# Standard Poodles and Apartment Living: Can it be done?



## pudlemom (Apr 16, 2010)

My daughter has a Spoo and lives' in an apartment and has no issues she has had her since she was 8 weeks and she adapted just fine to apartment living,she walks her daily and take to a large court yard at the complex to get the zommies out everyday. 

When she was young she stayed in her crate and once she was about 8 month she started letting her stay out of short periods of time ,she is now 15 month and stays out all the time and dose not destroy anything. Good luck with you new addition I bet you can't wait!


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## FunkyPuppy (Jan 27, 2011)

Thank you for the support. This has been my number one concern, and I was preparing myself for the same response I got from rescues: "2 year old? Apartment? DYEING DOGS? Absolutely not!"


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## Winnow (Jan 2, 2010)

I sold one of my pups to a person who sounds just like you except that she is not a groomer and works a full day but has a son who can take care of the dog during the day.

She wakes up at 6 am and takes him for a long walk, then her son comes home during lunch and takes him out for potty and a short walk, then she comes home and they take another walk.

They have never had any problems and take very good care of there dog. So I am very pleased that I did not let the fact that she lives in apartment stop me from selling her the pup.
But we did choose a very special boy for her. He was the one most likely to get along great just by himself and that it would not be likely that he should bark much for attention or just bark over all.

So in my opinion I would think that its doable but just keep in mind that you have to be very active the first weeks with house training since it will be a little more difficult for you to run out with the pup to pee.


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## FunkyPuppy (Jan 27, 2011)

Thank you, I know it'll be a challenge but I'm sure it'll be possible. The apartment I've chosen is across the street from my work, so on the offchance that I can't take her to daycamp one day (like right after she's spayed) I'll still be able to fly over and take her potty on a lunch break. 

As for potty training, I've read that while females may be a little less interested in pottying outside, as a breed poodles are pretty easily potty trained. So far I've crate trained my parent's silky when I lived with them and a maltese I rescued who was an "outdoor dog" (and is now a spoiled couch pet for my fiancee's mom). I'm still working on potty training my two year old...


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## Feathersprings (Jul 15, 2010)

Sounds to me like you have a great plan. We live in the country with a few acres of preperty but Hoolie lives like an apartment dog lOL! He only goes out for a short time to go potty and back in the house. Our fences are only 4 ft so I dont trust him out unsupervised for long. We go to the dogs park and he is kenneled when we need to to get groceries or other errands.


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## JE-UK (Mar 10, 2010)

I have never understood why breeders and rescues are fixated on fenced yards. Poodles in particular are unlikely to go out on alone and run around a fenced yard. They are people dogs.

Also, some of the most neglectful dog owners I know have nice fenced gardens. 

I lived in a condo for years with an active Golden. It's very doable, but it does take some focus.

Good luck!


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## Locket (Jun 21, 2009)

I live in a very small condo with my two spoos, no backyard/front yard. It's a challenge some days when it's freezing out or raining badly, but it MAKES me get out multiple times a day and enjoy nature. Which certainly isn't a bad thing!

Sounds like you are well planned out! Good luck finding your spoo!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

It sounds to me as if you have a wonderful life to offer a spoo - most of the day with you, other dogs to play with, and games in the park as well!  The only problem may be too MUCH stimulation - a quiet covered crate at your work place may be a good investment.


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## FunkyPuppy (Jan 27, 2011)

fjm said:


> It sounds to me as if you have a wonderful life to offer a spoo - most of the day with you, other dogs to play with, and games in the park as well! The only problem may be too MUCH stimulation - a quiet covered crate at your work place may be a good investment.


Oh, good idea! I didn't think about this! 

I'm getting my puppy from a breeder in colorado, referred to me by cbrand (THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH!!!!). Since I'll be making a roadtrip to get her, I'm considering not picking her up til she is 10 weeks, so I can have her almost completely vaccinated as soon as we get to NM. We require all daycare dogs be up to date on shots as well. I just emailed my breeder for her opinion on this, as I've read all the conflicting opinions concerning socializing before completing the vaccine regimen. 

I like the name Flutterby, as it sounds soft and sweet and... calm, lol, which is the personality-type I've asked my breeder to watch for. When I first began considering a poodle, I wanted to name her Kissyboots, the most obnoxious "prissy poodle" stereotypical name I could think of... but decided Flutterby sounds much more ladylike.


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## jester's mom (Nov 25, 2008)

I LOVE the name Flutterby! 

I, also, see no reason why this could not work out, especially with your plans. I have a home on 4 acres, surrounded by woods and few neighbors, I let my dogs out individually for potty and they go potty then come back to the door to come in. They prefer to be with their people or their doggy family. I agree, a single standard poodle is not really apt to go play by itself in a penned yard. Also, all three of mine lay quietly in the house and save their romping for outdoor playtime. They are a calmer breed than a lot of the larger breeds, so I don't see why you should have problems if your girl is getting daily exercise. I do agree with making sure she gets down time in a covered crate so as not to overstimulate her as that could create a more "hyper" dog that doesn't understand "down time". And, of course, crating at night so she doesn't learn bad habits like chewing inappropriate things.

Best of luck and wishes on your new girl!


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## FunkyPuppy (Jan 27, 2011)

Yes, the "overstimulated puppy" syndrome makes me think of the kids I see in the giant mcdonald's play areas when I'm stopped at a light (I never eat there!). The kids are flying around, bouncing from wall to wall, hyped up on caffeine and sugar... gah, some of those children need covered kennel time! 

I'd like to have her on a schedule, I guess sort of similar to my son's schedule when he was tiny... I was thinking:
6am - brisk walk
6:45 - breakfast
(break to take my son to my parents)
8:30 doggie daycare
12:30 nap in breakroom kennel
and when she wakes up, let her back out to play in camp? is that reasonable? I can go home when my dogs have been picked up, so I'll rarely be there a full 8 hours. and after work we'll pick up my son and go to the park.


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## ItzaClip (Dec 1, 2010)

you sound like you are going to give your spoo more attention and training than most people with 4 acre sof land! I myself live ina mobile home, I own my own lot but its small, therefore all my dogs exersice has always been outside our yard, i own my own store & groom shop and even though i dont have anysort of daycare, my dogs view it as thier job to greet customers over the gate that seperates the groom room from the store, and they choose to go lie in thier kennels for naps, if they are restless and i'm really busy i either get an employee or work experience student to take them for a walk or do the hide atreat game or stuff a toy. The Kong Iq toys are way harder than kongs since you can interlock them together. They have been coming to work for 8 yrs now. we do walks/runs in field in am and little clicker training sessions during day, and either agility or walking with hubby or somthing in pm. I also love to color!


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

I think at 10 weeks she may need rather more sleep - pups tend to sleep during the day about as much as they are awake in my experience (but always wake up with the zoomies just as you are thinking of going to bed yourself!). If you are raising a toddler you will be pretty familiar with the routine - regular meals, regular opportunities to let off steam, and regular naps. And it is never too soon to start to instill good manners - in the nicest possible way.

Dogstardaily.com is a very good source of information on raising a puppy, although it sounds as if you have already put a lot of thought into it.


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## FunkyPuppy (Jan 27, 2011)

Thank you for the link! I will certainly be checking that out. In truth, I've never had an actual puppy. My first dog was our Silky, whom we acquired from a Golden Retriever rescue that was rescuing dogs from a local pound facing a mass euthanasia edict. Zorro was a little younger than 6 months at the time, so not a "real puppy". 

I was worried about crating her all day, maybe in the beginning I'll bring her home halfway through work and crate her? so she can nap? Maybe that would be better.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

If you can have a crate or bed where you work - or in the breakroom or daycare area - that might be ideal. Then she can nap when she needs to, but you are on hand to nip out with her as soon as she wakes up - very helpful for toilet training!


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## poodlemom2be (Jan 30, 2011)

Aww Flutterby is so cute and girly! I think of butterflies when I hear it :-D


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## Lilith (Sep 29, 2010)

Actually, one of the reasons I _chose_ a spoo over some other breeds I was considering is that I live in an apartment and have virtually no yard (it was one of many reasons, but still...). Poodles are just so adaptable, that they're on the short list of medium-ish sized athletic dogs that can do ok in an apartment environment. Spoos (well, my spoo, and I gather many other spoos as well) are wonder-dogs in that they have the ability to morph instantly from hyper-active super-athletic outside dog to couch-potato-sack-of-bricks-lazy inside dog. 

All my spoo does during the day when I'm gone is sleep, anyway, so she doesn't need any space for this to happen,... She's also capable at 7.5 months of age of holding her pee for an entire day (which I only noticed last Saturday when I took some trash out at 5pm and my spoo bee-lined for her pee-spot, making me suddenly realize that the last time she had peed had been before we left for breakfast at 7am!) So yeah - you should be fine.


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## Standard (Aug 25, 2010)

Sounds like you have a great plan! My main concern is spoo's can be rather loud and barky, and when you are living in an apartment this can go south very quickly. And also, if you are renting do you have a backup plan if you have to move to housing that is not pet-friendly? Somewhere for your dog to go that you trust? Otherwise you definitely seem to be on the right track and I'm sure your new puppy will settle in nicely.


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## WonderPup (Oct 26, 2008)

Standard said:


> Sounds like you have a great plan! My main concern is spoo's can be rather loud and barky, and when you are living in an apartment this can go south very quickly. And also, if you are renting do you have a backup plan if you have to move to housing that is not pet-friendly? Somewhere for your dog to go that you trust? Otherwise you definitely seem to be on the right track and I'm sure your new puppy will settle in nicely.


I think it's a good idea to consider what you would do if you HAD to move someplace that wasn't pet friendly. Then again that's a good idea for anyone, even if you own your home. I was forced to consider it recently when I thought I wanted to jump ship on my marriage. 

I wouldn't consider a spoo barky at all. If mine are barking there is a reason, otherwise we never really hear a peep out of them. My cats make more noise. I've met some mini's who were barky and a boatload of yappy toys but not a spoo... at least not so far. When they DO bark it can certainly be loud, which I think is a HUGE plus of the breed. It has a big dog bark. When I first got my older girl Jazz I encouraged her to jump the door and bark a few times whenever anyone rang the bell or knocked. From the porch it sounded like there must be a huge killer beast inside that house lol. I actually had a salesman leave before I could answer the door lol - GOOD DOG! LOL. Anyway, it was a comfort to me b/c I was home a lone so much as night at the time. Of course, the hitting the door thing turned out to be less than a good idea so we've stopped that in favor of just barking. Mine DO btw stop barking asap when told to hush unless we're outside in the yard and there is a squirrel or the neighbor's cat sitting on the fence. All bets are off in those two cases and IMO they could do worse things so I don't care really. If it annoys the neighbor, too bad, keep your flea ridden cat inside.


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## Standard (Aug 25, 2010)

I agree spoo's aren't always yappy dogs, but when they do bark, it's not quiet! Lol. But of the two experiences I had of apartments I lived in, my regularily quiet and calm pit/lab (previous to my spoo) nearly lost his mind. Most apartments are not really the best constructed, and we could hear any loud noises from the neighbours above, below, left, right and across the hall. Now add to that loud families, teenagers etc and you have an environment where a dog may feel that he has a reason to bark all of the time.

I only caution the barking issue, not as an attack on spoo's and their apartment compatibility but as a warning that any dog could feel the need to voice his own concerns at the noise. I think the shock of my single family home raised dog being thrust into an environment where he could hear people all around him may have made him hypersensitive, however I can't imagine anything worse then getting a puppy and losing your housing, and maybe even the puppy because the neighbours don't want to deal with the noise he could potentially make. 

I had a friend (albiet a daft and sometimes irresponsible one) who adopted a greyhound the second she moved out of her parents and into her own place. However within two weeks she began getting complaints about her dog howling/barking and otherwise making a whole lot of noise. This confused her as to her knowledge the dog was completely silent, I myself never heard the dog make a peep. Anyways, she eventually figured out, after being screamed at by a neighbour, that the dog would howl and bark the entire time she was gone. She worked full time and within two months was given the choice to move out or give up the dog. She unfortunately had to give up the dog (who later found a great home  ).

Anyways the OP has the advantage that she will be getting a puppy with relatively zero issues that she can shape into the perfect apartment dog. I just want to caution that renting with dogs can be a slippery slope, and due caution has to be taken with barking. My experience with spoo's is with my dog only, and he happens to be pretty vocal. My neighbour likens him to "the neighbourhood rooster" (he makes this horrible howling noise that sounds like a rooster when he gets excited :bird: ...is he the only one? )


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## FunkyPuppy (Jan 27, 2011)

I welcome all responses, advice, and warnings I'm getting from more experienced owners. As a groomer, my poodle experience is limited to what I see in the 3-4 hours I have them, and as far as that goes, i'd say that mini poodles rarely bark. I don't think I've ever heard a standard bark!

I have put a lot of consideration into the typical complaints I hear about puppies; ie they bark when left alone, destroy the most valuable and expensive stuff first, potty all over the place, and then stare at you with their fluffy heads cocked and big puppy eyes that say "what did I do?". my method of puppy raising that I'm hoping will combat the typical puppy trouble is to take her to work. I am so lucky to work in an amazing salon that allows empoyees to bring their pets to work. The owner's husky greets customers and patrols the store, while a groomer's pug plays grooming assistant and will actually jump on the table or next to the tub when a scared dog is freaking out and somehow that pug will calm it down. I'd have never believed such a thing would work, "mascot dogs" wandering freely, but they've never had a single problem. I plan to leash my puppy to my belt in the beginning, to teach her walking manners, as well as how to "assist". She'll play in daycamp when she's rowdy. And by the end of the day I hope all the exercise and "official business" will have exhausted her to the point where she's more interested in sleeping than barking or destroying the carpet.

As for the question of "what if your apartment collapses and you MUST move immediately"... well, in an emergency, any of my coworkers would be happy to take her overnight, and my boyfriend's mother has offered to babysit already, anytime. My bf and I plan on moving to LA eventually, and I spoke with him about the fact that having a large poodle may make renting difficult and even more expensive, but he says that it's not impossible. As for here, most places are dog friendly, (unless you own a pit!). So even if I had to change apartments, my girl could come with me.

Ultimately, i'd like to be the sort of woman that some of my clients are: the kind that takes her dog anywhere, no questions asked, and raises hell if not allowed. Lol, none of these clients have service dogs, they just know how to get what they want and have such well-behaved pets that management really can't complain. I'm really not high maintanence enough to pull this sort of thing off, but i'd rather take my dog everywhere and not risk her barking down the house!


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