an energetic dog in an apartment

[hotdog2007]

Hi everyone,

I posted this in the Dog Sports section, but thought I would post it here as well. I found a dog online on Petfinder and went to visit her yesterday. She was sweet and cute, and she seems great for agility - she was hurdling over puppies at the shelter - but she seems super high-energy, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle her living in an apartment. Unfortunately, she's scheduled to be put down this Saturday, so I need to let the animal shelter know by Friday. On the other hand, there are just so many dogs being put down where I live, so if I can't rescue her I could rescue a calmer dog instead. I think it's an individual decision, but does anyone have any insight?

Thank you in advance!

[darkchild16]

DO you have time for 30 minutes of excercise about 3-4 times a day (all the major times where you need a calm puppy) or the room in your apartment for you to play indoor fetch or other kinds of games like that? Did they know the breeds?

[hotdog2007]

Thanks for your reply! They list her as a spaniel, but in person she looks like a border collie to me, and she's listed as one year old. I'm not sure I'll be able to give her the exercise she needs four times a day, nor the room for indoor games. I was thinking about getting one of those plastic playground sets for her to play on if I got her.

[darkchild16]

That would help but they definatly need outside stimuli. Are you going to be taking her to classes? How frequent? Is this your first dog?

[smkie]

Victor was and is high energy and we have a very small space. At first i walked him at least three times a day and had lots of games that involved energy burning. Like chasing bubbles. There was one advantage and that was i could be with him 24-7. I don't know if we could have managed if i had to leave him alone for 8 hours a day, and i certainly couldn't have crated such a spirit.

[Paige]

I own two border collies. I do not have a fences in backyard and they have to stay in my room when I am not here so I guess it is similar to living in an apartment. I cannot just let my dogs out the backdoor. I have to go out with them.


What sort of physical activity do you enjoy? Do you enjoy biking? Because that has been the best thing I could of ever done for my dogs. We go biking twice a day for 45 minutes. Pretty extreme biking too. We go out in the bush. Some times it's cut short but usually I dedicate at least an hour and a half to my dogs physical needs every day. They need it.

[hotdog2007]

I was going to start with a beginner class that meets once a week. I can also bring her to a dog day care two times a week, providing her health checks out. I've fostered dogs before, but most have been on the calm side. The lady at the shelter said to take into account that she'd been couped up in a run before I met her, so I'm not sure how she would be on a daily basis.

[darkchild16]

If you take her to dog day care and can take her to dog parks after work you should be good. But get ehr a kong and a few kennel type toys to keep her entertained while you are gone.

[showpug]

The apartment living doesn't really matter all that much. What matters is how often you can get out with her to really stimulate her and let her get her energy out. If she gets proper exercise throughout the day then the apartment is just her resting spot. If she needs extra stuff to do while inside then there are some great interactive toys available to keep her busy.

Good luck with your decision.

[hotdog2007]

Thanks for all your replies! I like to roller-blade and go running, so I could do that with her. I'm not sure I could leave her un-crated in my apartment, since at the shelter she was constantly looking for things to eat. I work outside the home during the day.