Apartment bird dog

[bushman13]

I've got this little guy in training right now. He is 25lbs soaking wet. In a class of 10 Labs and 10 GSP's, the Cocker is definitely the oddball.

 

[JLS]

The size of the house is irrelevant if you have a stable dog that gets exercise and training. A dumbass dog in a big house just has more stuff to tear up than in a small house.

 

[Runnin_Chupacabra]

Man I'm in that exact same situation also in a two bedroom apt! Really started hitting the wildlife refuge hard last year and was inspired to get a bird dog but just the thought of having a dog or pup in my apartment would be gnarly. Just like anything, if you're willing to put in the work a preparation for a dog I'm sure you'll figure it out!

 

[VikingsGuy]

I don’t think space is the biggest problem with having a dog - it is time. Do you have time to take the dog for a walk in the morning? Do you have time for a mid-day walk? Time for an evening walk? Time to take the dog out for training over the weekend? If you don’t have the time, space won’t solve anything. If a you are gone 12 hours a day then having a dog is likely not going to work - not fair to the dog. If you work from home or have a flexible schedule you should be able to make it work just fine.

 

[JEL]

Yep, dogs work just fine in apartments if they are properly exercised and cared for. Two of my boys live in apartments and each has a dog. One a lab and one a golden. They do fine but get lots of attention, exercise, training and love. The kids take them everywhere they can. They are both well behaved and well trained.

 

[JLS]

I firmly believe many folks substitute exercise for training. Dogs need mental stimulation and jobs to do. Running a dog so it doesn’t act like an idiot is treating a symptom.

 

[lpcoutdoors]

I'd recommend a Brittany, maybe even a French Brittany. Other dogs could be great too but Brittanies are my experience. I'd had one in an apartment and he did well. We did have to walk him a lot, multiple potty walks a day and my wife and I both ran, so he got that almost every day. And we had a wild area near us he could run off leash a few times each week. He got waaayyy more conditioning, that kept him well behaved, than the kennel hunting dogs on the ranch I guided on. We was softer than those though and I had to be much more patient and understanding with him than the ranch dogs I was used to. And as JLS said, the running helps the behavior but the mental stimulation on runs and or in training is much needed too.

 

[Clam]

I work in the apartment business and don’t think apartments are suitable for most dogs, especially ones that are bread to work and be active. Active intelligent dogs need space for activity-to run, sniff and play. They also need human companionship. If they are left home for long periods alone it isn’t fair to the dog.

I’ve had to replace a lot of urine soaked carpet and pad. Alcohol primer subfloors, and units still stink. It costs the tenant who had the dog a couple thousand minimum. If your dog enjoys barking, you’ll spend your life scolding it for barking and your neighbors, as well as landlord, will resent you.

 

[LoveBirdDogs]

I have 5 field bred springers. I would tell you not a good dog for an apartment. Very hyper dog.

 

[badlander]

My last dog was a field bred english cocker spaniel - not an american cocker basically a 35# springer. When she passed I had more space and bought a springer who has turned out to be a bit on the small side and pretty similar to my cocker anyways.

Any field bred dog is going to be high energy but I think either of my spaniels would have adapted to apartment life just fine as long as I did my part and got them outside to work each day. Been working from home a lot these days and my 2yo springer is sitting quietly at my feet as I type this.

I'm a fan of spaniels anyways, but if I knew my space was limited I'd look for a female English Cocker and chances are she'll wind up 35# +/- a few and they do have a pretty good "off" switch once out of the field. But, don't expect that 35# dog to run with 70# labs all day, they have the drive but they just can't maintain the same stamina.