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I understand that it may be harder to raise a dog without a yard, but realistically, how many dog owners have secure, fenced-in backyards?
The way our building is set up, each unit is built like a step (as you go up a level, the units gets shorter in length.) My balcony provides part of the roof for the unit below. The unit above me has a balcony, that is part of my roof. Each balcony has it's own rain gutter.
Recently, I built a raised garden container (really easy to do), containing potting soil and some leftover sod/grass seed. It's about 4'x2'x6", with a drainage port that drains excess water into the gutter. If we do get a puppy, I was hoping to use it as an interim potty training measure, until its fully vaccinated. It wouldn't replace walks, or what not, but should be helpful as a backup for emergencies. It's also a much better solution to the fake grass pads, that smell terribly after use.
I'll try to take some pictures of it and upload it here.
Hello all,
Breeds we were considering:
- Miniature Schnauzer: Probably our number one at the moment.
- Poodle-variant (Cockapoo or Schnoodle)
- Shiba Inu: A shedder, but we like the low barking factor and independence factor.
- Cairn Terrier
- Westie
.
Personally I would not choose most of those breeds in a condo.
Almost all of them are prone to excessive barking and in a condo (Terriers), these breeds tend to seek stimulation by barking out windows at people walking by. My mother used to live in a condo, and seeing bark-prone dogs yapping at the windows and sliding doors was common (Terriers and Shelties).
Shiba may be a good choice as long as you do not have a fence - they are master escape artists. How about a Basenji?
Poodle mixes can be found all over in pounds very cheap. Dont fall into the trap of paying insane prices from a puppy producer of "Doodles."
Have you looked at Japanese Chins, Papillons, retired racing Greyhounds, Whippets, Italian Greyhounds?
There was a previous poster who replied to adopt through an agency that has a background on a dog; knowing it's traits in regards to barking, housetraining etc. I second that.
I'd highly recommend a non-shedding dog. If you are not used to pet hair on your clothes, furniture, etc. it can be annoying. We had a five pound chihuahua and you wouldn't believe the amount of hair that dog shed on a daily basis. It required daily vacuuming and cleaning.
Some non-shedding breeds we've had great luck with are:
The maltese - the most gentlemanly, loving, loyal, and quiet dog we've ever had the pleasure of owning.
A shih tzu poodle mix - friendly, smart, and eager to please.
A yorkiepoo - truly the best little lap dog we've ever had.
Petfinder.com, Craigslist, and the SPCA won't make you jump through hoops to get the dog you desire and they have tons of loveable dogs available due to economic hardships. Best wishes and enjoy. I truly believe dogs are among the best creatures on earth. The unconditional love and joy they exhibit is a daily blessing.
Personally I would not choose most of those breeds in a condo.
Almost all of them are prone to excessive barking and in a condo (Terriers), these breeds tend to seek stimulation by barking out windows at people walking by. My mother used to live in a condo, and seeing bark-prone dogs yapping at the windows and sliding doors was common (Terriers and Shelties).
Shiba may be a good choice as long as you do not have a fence - they are master escape artists. How about a Basenji?
Poodle mixes can be found all over in pounds very cheap. Dont fall into the trap of paying insane prices from a puppy producer of "Doodles."
Have you looked at Japanese Chins, Papillons, retired racing Greyhounds, Whippets, Italian Greyhounds?
Yep. I know that terriers are known for barking. I hang over at a Schnauzer forum, and it seems to be a common trait, though often dependent on the dog.
In regards to the Shiba, it probably hits most of what I am looking for. We don't have a fence (balcony), and the dog will be inside most of the time. Also thought about a Basenji, even though it's a little larger than I was looking for.
We are open to poodles; more-so poodle mixes.
Not a fan of Chins (brachycephalic.) Papillons are too small. Greyhounds too large (thought about a small female). Whippets/Italian Greyhounds kind of freak out my wife. Dont ask. lol
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sunnydee
The maltese - the most gentlemanly, loving, loyal, and quiet dog we've ever had the pleasure of owning.
A shih tzu poodle mix - friendly, smart, and eager to please.
A yorkiepoo - truly the best little lap dog we've ever had.
We have thought about about each of these breeds (minus the maltese.)
My sister in law had a shih tzu , she was a fab dog, never barked and was so fun
and good with the kids, hopefully this is a common breed statistic.
I think your patio set up will work fine , might want to consider
carrying your pup up
and down the steps for the first 8 months or more.
it will save your pup from hip/joint problems later.
Save yourself trouble by not putting down puppy pads, makes it
impossible to housetrain a pup.
lastly I really encourage you to try and find a dog that
already needs a home , either thru rescue or shelter.
Would be great if you could bring along a behavorist
or dog savy friend to evaluate.
We've puppy-sat before, and know the difficulty in potty breaks when you have to descend a flight of stairs first. I'm really kind of against training to use potty pads around the place (seems counterproductive), and the fake grass pads work, but smell terribly after a short time. I figure the best option, was to create a grassy area on our uncovered deck.
The container (pic attached) is 4'x2' and drains into the gutter. I figured it would be helpful if we got a puppy, since from my understanding, you wouldn't want to expose them to other dogs until fully vaccinated. I got the idea from the internet. The blog post we found even suggested adding a patio doggy door that allowed their dog to go out on their own; something I never even though about and would help in emergency circumstances. I figure if we can avoid using indoor potty methods as much as possible, the better.
I know of several doggie daycare & boarding facilities that use a similar "potty patch" concept. The fact that yours is outdoors and drains into the gutter is rather brilliant. You are right that if you want a dog potty trained to eliminate outdoors, it's best to never introduce indoor potty options. I know you plan to mainly train the dog to potty on walks, but this balcony option may prove quite helpful in the beginning when you sometimes need to rush out. Part of potty training involves catching accidents in the act and quickly getting the dog to their potty spot. Since you have a flight of stairs to contend with in that process, your easily accessible deck potty patch is a great solution while you're in the training phase.
Regarding some of the above suggestions. Shibas are really energetic, so plan on walking a lot or having a behavior problem. They need plenty of exercise. I would say the majority of maltese are barkers, plus they are really small. For small dogs, probably Shi Tzus and Pekes will tend to bark the least but barking really can be an individual dog thing. If you get an adult dog, you will be able to tell if they are prone to barking or not.
The maltese - the most gentlemanly, loving, loyal, and quiet dog we've ever had the pleasure of owning.
Was your Maltese naturally quiet, or did you have to train her not to bark? I adore my Maltese, but despite a couple of different certified trainers, she is quite the barker.
Also, the OP mentioned Cairn Terriers.....I have only known 2 Cairn owners in my life, and both of their dogs were actually rather vicious! They would attack and bite a person if they didn't want that person in the room. I dog sat one of them for a week, and it wouldn't let me NEAR it if it was feeding time....and unfortunately that even included me setting down the bowl of food. Crazy dog, it would growl and practically take my arm off as I tried to set down the bowl! It was kind of "toss and RUN"!! And anytime that dog was chewing on its bone, I couldn't be anywhere in sight without risking an attack.
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