Dog for apartment?

dublin_daveyboy

hello all,

i am moving into an apartment ina few weeks and really want to get a dog eventually so i thaught id ask the good people on the boards what breed or cross breed would you's recommend.

i would really like to get a dog from the pound or rescue centre but i intend to do a lot of research before i get one,the dog will have to be good with children which is very important and a small'ish type.

the place im moving into is a ground floor apartment with a suprisingly decent sized garden,there is a park going to be right across from me aswell.i am currently unemployed thats why i think i should get a dog while i have the time to train it ect.

so any suggestions or advice would be great,

thanks in advance,
davey.

MoonDancer256

Something like a Cavalier King Charles spaniel would probably be good; small happy dogs, love sitting around with you, good with kids.

Try the Irish Cavalier Rescue if interested in this breed: http://www.ckcsrescue.com

If you're planning to get from a rescue/pound your best bet is just to head down to one and tell them your requirements. They will know which dogs are appartment suitable, and which are okay with children.

Also bear in mind that while you might be unemployed now, what if you get a job in 2 months? What happens to the dog then? Left home alone 8+ hours a day 5 days a week? Make sure you consider these things An adult toilet-trained dog will be better able to cope with being left alone than a young puppy.

dublin_daveyboy

hello moondancer,

thank you for your reply and advice,a few friends of mine have cavaliers and they are on the shortlist of possible breeds to get,they seem to be a very popular breed,but your right what you said about asking the people in the centres which would suit best,

in regard to what you said about when i get back to work i have already taking that into consideration and arrangements will be made and i would never leave a dog on its own all day and i completely agree with what you say,

so anymore suggestions on breeds or which pound or centres to go to will be much appreciated,

thanks again.

MoonDancer256

I'm in Cork so I can't really help so much with what pound/rescue to go to, however other small breeds that are popular in appartments and get along with children (afaik!) are Pugs, Boston Terriers, English Bulldogs, Miniature Snauzers, or Cocker Spaniels.

Beagles or Springer Spaniels might do okay due to size and temperment, but would need a lot of daily exercise outdoors. Personally I have a Boxer, and she's excellent with children, although quite large so can knock small children over when she's excited. Great for children that are a bit older though, maybe 8+. She's also fairly inactive when indoors, but she does need a LOT of exercise outdoors.

Personally I've had Springer Spaniels, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Border Collies, Boxers and Cocker Spaniels, and out of those I would say Cavaliers are the best suited to appartments. Plus they're cute:

00112984

I have an apartment and a Cavlier too!

It works really well. They like short bursts of exercise and then snuggling up on the couch for a kip. They're stubborn but clever and can be easily trained once you have the time.

The one thing I will say is that they're very clingy as a breed. They were originally bred as companion lapdogs and this trait is still very strong. I work from home and, when I'm in, she's hanging out with me all the time. She's fine on her own for a few hours but I really wouldn't leave her for a full working day. The other thing to consider is that the dog will get very attached to you while you're at home for the next couple of months and could very well suffer from seperation anxiety once you go back to work.

If you're thinking of a Cav, would you consider adopting an older one from a rescue? That way, you wouldn't have to deal with the general destruction and chaos brought on my a puppy and, depending on the dog, they might be happier to lounge around on their own for longer periods for when you're back to work? A good rescue will be able to tell you a lot about the personality of each of their dogs and will work to match on to you and your situation.

While I absolutely love my pooch and wouldn't swap her for the world, I regret not going down the shelter route. At the time, I did look at some pounds but was limited in the type of dog I could get and didn't want to risk getting a cross-breed puppy just because I wouldn't be sure of the likely size and temperment of the dog which is something you really have to consider when living in an apartment with neighbours all around.

Hopefully, in a few years, we'll have more space and I'll be adopting another Cav through a rescue.

dublin_daveyboy

thank you 00122984 and moondancer for the excellent advice,man that picture is so cute,one thing my mate told me they are fairly expensive especially females,but from what you guys are saying they seem to be the perfect apartment dog.

and 00112984 yes i would go for an older dog maybe a year old or so,because i know how destructive puppies can be.and its a brand new home so it would suit best getting a slightly older dog.

when hopefully this recession ends and im back working i have someone to mind it if need be,and the person has a dog so it would be a bit of company for the dog too,

im going to start going around pounds and centres in dublin and if i see a cavalier i might go for it,my intention is to give a rescued dog a good home.im sure in the end ill find the right one,

thanks again guys for your input.

MoonDancer256

dublin_daveyboy wrote: »

one thing my mate told me they are fairly expensive especially females

Expensive how? You mean upkeep, or initial purchase? A Cavalier puppy would cost you in the region of €300-500. If you're going via a rescue you'll be looking at €100-200 adoption fee.

If you mean upkeep, they're small and won't eat you out of house and home like large dogs

Health wise you need to watch out for eye problems, and heart problems as they get older (particularly Mitric Valve Disease), and hip dysplaxia can be a problem in a lot of Cavaliers. But then, you get health problems with most breeds, all you can do is get the dog vet checked regularly and keep an eye out for any problems.

dublin_daveyboy

i just meant buying a puppy from a breeder,the upkeep costs as you said should'nt be that expensive due to its size but it'll be worth every penny anyway however much it may be.

i would much rather donate to a centre than go through beeders,and not just cause its cheaper most centres need the money and operate with the help of donations.

00112984

Moondancer raises a good point about health. Another horrible disease that Cavs are prone to is Syringomyelia. Something like 90% of all Cavs are carriers of this disease and some of the effects it can have are devastating. Luckily, my girl hasn't shown any signs yet but it's something any Cav owner has to be hugely conscious of. More details can be found here- Link

Health insurance is something you really need with any dog so be sure to factor that into costs too.

dublin_daveyboy

my friend mentioned that to me before and it is a concern so insurance would really have to be sorted,but as moon said all dogs a prone to certain diseases so the insurance is defo an option.they are lovely dogs though.

MoonDancer256

00112984 wrote: »

Health insurance is something you really need with any dog so be sure to factor that into costs too.

Definitely worthwhile; I've got my Boxer insured with Allianz, think its €18/month for a pedigree dog, less for mixed breed.

My childhood Cavalier had a heart murmur that got progressively worse as she got older, and she did need meds in her old age but she still lasted ages

dublin_daveyboy

MoonDancer256 wrote: »

Definitely worthwhile; I've got my Boxer insured with Allianz, think its €18/month for a pedigree dog, less for mixed breed.

My childhood Cavalier had a heart murmur that got progressively worse as she got older, and she did need meds in her old age but she still lasted ages

18 squids i can defo live with seems reasonable,why are cross's cheaper anway?,i heard before that mongrels tend to be more intelligent than full breeds,probably a myth.

MoonDancer256

dublin_daveyboy wrote: »

18 squids i can defo live with seems reasonable,why are cross's cheaper anway?,i heard before that mongrels tend to be more intelligent than full breeds,probably a myth.

Mongrels are cheaper probably because they are apparently less prone to congenital diseases; wider gene pool = less chance of something hereditary.

Intelligence difference is rubbish though.

dublin_daveyboy

MoonDancer256 wrote: »

Mongrels are cheaper probably because they are apparently less prone to congenital diseases; wider gene pool = less chance of something hereditary.

Intelligence difference is rubbish though.

yeah i see what you mean about the hereditary diseases,and i thaught it was rubbish alright,like the myth dogs are colour blind,which is bull too.

MoonDancer256

dublin_daveyboy wrote: »

yeah i see what you mean about the hereditary diseases,and i thaught it was rubbish alright,like the myth dogs are colour blind,which is bull too.

Not entirely, dogs have difficulty distinguishing between green, yellow, orange and red. Less receptors in their eyes or something.

Do they don't see in black and white, but they also don't see in the same colour spectrum that we do.

Vel

Some lovely little cavs looking for homes on this link:

http://www.ckcsrescue.com/rescue/homes_needed/homes_needed.html

lala stone

so would an older house-trained dog be better if u work 9-5? tks

Vel

Absolutely in my opinion. There is no way I would leave a pup for that long on its own. Its cruel and if you do you are probably going to have an out of control, destructive dog after a while. An older dog who is used to being left would be a much better idea

MoonDancer256

lala stone wrote: »

so would an older house-trained dog be better if u work 9-5? tks

To quote my first post in this thread...

MoonDancer256 wrote: »

An adult toilet-trained dog will be better able to cope with being left alone than a young puppy.

00112984

I queried the price difference between a cross and a pedigree when I was looking for insurance and, apart from the issue with diseases as Moondancer mentioned, pedigree dogs are also more likely to be stolen.

MoonDancer256

Yes that too. And the fact that in the situation where the insurance company are paying to replace your dead/lost/stolen dog it costs the insurance more to replace an expensive pedigree dog (hundreds, sometimes thousands of euros) as opposed to a cheap mixed breed that you got free in the paper or something .

dublin_daveyboy

MoonDancer256 wrote: »

Not entirely, dogs have difficulty distinguishing between green, yellow, orange and red. Less receptors in their eyes or something.

Do they don't see in black and white, but they also don't see in the same colour spectrum that we do.

what can i say,learn something new everyday.

dublin_daveyboy

00112984 wrote: »

I queried the price difference between a cross and a pedigree when I was looking for insurance and, apart from the issue with diseases as Moondancer mentioned, pedigree dogs are also more likely to be stolen.

yeah i never thaught of that,no thief would ever steal a mongrel.its sickening that dog robbing goes on really,its pure scum.

MoonDancer256

Mongrels can still get stolen, particularly for use in dog fights, but its less likely than a beautiful pedigree dog being stolen to resell for profit.

00112984

The sad thing is that dogs are lifted but these scumbags use male crossbreeds for fighting and female purebreds for intensive breeding. You'd often hear of a female crossbreed being stolen and then dumped miles and miles away when it's discovered it's not a male

dee o gee

One important thing you need to do is find out are dogs actually allowed in your apartment complex?

As regards crossbreeds being stolen, they arent as big a target but the xbreed females can still be bred from and sold on as some fancy designer dog, iv definetely noticed an increase in people selling mutts for massive amounts of money, sometimes more than what you'd pay for a pb

dublin_daveyboy

dee o gee wrote: »

One important thing you need to do is find out are dogs actually allowed in your apartment complex?

As regards crossbreeds being stolen, they arent as big a target but the xbreed females can still be bred from and sold on as some fancy designer dog, iv definetely noticed an increase in people selling mutts for massive amounts of money, sometimes more than what you'd pay for a pb

hows it going dee gee,

i already asked whether having a dog is allowed to be kept,they are once they dont cause hasstle as in excessive barking ect.birds however are not allowed.

00112984

dublin_daveyboy wrote: »

birds however are not allowed.

Seriously? What reason do they give for that?

dublin_daveyboy

00112984 wrote: »

Seriously? What reason do they give for that?

yeah seriously thats what we were told,i thaught it was hilarious.the reason is them being noisey.

00112984

That's mad. Suppose there must've been an incident at some stage that caused that rule.

dee o gee

The birds thing I thought was a bit weird, but I guess they can make a lot of noise, but then again so can a barking dog. Good that your apartments allow dogs, alot of them don't, would be awful to find out if they didn't after you'd gotten a dog.
If you decide to go to a rescue most of them will insist on a letter from the landlord (if your renting) to say that they allow dogs.