# Goldens in apartment



## GoldenLover92

Hey everyone. I just wanted to ask if you guys could give me your opinions on if you think it's okay for a Goldens to be living in an apartment?
I have been in love with Goldens for the longest but I am currently living in an apartment and probably always will. Some may say if I don't have a yard then no it's not a good idea, but there is a dog park a few minutes away from here as well as the beach and boardwalk. Those are some options for exercise I guess. 

So I just wanted to know what others think based on personal experience with them or just big dogs in general.
I know some people will say it depends on how much exercise you give, well what is enough then?

Thank you in advance for your responses =)


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## jackie_hubert

We live in a 700 square foot apartment in Vancouver, along the water with lots of parks. We have a dog and a cat. It isn't ideal but it is doable. 

It's really the lack of a fenced yard that's the issue I think, rather than the amount of space. If we lived in a big house without a yard it would be the same thing. 

I find that Cosmo (now 1) is happy when he gets at least 2 hours of leash walking and at least 30 minutes of off-leash romping. The off-leash romping, in my opinion, is the most important. If we do not take him off leash outside he gets very difficult on the leash. 

Finding off leash areas is tough, even amongst parks. There isn't really an ideal place to take him off leash, especially as a puppy when his recall isn't great, when people with aggressive dogs are also using the park, etc. 

Many days I wish I had not gotten a dog without a yard but like you, I probably will never be able to afford a house with a yard, not while I live in Vancouver, haha.


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## Heidi36oh

Well we live in a Town house, 1200 sq feet and my crew is quite happy, yes I wish we had a fenced in yard again, but it worked out for us very well.


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## GoldenLover92

I've seen some people say things like "Well how would you feel if you were cooped up in a small area for life?" or such when talking about Goldens living in apartments. But most of the exercise is given outdoors so I agree when you say it's not about the size of the apartment/house. 
I also find that some people who do have yards tend to be more lazy when it comes to exercising their dog. From my bedroom window I can see the yard of a family who owns a Golden and it's always just plopped out on the floor of the yard. Nobody is out playing with it or anything.


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## LilMissSunshine

I actually made a thread about this a while back: http://www.goldenretrieverforum.com/golden-retrievers-main-discussion/92096-dogs-apartments-misconceptions-my-2-cents.html

I think that goldens can certainly be happy in apartments! 

It takes more EFFORT to have a golden in an apartment. That is a fact. Potty training is a lot harder when you are holding a puppy in your arms and waiting for an elevator or running down stairs
and it sure is easier to say "fido. go outside" and open a door to the yard, than it is to get a leash and get walkin 

I also agree that off leash play is important. Finding a safe fenced in park (or a backyard someone is willing to let you and your dog play in) is great, because they do need to run and stretch their legs without leashes 

As for "being cooped up in tiny spaces".. How many dogs do you know that spend time in crates? or who spend the hours that their owners aren't home asleep on the sofa? 

Its not like they are always pacing/running around, chances are.. they just want to be in the room with you 

With mental stimulation (training and playing) and physical exercise (walks and off leash play).. I think goldens live happy lives in apartments


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## cisobe

I agree with everyone else... Having a big yard would be nice, but it's not necessary. Heck... having a huge house isn't necessary either...

Yes, potty training would be difficult without direct access to the outdoors, but he/she will eventually learn as they get older (all dogs have accidents, just know that some will not be his/her fault )...

As far as exercise, walks (and runs when they're old enough) can all be done outside on the street... Off-leash play is great, and can be accomplished at the dog park (you said you live near to). We live in a Townhouse, and the nearest dog park is 25mins away... Tobey, our Golden doesn't get much off-leash time around out townhouse, as his recall sucks, and he is easily exciteable... Bailey, our Sheltie gets a lot of off leash time around our townhouse because he has a solid recall, and heals like glue (awesome, because he's only 8mo old!).

And... As far as a small apartment goes, don't worry about it... lol...It doesn't matter how big your house is, or how many rooms you have... Your golden will be in the same room as you... probably on the same couch... or lying at your feet under your desk... Doesn't matter if you have 1 room, or 100... they'll be wherever you are...


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## Mad's Mom

I agree with what's been said above, if you're committed to the pup's outdoor exercise time, an apartment will be fine.

Mad and I live in a 1500 sq. foot townhouse with a small fenced back yard. Doesn't matter the size of the house in our case, as Mad is always in whatever room I'm in, and when we're home relaxing most of that time is spent in the 400 sq. foot living room/family room.

The back yard is great for morning pee time, but that's about it. She doesn't hang in the back yard alone, so although we sometimes play tug out there 99% of our outside time is spent on walks, off leash park time, and hanging out in the neighbourhood (Mad favourite hanging out time is having the kids in the neighborhood fuss all over her, mine is the outdoor coffee patio where she still gets plenty of attention).

Mad gets a min. of 2 hours a day outside exercise, including 40 minutes off leash. 

Commitment to making sure they get the exercise and stimulation is the most important thing. My neighbours have a 16 month old golden, and are soon going to be moving to a house with a large yard, and I know that he'll soon just be left to amuse himself in the yard, because she won't feel she needs to walk him as much.


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## LifeOfRiley

I agree with what has been said already - it's not the dwelling that matters. It's the amount of outdoor exercise you're able to give them each day.

We live in an apartment and it works just fine. Our apartment is right around 1200 square feet and is actually bigger than our old house, so Riley has even more room to move around than he did before. (Far less interesting when the zoomies strike. lol.) We have a long entry hall where he loves to play 'hall ball', but honestly, he's pretty mellow when he's indoors. I do believe that when it comes to Goldens, Riley is a little more on the mellow end of the spectrum than others, though.

We take a good, long hike everyday - at least 2 to 3 miles at a good pace. In the evening, he gets another, shorter, walk - probably a mile or so. (I don't let him off-leash because he's dog-reactive and with his hips, I don't want him doing a lot of running, anyway.) As I mentioned, he does play 'hall ball' indoors, and we play tug, 'find the toy/treat' type of games, etc. That seems to be more than enough to keep him happy.

The only concern I would have about a big dog in an apartment would be in relation to the type of building you're in. What floor are you on? Is it a walk-up? What would you do if your dog needed surgery at some point and couldn't do stairs for a certain amount of time? That's something to think about. 
Sliding doors with big screens could be a safety issue too, if you're in that style of building, on the ground floor. (Would he crash through the screen the first time he sees a squirrell outside?)
Fortunately, we found a condo-style apartment, ground floor, that has an actual back door - no slider. Otherwise, it would have been something that I'd have needed to think about very carefully before moving in with a big dog.


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## Sweet Girl

The truth is, a Golden Retriever would be perfectly happy living in a one room apartment with its person - as long as it was given lots of opportunity for exercise.

I'm sure there are plenty of Goldens who live in big houses with big yards who never get any exercise because they're just let out to do their business.

If you're committed to lots of walks and off-leash runs, a dog can be happy anywhere. That's what I believe.


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## Rainheart

I will be having my pup in an apartment this coming year. Although, my time there will be almost equally split with my time at my home with my mom who has a yard. I do foresee some issues, but I think that we will be able to work through whatever comes our way. My next semester's schedule is set up to be ideal for having a puppy!


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## Ranger

It definitely can be done, and done WELL. Too many times yards are used as an excuse for not walking the dog and those dogs can be become bored and neurotic quickly. So long as you're taking your dog for long walks/off leash time, it really won't matter if you have a yard of not.

Size of living space isn't usually an issue either. Ranger and I lived in a one bedroom 500 ft basement suite for over a year and a half and he was fine! We did have a yard, but when outside he'd just lounge under a tree after a few half-hearted attempts at play. All our exercise took place off property so inside our tiny suite or in the backyard, I had a calm happy dog. 

The ONLY thing I'd be worried about is making sure you get some adequate off leash time per day for your dog. Make sure you spend a ton of time on recall and work daily on it so you can trust your dog off leash. That's the one way not having a yard would have been bad for ranger - he's not trustworthy on leash so the yard was essential (to us). It was the only way he got some off leash time to run around, sporadic as that was.

So can a golden live happily in an apartment? Of course!! A little extra time and effort is needed; it's a lot easier to open the door 4-5 times a day than it is to put on a leash and leave a building 4-5 times a day. But if the person is willing to make the effort, it's doable! I always think of Kim's (Katie and Paddy's Mom) dog Katie when people ask this question! Katie gets walked 3-4 times a day, LOOONG walks, and I think Ranger would gladly exchange his house/yard to go live in the condo with Kim and get so many walks!


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## GoldenLover92

Thank you for your input guys! It's nice to know people have made it work out for them and their Goldens. A little extra effort is always worth it for these babies


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## cubbysan

We temporarily lived on a third floor apartment for almost 3 months when Brady was 2. He loved it, because he got walks from all members of the family. He would actually "choose" who he wanted to walk with for that particular walk. 

He had no off leash play during that time, but did not care, he was stimulated enough by all the new people and dogs he met on his walks. He loved it there.


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## HudsensMama9

I lived in an apt. when I first got Hudsen. I wanted to wait until we got a house, but had no idea when that would be and I really really really wanted a golden, so I was not willing to wait any longer. We lived in the apt. from the time Hudsen was ten weeks until he was ten months. We moved into our house this past summer. Although he absolutely loves his new yard, he did just fine in the one bedroom apt. I tried to give him off-leash time almost every day and took him for multiple walks. We lived on the second floor and I carried him up and down the stairs until he was four or five months old (and got too heavy!)... let me tell you, when he was potty-training and we were outside 10-15 times a day, that's a lot of stairs to carry a pup up and down every day!! We had a deck and he loved laying out there at night chewing his bone while people-watching. 

My only issue with having a pup in the apt. was we had a noise complaint the first week we had him. He cried every single time I left for work in the morning and apparently continued to bark and cry in his crate for a couple hours. This went on for a couple months. I'd take him for a walk before I left and give him a frozen kong to work on for a while, then I'd come home at lunch and walk him/play with him again. I started to take him to doggie daycare a couple days/week once he had all of his shots- since he was so young I'd only take him for a half day, pick him up at lunch and bring him home. He'd sleep the entire afternoon until I got home from work. That way, he wasn't barking early in the morning when I left for work. 

The hardest time was at night because he would whine and cry when I put him in his crate- I didn't want to get another noise complaint for my whiney pup, but I didn't want to get him out of his crate either (didn't want him to learn that I'd come to him every time he cried). It's funny because now he LOVES LOVES LOVES his crate.. I'm pretty sure he spends all day in there when I'm at work, even though he has free run of the house. 

I think living in an apt. and having a pup is very do-able as long as you are willing to exercise him/her multiple times a day. Once your pup is potty-trained, apt. life gets much, much easier! Good luck!


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## ebenjamin85

I agree with everything posted so far. I had Samantha in an apartment and later a townhouse for her first two years. It takes work but can def. be done. The hardest part for me was late night walks in the rain, snow, etc. Buy yourself a nice pair of waterproof boots and an umbrella and you'll be just fine! The only difference for us is that with a yard we have the luxury of playing fetch and avoiding walks in horrible weather. Otherwise... same difference!


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## Heidi36oh

We lived here in our townhouse for 3 years with 4 dogs, they done just fine, yes it's hard in the winter to get them out but we managed, we are now looking to buy some land and eventually build a house..it's definitely doable. Good luck


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## Katie and Paddy's Mum

We've had Katie from the very beginning in a 1250sqft condo. It was definitely a challenge at the beginning because taking a puppy outside every 30 minutes involved much more effort than simply opening a patio door - by that I mean, we'd have to accommodate for elevator time and then we would have to get her across the street as our condo is very anti-dogs peeing on our own front lawn (rightfully so.) But we made it work as did Katie. She figured it all out pretty quickly. It's all about commitment as you rightfully noted.

By and large, my experience is that condo/apartment dogs will get walked more often than those in a house with a yard. Like Ranger noted (thank you by the way  ) Katie and I are out at least 4x a day. She has at least 2.5 hours of exercise daily - a lot of that time being off-leash chasing real and imagined squirrels. When we are home (like now) she is usually cuddled up on the couch resting. She's a very happy and well adjusted doggie.

We, like everyone on this forum, are just 100% committed to her needs. And we know she will require more walks when living in a condo. But we knew that when we got her, so we made sure we were committed to doing it!

So yes, it is very do-able. There was an amazing thread on this very topic some months back. I think littlemisssunshine quoted it in her response. It is well worth reading 

Kim


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## Ileo

I agree with the other posts saying that they think it's OK to have a Golden in an apartment, also that the potty training phase with a puppy could be quite trying. With a dog park nearby you have a great place to take your dog for exercise and socialization. Have you considered getting an adult Golden from a breed rescue? My current and previous Goldens were rescues and I couldn't ask for better dogs. My present Golden was seven years old when I got him and he's wonderful, in almost two years he's yet to have an accident in the house and has done absolutely no damage. I have six and a half acres and a large fenced enclosure. Dog heaven. Guess where he prefers to be. In the house! So I'd say definitely get a Golden, you'll never regret it.


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## DoodleZ

My husband and I live in an upstairs apartment, it's 1205 square feet, we have three dog parks within 10 minutes of us, we have an extremely dog friendly apartment... Don't be discouraged by the fact that you live in an apartment. As everyone stated, and I'm glad there is such an open mind about it because there are some people who say people who live in apartments should not have large breed dogs.

Back in November of 2010, we wanted to adopt a Golden. The woman in charge of adoptions strongly discouraged us in getting a young dog because she didn't think we could handle it. My husband and I between us, have had 7 dogs, ones which we literally raised as puppies, and many of which were adopted or were found abandoned on the street and we took them in. I had no idea why this woman was so adamant in saying we were not capable of handling a puppy, she went on about her own horror stories, saying a puppy was a handful... Meanwhile, I am always home. I am a photographer so I have the luxury of working from home... I wondered in the back of my head on whether it was really our apartment living that was the problem, and she wasn't honest enough to admit it. Needless to say, our feelings were hurt.

Our beautiful puppy is now 5 months... we got him in January and it's been excellent. My husband loves playing with him and teaching him tricks. He loves his crate. I take him out 5 times a day for potty time and make sure he gets his daily exercise in. The best part is taking our little Chuck to the dog park, he loves playing fetch. I say he's very well taken care of and loved.

It hurts my feelings to think that because a person lives in an apartment, they are considered "not ideal" candidates for a young dog, or a large breed. What it amounts to is the commitment and hard work you're willing to put in to raise and healthy and happy dog. We go to this special dog health food store and make sure that our puppy is well taken care of in every aspect. His physical activity is important to us, and I love seeing him run outside, and especially now that he is playing with other dogs!

There is a possibility later this year where we will move into a house... but we've made it work so far. Sometimes I feel a little goofy taking Chuck outside so much, and I have a designated spot for him. I always feel like people in the other apartments are watching me all the time... standing around until he pees. Ha. But that's part of the job and I am and have been putting in the hard work... Living in an apartment motivates me to provide for my puppy even more.


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## Usha Maceio Brazil

I love this thread. It is good to know I am not alone in this endeavor: raising Kelly in an apartment. I am called crazy by most of my friends, but they have no idea what joy it has been.


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## LittleLouie

I have an 1100 sq. ft. apartment, but we are always looking for a house to rent that will have a back yard so Louie can get his exercise. We know he wants grass to roll in freely that doesn't belong to other dogs, otherwise we would stay right where we are.

My apartment manager rolls her eyes at us for having a large dog in an apartment, and I know plenty of people don't think it's right. But you know what? My dog isn't nearly as vocal as the tiny dogs that live in surrounding apartments. Louie goes out every two hours, unless no one is home, but he's never alone for more than 5 or 6 hours (sorry, but we have to have jobs). On any day it isn't raining we go out and play, sometimes take a four mile walk on our favorite trail, or just sit outside in the grass.

There's nothing wrong with having a larger dog in the apartment, so long as it doesn't pose a problem for them and if you are willing to get your dog the extra exercise he/she would normally get being in the backyard. We love our home here, but now that we have Louie, we feel it's best that he have his own backyard. Still, there is nothing wrong with raising a dog in an apartment, and don't let anyone make you feel like you aren't providing an adequate home!


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## Sammy's Dad

I don't see a problem with it, provided that you give enough exercise to your Golden. I live in a apartment in NYC, and I take Sammy for a long walk everyday. I take him to a nearby park (which has a dog run) and let me loose to run around. I play with him too (he loves me running after him in the park..."catch me if you can"....lol). So far, so good. He comes home fully tired and relax. His weight/health is perfect. 

If you give your Golden or any other large breed dog the exercise he or she needs, who cares if you live in a apartment.


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## West

I agree with everything that has been said. I live in an aprtment and Cooper is a happy dog who gets more exercise than most of the dogs who live in houses around here. He gets a 2.5-3 hour leash walk in the morning and goes out for some off leash playing in the park at least twice more. As we live half a block away from a park, he gets to play off leash with other dogs everyday. He has more friends in the neighbourhood than I do 
Also, we embrace every opportunity we have of taking him to enjoy nature, so he has been on holidays with us. He has travelled to the countryside, the river and the seaside and I hope to take him to the mountains soon  My apartment dog is quite an explorer!


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## Lola212

Sammy's Dad said:


> I don't see a problem with it, provided that you give enough exercise to your Golden. I live in a apartment in NYC, and I take Sammy for a long walk everyday. I take him to a nearby park (which has a dog run) and let me loose to run around. I play with him too (he loves me running after him in the park..."catch me if you can"....lol). So far, so good. He comes home fully tired and relax. His weight/health is perfect.
> 
> If you give your Golden or any other large breed dog the exercise he or she needs, who cares if you live in a apartment.


Hi sammy's dad! I cannot send PM's yet as I am still a new member, but I would love any advice you can give me on raising a golden in NYC. We live in Chelsea, very close to the beautiful Hudson River which also has a dog run so exercise will be lots of fun! Any advice in regards to city life would be appreciated!


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