Jack Russell Terrier…perfect size (30 lbs.) and the best, most loveable dog I have ever owned! Every dog has a different personality, just like people, and everyone seems to think their dog is the “best”, just like kids or grandkids, but she really is the Best!!! I would always get a dog her size, I do not care for small dogs, nor really big dogs! Check out the animal shelter…they are forever grateful!!!

9

Don’t rule out a dog because of size. It is true that Great Danes are perfect apartment dogs- they’re couch potatoes. The same is true for many medium to large dogs. But the cost of food and vet care is proportionally higher, too. I’d go everyone’s advice and fall in love at a shelter or rescue. And dogs aren’t like cats that can be happily left on their own for a weekend. Make arrangements with a friend or dog sitter. You won’t come home to a dead dog after just a weekend, but you might find a BIG mess.

10

No dog. Dogs don’t belong in an apartment. They need space and freedom to excercise on their own. People squish themselves into apartments and live with an unhealthily low amount of excercise. Don’t do that to a dog.

11

I heartily disagree. Certain dogs have been bred for centuries to be companion animals. Although I think dogs need off-leash time (dog parks are great), they are happiest when they’re with their person. And it doesn’t have to be a small dog, either. When my family moved once, we stayed in an apartment while looking for houses. 6 months. My dog was an Afghan hound, and he was perfectly content to lounge around the apartment. Regular walks and off-lead sessions in the complex’s tennis courts and he was a happy dog.

StG

12

I have a bichon mix and he is the sweetest thing ever. We’ve lived in an apartment together, but he had a big yard to run in. No shedding and minimal coat requirements (once he’s clipped short) are a big plus, too. I am a bichon fan for life, now.

13

Have you looked at greyhounds from the tracks? There are plenty of rescues out there and (in some areas) plenty of groups for socialization. Just make sure you read up about them, they’re not something that you want to let go off lease. But they are already accustomed to ‘apartment’ style living.

14

Enkel stole my suggestion, but I’d also add: please consider adopting an adult dog, instead of a puppy. The cat will thank you, and really, as inexperienced dog owners, you are less likely to lose your minds with chewing, potty training, etc., issues. Save the puppy experience for a later date, when you have more time and confidence as a dog parent.

15

I was also going to recommend a Great Dane as a nice, big, apartment dweller. Yes, they need their daily workout, but every dog will. If you can swing 2 walks a day, they should be happy.

Someone upthread mentioned Jack Russell Terrior. I have had two of them in my life and they’re my absolute favorite breed of dog. Tons of fun and energy, great with kids, can learn anything you would ever want to teach them but I would not recommend for apartment/city dwelling. Even though they’re small, they like to have a big outlet for all that energy.

16

I was going to suggest this too. Most sighthounds (the skinny breeds) are total couch potatoes indoors; mine is. You might need to train him for things you’d think he’d know, though. Like climbing stairs.

17

This is the best advice. We have people come into our shelter all the time with requests like this. Shelter workers know the dogs pretty well and can probably help match you up with your new best friend pretty quickly.

Also, remember size is not necessarily indicative of high or low energy. Small terrier breeds can have huge amounts of energy and may need more than a couple of walks per day to keep them from getting into trouble in the apartment.

18

Try explaining that to over 3/4 of dog owners in Western Europe. Then again, I imagine that by your standards I live “squished” :rolleyes:

19

I second the advice AGAINST the JRT. Mine can run for hours following me around the farm chasing rabbits and still want to ‘play’. The ones I’ve known are extremely high energy. Mine is 10yo and not slowing down in the least.

20

As she has a cat, I do not know if I would recommend sighthounds like the greyhound to a first time dog owner. Especially rescue ones that have already been trained to chase small furry things.