Living in a flat, which breed of dog would be most suitable?

[PrimroseHall]

DS has problems interracting with other children and has been very lonely and sad lately. I'd like to get him a dog, preferably a big, friendly, energetic, cuddly one, but am prepared to compromise of course.

Our flat is on the 2nd floor, fairly roomy and we have a small balcony. There is a shared garden downstairs that I can use with the dog as long as the neighbours aren't in it, but the dog wouldn't be able to have the run of it as he'd have to be supervised incase another child wanted to come out.

I'm up for as much dog walking as is needed and the common is just down the road so he'd get a good run off the lead daily as well.

Our first choice would be a Boxer, closely followed by a Retriever, but would consider any dog if those 2 aren't suitable.

Any help appreciated

French bulldog,small but not GAY looking.....but i have chihuahuas and huge dh walks them without a fuss
schnaucer(sp?) friend has one and its lovely.

Primrose - So far we have just e-mailed the breeder who is a friend of my MILs and SILs -they got their dogs from her too and have both formed a strong friendship around all of their love of dogs. Her dogs are beautiful and so friendly and perfectly lovely in every way and she is careful about selecting the right pup for the right owner!

We are waiting for an answer. Seriously - it is unbarable... It feels exactly like waiting in an ice cream queue on a hot summers day!!!

The next pups are due this week. We are hoping to be lucky enough to get one of them... but we will see really.

If we don't have a reply by tonight we will call her as this is really driving me crazy [over-excited emotion]!!!

So tell me - What are your thoughts and feelings on the dog front today???

Greyhound! They are fantastic, quiet calm dogs (most anyway) who would be steady with your ds - many of the other dogs mentioned may be too fussy for your ds. They then tear around and play out on walks - the perfect mix! They also are not yappy and noisy - something to consider with neighbours so close.

I would suggest rehoming a dog, as housetraining will be difficult in a flat, and the puppy stage again could be harder for you to handle - the greyhound rescue will be able to advise.

Just one thing though - you may find rescue centres and some breeders are reluctant to home to you in a flat. I nearly got rejected as my garden fence was not high enough for the RSPCA, and I worked.

From an allergy point of view Wheaten Terriers would be good (but are nutty)

HTH

Wheaten terriers are loopy lol

Bichon and maltease are seperate breeds but similar coat. Bichon only look gay when groomed that way lol

We have had both as loads of allergies and have now got a bichon/maltease cross puppy - very sweet natured and love 2 be cuddled

Well my bro still got the homophobic abuse even tho his Bichon was clipped/stripped (or whatever it is they do) so it just had a short curly coat! From a distance you might think it was a Westie or something. So avoid the Bichon if the males in your household are of a sensitive disposition! By the way, it's had a lot of health problems, too. They are prone to teeth and joint problems. Bro says he's a cute little dog but he wishes he'd never bought him. Bro also has a Miniature Snauzer (sp?) and that's a yappy little thing so I'd avoid those too!

Thanks everyone.

I've emailed a few rescue centres about greyhounds and asked about other breeds that might be suitable. Just waiting for responses.

Does anyone have experience with English Bulldogs? From what I've read they make ideal companion dogs and wouldn't miss out by living in a flat. They're expensive so wouldn't be able to get one straight away though. Can anyone think of a reason why they wouldn't be a good choice?

TFT, any news on the puppies?

Latestincarnation, I know. I think we'll have a hard time convincing a rescue centre to let us adopt. That's why I've emailed instead of visiting, to avoid being hugely disappointed.

I find the breed rescues are slightly more informal/open to different situations than the "no" culture you will find with the rspca.

I'm really not a fan of English Bulldogs (for a start they can't mate or give birth without human intervention) - will puff and pant their way round a hot flat!!

Really hope you get some positive responses!

primrose - some people tend to cross the street when they see a staffie but tbh we get far more positive attention........of course our dog is verrrrrrrrrrrrrrrry handsome!!

please don't buy a bulldog, they have lots of health problems as a result of overbreeding and have a relatively short lifespan in comparison to other bully breeds. we were originally going to get a bulldog but after researching the breed, we felt that by buying a puppy we were contributing to the problems.
i'm sure there is a bulldog rescue centre if you would like to give a bulldog a home.

Primrose - we seriously considered a British Bulldog too... but they seem to be so sickly because of being over-bred. It depends how much you love the breed and are willing to really care for the tough side to get the good side - they have lovely personalities! Real darlings and DH thinks they look cool... but they seem to become little old men quickly which would break my heart. Also stairs are a big problem for them as they over-balance - we don't have a lift so this was important for us.

On our puppy front.... aww aww aww... GUESS WHAT???? -My DH had a long chat with the breeder on the phone tonight. She is delighted that we want one of her dogs and says she will help us 'train' her/him for apartment life! She even offered us a reduced price because she is so keen for us to have one of her dogs (screams with delight at being thought a good owner).

Next pups are due in two days, or if we would rather have a Spring puppy another batch from a different Mummy will be arriving in the Spring. We are delighted!

What about Cockers do they appeal to you Primrose???

Teafortwo, that's brilliant news! I'm thrilled for you all. The next 8 weeks or so, until you get your puppy in your home, are going to be agonisingly long, I bet!

Please update any progress. I'm especially eager to learn how you get on with toilet training when the time comes. Do you have easy access to outside, or are you hoping to use a puppy tray or something? I'd like to think that a tray would work as I've been told that I'd need to offer 'facilities' every 30 minutes at first, including through the night!

Thanks for the opinions on getting an English Bulldog. I agree with you all. It seemed like a good compromise at first - we'd still get the loyalty and companionship we want for DS, but without the energy that we'd really love, but can't really have because of our lack of garden.

I had a look at some videos on You Tube and while I find the Bulldog's character and looks endearing, it's physical limitations and breathing problems were upsetting to see. We don't have a lift either TFT, and lugging an adult Bulldog up and down 2 flights of stairs is out of the question. Ceres, I know what you mean, I don't want to increase the demand for more unhealthy pups to be bred either. I'm sad though, because I'd always thought of the English Bulldog as being, I don't know...top dog I suppose.

Latestincarnation, thanks for the tip on the breed rescue centres. I contacted a generic rescue centre (not RSPCA) and I got a fairly positive response - nothing at the moment, but keep checking and we might get lucky. Better than the "NO" I was anticipating, but still, I thought that out of all those dogs there might be something we'd be suitable for. When you take out all the dogs that aren't suitable for living with children under 12, then the dogs that would need a garden and a larger home, then the ones that are elderly and I wouldn't want because of DS's heartbreak at the dog dying shortly after he'd bonded with it, there's not that much left. I think I might just write a standard email detailing our circumstances and send it to every breed rescue centre and see what comes of it. Never know, I might get a Boxer or a Labrador (wishful thinking, I know).

Teafortwo, I do like Cocker Spaniels actually, well...the look of them anyway. I've never known anyone to own one so they weren't on my initial wish list, and they've never come up on when I've done the 'Find your ideal dog' tests online. What was the clincher for you TFT?

I read your thread and agree with you about some of the smaller breeds. I haven't outruled anything yet, but I know what you meant about your husband not getting the 'click - I love you' feeling with some breeds.

At the moment, the only dog that looks promising is a retired greyhound. Anyone know how many years I could expect one to stay with us for?

Primrose - We had been looking after my MIL and SIL's Cockers. They are so lovely! To me they feel like mini English Setters (my love) and to DH they feel like more agile, less stubborn and healthier mini Bassett Hounds (his love)... We really fell head over heels in love with these two cute little friendly dogs.

Shortly after, because she liked the cat that took to sleeping in our bed on holiday, DD started asking over and over for a cat... DH is not a cat lover and neither am I! This sparked the "So shall we just go for it and get a Cocker?" conversation...

I think you should look them up. Generally they are a healthy breed with a 'real dog' attitude to life! They live for 15 years if they aren't unlucky and unlike Bassett Hounds, the breeder tells us (and we have witnessed with SIL and MIL's dogs), they can be trained pretty successfully!

i jad two boxers and now just the one wiht a cavalier king charles spaniels. boxers are very energetic and require alot of exercise until they hit old age. and i would worry about them jumping over the balcony causing injury if another dog walked by or a cat or even a leaf blowing across the street as they were not necessarily at the front of the queue when intelligence was being dished out. they are excellent wiht kids once the jumping calms down.
i woudl suggest a greyhound type as they are affectionate and quite happy to be draft excluders all day. a terrier is not advised as they need constant activiites.
have yuo thought of a Schipperke, a peculiar looking dog i admit but fluffy so god to cuddle, they are small and were origninally Belgium barge dogs so require minimum exercise.
hth and enjoy your dog when you get one xx