Moving a 4 year old lab from a house with a fenced in yard to an apartment or condo. Is it doable?

[dave]

I'm moving out of my parents house in the next 2-4 months for a nice independent operator bread route I'm planning on buying. I'm single and I really don't plan on getting married, so the idea of buying a house just seems like a waste. An apartment or condo seems better fitted for me, but I'm so worried about my lab. I can take him to a dog park everyday, so he'll get his exercise, but he's the type of dog who is constantly tapping on the door to lay outside or lurk around. I never know if he needs to go pee or not, so that would be a major pain in an apartment setup with no fence. Has anyone gone through something similar? Is it even possible? Plus, I still have the issue of weight limits on dogs. Any advice would be appreciated

[SunDance]

Yikes.

Our neighbors' daughter had two dogs, Puggles, who wouldn't go to the bathroom on walks, only in a fenced-in yard. The daughter/husband didn't realize this till they moved out-of-State for his job and rented a house with no fence and no permission to put up a fence. My neighbors then had two Puggles since they had a fenced-in yard. Any chance this might apply to your pup?

Also, assuming that he'll empty out on walks, you'll have to figure out exactly how often he needs to go out to actually eliminate. That's how often you're going to be taking him for walks, regardless of the weather.

Is he a barker....especially when no humans are home? Close neighbors aren't going to be thrilled, if he is.

If you're encountering weight restrictions, these other issues might be moot.

Hope you work things out to your satisfaction and your pup's well-being.

(Can your parents just keep him if not?)

Welcome to the board.

[lovemylabby]

Many apartment complex/condos don't allow dogs or there are weight restrictions...you may want to do your research first.

Without a fenced in yard, you would have to be diligent about your dog getting enough exercise. He may have an adjustment to make if he's used to just going in the yard anytime he wants to pee or explore.

[smartrock]

There are a number of folks here who live in apartments or condos with their labs. Even those of us with houses go to work so whether he's in a house or an apartment, he'd still be at home alone. I'm guessing Mom or Dad give him extra time outside while you've been at work or at school? I'd suggest he mainly wants to be with you, whether you're in a house, an apartment or a box under an overpass. You'll have to make it a priority to get him exercised before and after work, no going out with your buddies after work before going to let him outside for bathroom and exercise purposes. You could stock up on some Kongs or food toys that you can freeze after stuffing with moistened food. If you're working 5 days a week, maybe you could look into finding a dog walker to stop in at lunchtime if you cannot or finding a doggie daycare for him to go to one or 2 days a week. You can make it work, dogs are pretty adaptable, just think how many dogs get adopted into new situations and do fine.

[Berna]

I've lived in an apartment with my lab all his life, it will be 13 years in September. With that said, he was a puppy when he got house-broken and used to apartment living. It is more difficult with an older dog. I've known people who have successfully transitioned their labs to apartment living, and those who have not. Those who haven't in majority had dogs who lived outdoors, so the dogs got already used to yards and were not comfortable living inside the house.

My advice would be: plan at least three walks a day. One walk at least should be longer, with letting your dog to run and wear out his energy. If your dog is already house-broken (was an indoor dog) I don't think he would potty inside the apartment. Older dogs can hold it. If you get accidents inside, house-break him again.

[Snowshoe]

A house itself is a big responsibility. Still, I know lots of single people who have a house with a yard. Likely you don't (barking, digging, escaping) want to leave a dog outside in your yard all alone while you are at work, but at least you could both go out and decompress when you're home.

[dave]

Thanks for the responses guys. It's not a good situation. My dog has bounded with my parents, but I rarely allow them to take him outside anymore because he is super hyper and my parents give him too much leeway without any concern of the consequences. If I left him with them, I have this huge fear that he will run into traffic and get run over. There's already been too many close calls and they never seem to "get it".

I was looking into apartments last night and found one that allowed dogs up to 125 pounds, but I feel like he's gonna be miserable with no backyard. If he's miserable, I'll be miserable.

Maybe I'll give it a try and see. The whole situation sucks!

[JC001]

Have you considered renting a house or even a townhouse? That ,at give you the option of a yard.

[Tanya]

It's going to be a lot of work possibly based on your description of the dog. here are things to get started on NOW before the move. but was in an apt for years with my lab and various young energetic fosters. it's clearly more work day to day than having a yard you can just open the door to.

- walking on leash, and crucially pottying on leash. you would be surprised how many dogs don't or won't potty on leash. i'd start now with a walk first thing in the morning. if he has no issue going on leash you can just do a few tests. if he won't go til he gets home you'll have to do a few days or weeks of this where instead of opening the door ot the yard you go out on leash. yard time comes AFTER he empties himself on walks.

- has he been to dog parks recently? is this a thing that works for him? it's not for all dogs.

- he is now going to be home alone more it sounds like (maybe not depends on your parents schedule). this may lead to some issues especially if he is home alone a lot more.

- he currently can go outside whenever he is bored. so you are going to need tot ake him out more often on leash but also work on more mental exercise indoors. food toys, puzzles and exercise. this will replace the "bored now let me out" behaviour over time.

- depending on the set-up of the apartment there may be lots of new noises that will get him barking more so have a plan to deal with that other than yelling at him to be quiet

[arentspowell]

We've never had a fenced in yard and have always made it work. When Daisy was younger we made the effort to take her to the park, toss the ball for her on a long line, walks around the neighborhood, agility classes. If its an option, a townhouse is definitely easier than a condo with a dog.