Apartment + dog... Questions

Ok so I've been asking alot of questions latey
Anyway, I just want to hear from anyone that has an indoor dog and live in an apartment. I'm mainly asking about Westies but anyones experiences I'm happy to hear about. .... obviously correct training and daily walks and playing will be carried out, but in your experiences how do they go, and what periods of time can they be left alone once old enough?
I have read that Westies are perfect for apartment living, but I want to actually hear from people that have done this.
thank you

I used to have a friend who was 97 and lived in an apartment with a Westie - they did have garden access and her dog got plenty of exercise - they did have a minor issue in that Westies can be quite barky and Heather used to bark when she heard other people's doorbells.

hiya i have a westie x bichon and dont have a garden and live in a apartment & my dog goes indoors to the loo on a 'U go dog' toilet!

took a while to train him But westies are stuborn!!

but his really good now and 99.9% great with it!

he does have his moments and he mad dashs around the place and we play alot he loves his squeaky toys! and he loves his walks he could go outside forever!

i really really think with a westie you need a garden though we are hoping to move to a place with one as its just been unfair on him really, but not to say you shouldnt get one he has been great so far we just want a garden for hm!

id say bichons would be better in a apartment as they are lap dogs and take the amount of exercise you give them.

westies need 60mins of walking/running then ther eplaytimes then the training on top if that! i do about 5 mins 3 times a day, short sweet to the point to keep his attention!

dogbreedinfo.com has lists of breeds and whether they would do well in a apartment!

with the leaving alone its been dreadful and im only in the other room! he crys ALOT but both breeds like to be with there owner, i am working on it now and it will take time but it is going good so far we are up to 1hour alone time and he is 7months, i dont think that is too bad considering 2weeks ago i couldnt leave him for more then 3minutes!!

also dont spoil them and let them know there place or you will have one spoilt little bratty dog on your hands!!

thanks guys. Yep we were going to get the grass boxes that people use for the doggy toilets or soemthing like it. We have a nice garden downstairs to take him aswell. It def is a catch 22 isn't it. So I have heard they cry/pine until they are old enough to learn independance, would they be about 1, before they are comfortable?

I never leave my dogs alone for more than three hours at a time.

As for barking when you're out, this is separation anxiety...there are many books on the subject, so it might be advisable for you to purchase one of these and start training your puppy as soon as you get it
An anxious dog is an unhappy dog and this could lead to other behaviour problems.

id say the sooner you start leaving them alone the better so they get used to it, i didnt do that and mine crys even if he can see me bum im not in the same room!

dont leave it a year then start leaving him alone!

work up to it though 5/10mins......very slowy & gradually!

we are starting from stratch now and touch wood* it is going good!

Dogs tend to adapt to what they are brought upto, there are a lot of people out there with dogs who live in apartments and it works out fine. Terriers can be noisy (well my Skye Terrier is anyway but she is a little madam ) so it is something to bear in mind but if brought up correctly i can't see a reason why it wouldn't work not if you have access to a garden

Regards leaving your puppy you work it up gradually, you start with 5 minutes then you increase it to 10 and so on. Its hard hearing them cry the first few times but they soon learn you are coming home again and being alone isn't the end of the world

thanks guys, it helps alot. It really does come down to common sense dosen't it!? I like to think I have a fair bit of that! I think I'm going to make a good owner. Now for the body corporate issue! We have the meeting tomorrow, which I can't attend as it's in work hours, so it's up to my boyfriend to handle it! Wish me luck;-)

lol what is a corporate body interview.........!!

hehe Here for our units/townhouses/duplexes, whether in a highrise, complex or small block of units we have a corporation that basically controls what we can and can't do in the units. So even though I own my unit, I don't have the freedom to do what I want. There are 'by-laws' we have to abide by in accordance with the 'Body Corporate' Some places are lucky, the body corp is simply run by the owners, but in my case it's run by a Solicitor. SO we just happen to have our Annual meeting tomorrow with them and the other owners, which they discuss the finance and maintenance of the building and any other issues. I have written a request for dog ownership, which I'll have Tim (my partner) go to the meeting and hope that it gets discussed and approved. It's all so much isn't it, bloody rules!

oh wow! thats harsh!!!

we have 'leasehold' buildings here and some say in contracts no pets etc....but no one ever checks up or turns up to check so most people just do as they want!

i hope it goes well for you!!!

we got denied from the body corporate. The other owners listened to what we had to say but everythings so black and white to other people. They said no, all they could think about was the 'what ifs' and the 'maybes' and the negatives.

Wow really?!

Is there anything else you can do? Fight it some how? Bribary?

Good Luck with whatever you do!

x

yeah it sux! I will fight it, but at the same time, we've realised that where we're living just isn't our 'home' so we will do it up and move in about a year or so.