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I would strongly suggest you call around. The BEST thing you can do, is get your dog into dog training. They will actually teach you how to get your dog to bark on command, not when someone is at the door, etc. Training only takes about six weeks (one night a week) and it will last a lifetime.
As a dog trainer myself, I had several clients who was in the same situation you were. All they had to do was show their certificate of completion and they had no trouble. You can take some dog training classes at your local PetSmart for about $100.
Good luck!
PS- I also forgot to mention, the only dog breed that is usually frowned upon are pit bulls & hybrids. You really should not have any problems.
Such a shame that now these breeds -- the American Staffordshire terrier, or pit, the Rottweiler, Doberman, Husky, Akita, Chow, to name a few -- are the ones paying for the years of irresponsible breeders and pet owners, and bearing the reputation of 'aggressive.' Ironically, any breed could be made aggressive. Equally unfortunate is that many people are now intimidated by the breeds.
Be responsible, yourself, and like another poster suggested, carry your beloved pet to obedience classes. Even if the dog minds you, go, and earn the certificate. It will help, and you won't have much in the investment.
You may, indeed, have much better luck trying to find a rental home, and appealing to the landlord. Generally, deposits are required, and are often nonrefundable. The amount may be negotiable, but not always, as homeowners want to be assured they can repair whatever a dog may mess-up. In spite of our own best intentions, our pets can damage things.
I would not outright lie about the dog's breed, but you could identify it as a mix between Lab/Chow (or whatever it is) and argue that the dog exhibits more of the other breed's traits, if it does. I would also be hesitant about claiming the dog is something maybe just a bit 'exotic,' like a Weimaraner, with its grey coloring and amber or blue eyes.
I have recently discovered that in some of the newer neighborhoods, the convants are saying "no pit bulls, rotweillers or dobermans".
I'm not sure how this can be enforced.
Vicki
This is interesting, Vicki. I would wonder, too, if a potential home buyer couldn't take an HOA to task on that one. I would guess that someone who had already bought into an area, and then decided he wanted an 'aggressive' breed might be able to argue against it, with a good attorney -- but then, the flip side is there are other neighborhoods without such covenants.
I knew apartment complexes were prohibiting certain breeds, and if they don't name breeds, specifically, they use weight limits.
Be responsible, yourself, and like another poster suggested, carry your beloved pet to obedience classes. Even if the dog minds you, go, and earn the certificate. It will help, and you won't have much in the investment.
If your dog already listens instead of doing a class you could get a canine good citizen certificate. It's a program run by the AKC but non-papered dogs and mixes are welcome.
It really bugs me that people are afraid of these "aggressive" dogs. I've owned many dogs in my life (most in my younger years, tho), and I've never had a problem. As a kid/teenager, we always had a dog in the house. My family has owned two Doberman Pinschers (both brown, BTW), a Rottweiler, and a Pit Bull (amoung other breeds) and none of them ever bit anyone that didn't break into our house (the Rottweiler bit a burglar, or so we assume because we came home to a broken lock and found blood inside the house, but the dog was fine).
I also grew up around many other people with the same "aggressive" breeds that we always had and I never had a problem with them, either. I've been bitten twice by dogs: once by a Chihuahua and once by a Miniature Schnauzer (two breeds not known as "aggressive").
I think it's all in how you treat/control your dog. We currently have a Lab-Terrier mix and she's just the sweetest little thing and she'd never bite someone (again, unless they came in the house uninvited), not because it's not who she is, but because it's how we've raised her. How you raise a dog is much more important to it's behavior than what breed it is.
As for your appt. search, don't ask if they allow aggressive breeds; instead, ask if they have any pet restrictions for the appartment. If they don't mention your dog by breed, then you're in the clear.
Location: More north of south, but more south of north.
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You can go to wakeGOV.com and check out their dog friendly apartment guide.
I also highly recommend getting your dog through an obedience class that offers the Canine Good Citizen test at the end. If you can't find one, but think your dog can do what's listed in the links, send me a DM. I'm a CGC evaluator and I'd be happy to help you out.
I'd also like to chime in on the "aggressive breed" stereotypes. I have a 100# male rottweiler who has his CGC and is also a registered therapy dog. He's been in training since he was a puppy, and if I can find an obedience club that is not over an hour away from me, I plan to title him in obedience. I have loved these dogs since I was a small girl, and take pride in the fact that my dog is a true breed ambassador.
I, too, recommend the CGC certification. It can make a difference with for a potential landlord, and it can also make a difference when you're a homeowner looking for insurance. I have two American Pit Bull Terriers, both of whom have earned their CGC and like the above poster, and am thrilled that my girls are ambassadors of their breed.
You can go to wakeGOV.com and check out their dog friendly apartment guide.
I also highly recommend getting your dog through an obedience class that offers the Canine Good Citizen test at the end. If you can't find one, but think your dog can do what's listed in the links, send me a DM. I'm a CGC evaluator and I'd be happy to help you out.
I'd also like to chime in on the "aggressive breed" stereotypes. I have a 100# male rottweiler who has his CGC and is also a registered therapy dog. He's been in training since he was a puppy, and if I can find an obedience club that is not over an hour away from me, I plan to title him in obedience. I have loved these dogs since I was a small girl, and take pride in the fact that my dog is a true breed ambassador.
Really? He is registered as a therapy dog but has not benefited from title in obedience training with an organized group/setting?
Hey everyone, I'm thinking of relocating to the Raleigh area. I've been looking at apartment complexes around the area, however some of them do not allow the aggressive dog breeds. Is this a definite? This is very disappointing because i well i love my dog. He is very well behaved chow mix although does bark sometimes at a knock on the door. I was wondering how serious most complex owners are about this? Would i have better luck renting a house with a couple of roomates? Do some owners take dogs on a case by case basis?
Chow mix = funny. Really? A real chow mix? Have you seen the infrequency of chows in the US? (true bred ones) I'm making a joke of this because it is a standard vet/tech/asst. description on all their forms. Does your dog have black spots on his tongue? This seems to be what people identify as a chow thing and it's a lab thing, and a mutt thing, and...it's a random thing. My black Lab has black spots on his tongue, as does my medium sized black mutt (hound of some sort, I think) who is no more chow than I am. Wanna post a picture of your furkid? If you are genuinely not sure of the heritage of your dog, stick with 'Lab mix.' That's the second favorite of the vet records world, methinks!
I've been having some problems because my dog is a mix - the shelter said hound mix, but I don't know what she's mixed with. I've run across some complexes (forgot which) that wanted a vet letter detailing her mix. Well, they don't know either! My trainer thought she was a hound/boxer mix, maybe a lab mix. But really I have no way of knowing without the DNA test (which isn't accurate, and frankly if she's a mix of aggressive breed I'd rather not know, this way I can say hound/boxer mix and really believe it).
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chows n stuff
He is very well behaved chow mix although does bark sometimes at a knock on the door. I was wondering how serious most complex owners are about this? Would i have better luck renting a house with a couple of roomates? Do some owners take dogs on a case by case basis?
Does your dog have black spots on his tongue? This seems to be what people identify as a chow thing and it's a lab thing, and a mutt thing, and...it's a random thing. My black Lab has black spots on his tongue, as does my medium sized black mutt (hound of some sort, I think) who is no more chow than I am. 
Wanna post a picture of your furkid? If you are genuinely not sure of the heritage of your dog, stick with 'Lab mix.' That's the second favorite of the vet records world, methinks! 
