So you love dogs. So do we!
Let’s face it, though. Life does not always allow us to live in places where dogs can run free to their heart’s content. Jobs, families and dozens of other factors force many of us to take up residence in cities and relatively small flats, apartments, studios or townhouses. Does this mean you can’t own a dog? Of course not!
We will admit, straight away, that apartment life is not the ideal life for a dog. That is sort of the purpose of this site. Most dogs were bred for vigorous outdoor work and activities. Their very physical makeup is evolutionary proof of their ability to resist the elements. A select few breeds of dogs were actually bred in a way that makes them quite suitable as apartment dogs, but those are the exception rather than the rule. By and large, your pup would love to spend his or her days trotting along, sniffing the ground, chasing whatever looks tasty or smells interesting and napping in the dirt. But that doesn’t mean that dogs aren’t adaptable to indoor living conditions. It just takes the right situation.
One of the traits of dogs, something that they have carried with them for thousands of years, is a predisposition toward cooperating (to varying degrees) with humans. There are several theories as to why dogs became human’s best friend, but the general consensus is that long ago dogs and humans entered into a mutual agreement that involves food safety, work and protection. Even though dogs are about as different from humans as they are from cats, they manage to cooperate quite well with humans. This trait alone makes them adaptable to living with you in your apartment.
There will be times, however, when the differences between how your dog lives their life and how you live your life will seem so apparent that you might find yourself at your wits end. For example, your dog really doesn’t understand morning coffee. The pleasure that many of us feel by waking up slowly in the quiet and peace of our house with a warm cup of coffee is as foreign to a dog as preparing taxes. As soon as dogs wake up, they are ready to run, to play and to eat and they have no qualms about letting you know it. Without the proper training and guidance, a dog will obliterate this peaceful routine of yours, and likely any other treasured time or belonging in your life.
This situation can be made much worse by living in a small apartment. Sadly, many a dog is returned to a shelter or rehomed because of incompatibilities at home. Even more sad is the fact that it is usually the dog that receives the blame, being labeled as “bad” or “crazy.” This leads to frustration and occasionally abuse of an animal all because they were being who they are. In truth, there is no such thing as a bad dog. Dogs are just dogs, and we love them for their purity. More often than not, the reasons that dog-human relationships fail is due to shortcomings of humans, not the other way around.
With that, we welcome you to Apartment Dog. Through this site we hope to teach people about how dogs think and behave, what drives them and what deters them. With a good understanding of dogs, how to take care of them and give them what they need, you can cultivate a happy and fulfilled dog. With a few tricks and tips you can raise a dog that happily resides with you in your apartment. Thank you for joining us!