Dogs and apartments?

I live in a townhouse community, no fenced in yard :(
Actually, I don't mind it at all. Apollo gets leash walked (sometimes we go for a run) for 1+ hour in the morning, then we go to an off leash dog park or state park 1-2 a day (I'm a dog walker so that's my "work";), then we go for a very looooong leash walk at night. It works for us. Yes, sometimes it stinks because of the weather, but I've lived in New England my entire life so it doesn't bother me too much. Plus, I'm lucky I only live 5 houses away from my parents who do have a large, fenced in yard, and Apollo's always welcome there.

You're dogs will adjust, it may take some time. Just remember, they have to go- even if you don't want to go for a walk!

As someone who just moved out of an apartment and into a house with a huge backyard, you don't realize how nice it is to have that yard!  Granted I have a medium sized spaz dog who is actually very good in the house but needs lots of exercise.  It seems you have smaller dogs and smaller dogs don't need as much exercise or room, however, they will need and want some outside time.  Use leashes, be watchful for other dogs in the complex, pick up after your pups and you should be just fine.  I personally liked that Joey needed to be walked because it was incentive to get my butt off the couch!  Wouldn't trade my nice backyard for that dern apartment though!  Good luck, it can certainly be done and successfully.

yup, it sucks. but it works...

the worst thing is the potty trips.... *sigh*

Thanks for all your advice so far. :D

Pedro isn't my problem. He's honestly like the best dog ever. Lol. He doesn't even like going outside all that much, which, in some sense, I wish he did.. but for that reason, it makes things seem like they'd be easier.

But as for Chico, I know it would be difficult. He wants to constantly go outside, even if he doesn't need a potty break.

Rascal and I live in an apartment on the 23rd floor! He transitioned remarkably well from a house with a fenced yard to an apartment. The main difference is that I've found he needs more walks/exercise to stay happy, since he doesn't have a whole house/yard to run around in. I usually take him out about 4 times a day, and each time ends up taking around 10 minutes usually (depending on how picky he's being at the moment :-p) so it can kind of mess up your schedule if you don't allow for extra dog outings before you head out for a bit.

Overall, it works quite well for us. IMO, especially since you have small dogs, if the apartment seems like the best decision for you - go for it. Don't not do it just because of the lack of a yard. Just be prepared to take your dogs for lots of walks for their outside time.   Extra toys, chewies, etc. can also really help to keep around inside. Rascal's biggest disappointment with living in an apartment is he can't watch exciting things out the window (the windows are too tall, and we're too high up!).

Edited to add: Rascal's "off leash exercise" is running in the park on his Flexi-lead from tree to tree while chasing squirrels. We work on voice commands that way so he doesn't hit the end of the leash, but it gives him the freedom to really run and stretch his legs, and he really likes that. He also really likes to kick up grass, so I make sure he gets time to do that, too.

Is there a park near the apartment you're considering? 

redlegos

He wants to constantly go outside, even if he doesn't need a potty break.

We moved into a townhouse community in May. Pirate is a Chico. He likes to just lay out in the sun. Lucky for us, we have a 20' x 20' fenced patio. That's why we decided to live where we do, actually. It's really not too different from living in a house!

Pirate has a flexi for running, and my mom's has a big yard, too.

My dogs (Legend and Julian, as well as my late Basset) and I lived in an apartment for years. We were all quite content there. In fact, even renting houses before the apartment, we never had a fenced in yard until our current home. It wasn't a huge deal to leash everyone up for bathroom breaks.

While having a yard to let everyone out into is handy, it was no big deal to not have one

I suppose my main concern is about when I go to work.

As of now, I have my parents to sort of let them out when I'm not home, and I'll be working for 7-10 hours daily. That's too long not to have potty breaks ..and I don't use kennels. My dogs never chew up anything and never really pee in the house, except leaving them inside that long would make me wonder. But Chico does really well on potty pads. Just sort of worried, I don't want the apartment smelling like pee.

I've lived in my apartment for over eight years and have had Luke for 4 1/2 years, so he's spent his whole life in my little one bedroom apartment (as has Kaiser, but it's not such a stretch for him because he's little!).

Yeah, it can be a bit of a pain when the dog(s) need to go outside right in the middle of a movie you're watching or something, because it means putting on your shoes and taking them out and waiting while they do their business.  Usually it also means picking up after them immediately every time they go, where in your own yard you can be a little more lazy about such things.

It's really not that bad, though.  My dogs have done just fine in an apartment.  I'm buying a house right now, though, that is going to have a nice big yard and I'm really looking forward to it!  It won't be fenced in for a while, though, so I'll still be taking Kaiser out on leash for a bit.

One negative about apartment living -- The last thing I want is for my dogs to annoy my neighbors, so I'm very careful about monitoring them and making sure they don't make any noise.  Luke is trustworthy and I can leave him home alone anytime, but I think Kaiser might cry a bit -- so he comes with me everywhere.  If I absolutely can't take the dogs, I have the ability to drop them off at my office at work and leave them.

I do this because there is a dog down the hall from me who NEVER SHUTS UP when his owner is gone -- and the last thing I want is for my dogs to be hated like I hate that dog some days....

We're apartment dwellers, and have been for a number of years (not by choice).  We live in an older home that has been divided into three separate floors, and we have a smallish backyard, just it's not fenced.  Before, when we lived out in the country, I've always felt that dogs who lived within city limits were lacking on a lot of needs; but since living in the city myself, I feel that city dogs have several advantages over country dogs:

In the city, dogs are forced to come into contact with people, sights and sounds on a daily basis.  What country dog would hear police/fire/ambulance sirens daily, or public transit buses?  People can be found everywhere within the city, walking, running or doing daily chores.  Many dogs that live in the country during the socialization period have to have these kinds of interactions sought out for their training.  Not so for the city dog.

Having no yard, means one simply can't open the door.  Now potty breaks turn into walks or exercise breaks.  Not only does the dog end up getting more exercise this way, but it's also better for us.  Plus too, pet waste is forced to be picked up, as an act of responsibility, never allowing it to collect.

It's well known that dogs are one of the greatest social ice breakers known to man kind, and with all of the walks and potty breaks, one tends to meet more people.  Neighbours that you never knew existed, now are a part of the dog experience; and if they own a dog too, well it's that much better.

We're very fortunate to be within a 10 minute walking distance of our vet clinic, and about a 20 minute walk of our emergency clinic, something that wasn't possible for us before in the country.  We are also lucky to be very close to 5 separate parks, and not too far of a distance from the off leash park.

I feel that city dog owners have more responsibilities.  Every time one steps out the front door, there is literally dozens of people watching you at any given time, meaning that if your dog is not properly trained or under control, it's noticed (Ie barking, no knowledge of basic obedience or destructive behavior). (This is not to say that only city owners should train their dogs, just that it's even more of a reason why.)  We we seek out an apartment/townhouse/condo, we have to prove in many cases that we're responsible and committed dog owners, as so many bad ones have given us all a neglectful image.  If we see a dog at a shelter that would match our lifestyle, many shelters balk at the apartment aspect, especially the yard issue.  True, country dog owners have their own set of challenges, but overall I feel that there are quite a few advantages to city living: from the dogs perspective.

If you give your dogs some time to adjust to their new surroundings, I'm sure they won't be against it for long. 

Good Luck

Ashley

Another apartment dweller! I have THREE dogs in about 700 sq feet and we make out just fine. They get plenty of exercise (more than I suspect many dogs with yards). Having dogs in an apartment does take more of a commitment though because you HAVE to walk your dogs. So I have to get up way early before work to walk them, bf walks them in the middle of the day and then we all go out at night.

 
For the middle of the day for your little dudes you could get a doggie litter box. Easy peasy.

KarissaKS

it means putting on your shoes and taking them out

You have to put shoes on!? ~L~ sorry. Even in the dead of winter here, I'm barefoot, in jeans and a winter coat. If it's *really* cold I'll wear flip-flops or Crocs.