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Pets can easily adapt to apartment life, but some dog breeds are more suitable than others.
Pets do not necessarily require a backyard or a garden where they can run around every day; they can live in an apartment. What really is essential is the presence of their owner. In fact, veterinarians say that all dogs, regardless of their size, are suitable to live in a domestic environment: the determining factor is, in any case, the training that the owner can give to his pet.
Naturally, some dogs cope better with apartment life, and these range from the Bichon to the smallest molossers. Some breeds (mostly of small size) are more suitable for domestic life because they are easy to handle and need less exercise than larger breeds. This does not mean that they should not be taken for walks as often.
Pets: 15 Dog Breeds Suitable for Life in Apartments
1) Bichon Maltese
It is one of the most famous pet dogs in the world: It is sweet with its owner, lively, and really smart. However, it likes to keep its privacy. The Bichon Maltese is a docile and curious dog that gets involved in its environment. Don’t be fooled by its size; it can also be useful as a watchdog: The Maltese dog is extremely attentive and can warn us at the slightest noise.
2) Bichon Frise
It is an intelligent and cunning dog. This breed is a lively and cheerful, pleasant pet dog. It becomes very affectionate with its family, and although it is equally devoted to all members with the same fondness, its loving and playful character leads it to be more attached with children than adults. It is because of this characteristic that the Bichon Frise is the perfect playmate for children.
Due to its skin’s hypoallergenic properties, it is also suitable for people who are usually allergic.
3) Bichon Havanese
It plays its pet role outstandingly. The Bichon Havanese is lively, cheerful, carefree, and smart. It is friendly and loves playing. It is a tireless and great companion dog that loves the outdoors. It is a good breed for children with whom it loves playing.
The Bichon Havanese is a highly social dog, even with strangers, as long as they are gentle with him. It does not tolerate being alone. Sometimes, it tends to isolate itself, mostly to attract attention, if it does not think it is getting enough affection. This dog tends to bark happily in the presence of anyone, but if the owner orders him to stop doing so, it obeys immediately.
4) Bolognese
This breed has a really good temperament: It is docile, obedient, cheerful, and playful. It is always looking for its owner to spend time with him. The Bichon Bolognese can also adapt well to “quieter” families, such as those of the elderly. If trained, it is smart and loyal. This Bichon is not as hyperactive or nosy as others of its type.
As stated before, it needs to spend time with its owner, so this breed is certainly not a suitable dog if you want to leave him in the apartment alone for many hours. In these cases, it would be better to have another pet to leave it with as a companion, with whom there will be no problem since the Bolognese socializes easily with other dogs, even if they do not belong to its breed. It is important to walk it regularly as it is not a “pocket” dog.
5) Coton de Tulear
Let’s say it can be considered a loving child who can also be quite lively and even a bit turbulent. It is a dog that can make you feel good, as he is very active and friendly. The Coton de Tulear is extremely attached to its owner and the whole family in general; it also gets on well with children.
However, this breed also has a temper that is not always easy to handle, especially with pets he does not know or is not used to seeing. In these cases, the Coton de Tulear tends to become an unsuspecting bullet and “subject” to other dogs, although its size does not help him.
6) Little Lion dog
Generally, it is a cheerful and happy dog that is also active, playful, and intelligent. All these characteristics make it an excellent pet. Its love is never too invasive, but it is essential not to leave it alone for many hours.
It is also pretty quiet, and it does not bark much. This is the reason why it is so popular with neighbors. The Little Lion Dog is easy to train and loves playing. It can be stubborn if you let it. Like many pets of its size, it likes to give orders even to bigger dogs than it. This is why it is essential to get this breed used to who the master is in a firm but gentle way from early puppyhood.
The Little Lion Dog loves long walks in the outdoors, so it cannot be considered a Toy dog capable of staying still for an indefinite time without trying to get out. It loves playing games and going for walks. It is hard for it to stay calm at home if it hasn’t walked for at least half an hour.
7) Poodle
It is known as one of the most popular pets in the world. It is a fast learner, lively, cheerful, attentive, active, friendly, sweet, and good. An extremely loyal and affectionate dog that has a great predisposition to please its owner, a characteristic that highlights its ease to be trained. Large poodles tend to be more reflexive than their little “cousins.”
The standard poodle is a bright and cheerful breed that adapts well to any family. Whether there are children or older people. It is a dog that always knows how to act and be loved because of its adorable character. They love the comfort of the couch. It is hard to think of a poodle forced to live in the backyard day and night. They also love sports, walking, running, swimming, and other outdoor activities.
8) Belgian Griffon
Despite its small size, it is a brave and proud dog as well as highly loyal. This breed becomes very attached to its owner and family. It is always ready to defend them with determination.
Indeed, this breed is not impressive for its weight; however, it is excellent for guarding activities. Anyway, the Belgian Griffon is also suitable as a pet dog since it has a good relationship with children and older people.
Be careful not to leave it alone: even if the dog is independent, this particular breed misses its owner badly and wants to be the center of attention.
9. Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
It is an affectionate, courageous dog that is always cheerful and has a great capacity to adapt. It is not an aggressive breed and, for this reason, it has been adopted for centuries as a companion dog. Its lively character means that it never sits still. You will have to build dog toys if you are willing to adopt one.
This breed adapts easily to everything: It loves being indoors and loves running and playing in the backyard. It must be taken for walks frequently as it needs a lot of exercises. It is advisable to let it sleep indoors since it is not used to being outdoors and prefers home warmth.
10. Boston Terrier
It is an intelligent and sweet breed that develops a good relationship with children. This is the reason why it is one of the most beloved pets. It rarely barks, and if it does so, surely there is a reason, like its owner is in danger or there is an emergency. It is friendly, but it does not mean that it is always looking for petting. It can feel comfortable in its bed, and it does not want to be the center of attention all the time.
Although it is a lively dog, if it notices that you are busy or that you cannot be with him at that moment, it will wait quietly. It is very quiet and, despite not being so big, it is self-confident: It is brave, attentive, loyal, and tireless. To sum up, it is difficult to find faults in the Boston Terrier. It is the ultimate dog for our children.
11) Pug
It is one of the companion dogs par excellence: It is affectionate with the whole family; while with strangers, it is cautious at first. Despite its size, the Pug is an excellent watchdog. It is loyal, smart, and it has a natural dignity.
Yes, this breed may seem hyperactive as a puppy, but don’t worry. As it gets older, you will notice that it loves sitting for hours on the living room couch and in front of the TV. However, this is not always a good thing because it may increase the risk of obesity if combined with an unhealthy diet. It loves playing, so it’s up to you to keep it active from time to time.
It has a playful and ironic character: Do not be distracted by its laziness; the Pug is a pet that really wants to play. Therefore, it is a challenging animal: This breed is not suitable for everyone and needs a present owner.
12. French Bulldog
It is a perfect companion dog, and as such, it requires constant contact with humans. You should never leave it alone for more than a few hours, as it suffers from separation anxiety, both as a puppy and as an adult. A specimen left alone for too long usually develops a destructive temperament that leads it to chew objects or furniture in a home.
This dog does need excessive exercise, but daily walks are a must. Be careful if you want to put the dog’s bed close to yours: the French Bulldog snores, and a lot!
This breed is an ideal choice as a pet because it adapts pretty well to apartment life and because it has a character that encourages it to get close to people. Besides, it is a dog that rarely barks, and there is no danger of disturbing the neighbors.
13) Shih Tzu
Its name may be difficult to pronounce, but you will come to love it easily. It is a friendly dog who would love to be pampered all day long. It loves to be in contact with humans, especially with its family for whom it would do anything. Initially, it is a bit distrustful with strangers and other pets, but it will play without too much trouble after a while.
The Shih Tzu is an extremely intelligent breed and, despite its size, it is very brave. Believe or not, it has a “defect”, just to call it that: It is a little stubborn, a characteristic that should be corrected immediately with training. After this, it will respond to any command given, kindly and without growling.
14) Chihuahua
It is a cheerful, intelligent, and very lively canine breed. It has a bright mind and remembers everything easily. This is one of the reasons why it is really easy to be trained. It is a dog that adapts to all situations and can be taken anywhere.
The Chihuahua is exclusively a companion dog. And if we also consider its excellent hearing ability, it can be an excellent alarm bell since it barks a lot at the slightest noise it does not recognize.
This breed adapts very well to domestic life and it is very attached to its owners, especially to one of them: It is extremely playful and loves being in its owner’s arms. It is very cuddly and loves being pampered. This is a calm and gentle dog, if not disturbed. As it is sensitive, it may be affected by the mood of the humans with whom it lives.
15) Japanese Chin
In terms of temperament, it is a cat more than a dog. It has characteristics that make it more like a feline than a dog. Like cats, it is a very attentive, intelligent, and independent dog. It is common for it to use its paws to clean its face. This breed loves to rest on high surfaces and has a good sense of balance. Also, like cats, the Japanese Chin loves to hide everywhere, taking advantage of its size. They are cuddle pets. They like to be close to their owner but without feeling subordinate.
This breed is a lively dog. It rarely barks and limits itself to warn the owner of a visitor’s arrival or call attention to something out of the ordinary. It also performs various “shows” due to its hyperactive nature. It is not uncommon to see it spinning on itself and doing somersaults, dancing on its hind legs with its front legs in the air, and even signing in a moment of greatest satisfaction.
If you have fallen in love with one of the best apartment pet dogs in the world, you can go in search of your new 4-legged friend who is surely waiting for you.
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